Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of psychotherapy that emphasizes acceptance to deal with negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that helps individuals stay focused on the present moment and accept thoughts and feelings without judgment. ACT therapy works by focusing on accepting life experiences as they come, without evaluating or trying to change them. Its a skill developed through mindfulness exercises that encourage individuals to build a new and more compassionate relationship with difficult experiences. ACT is a transdiagnostic therapy, meaning its principles can be applied to almost any mental health concern. Some of the benefits of ACT include:
- Developing psychological flexibility
- Combining mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance
- Helping individuals accept what is out of their control and commit instead to actions that enrich their lives
- Teaching individuals skills to accept painful or unwanted emotions, not avoid them
- Helping individuals engage in life even when challenged by things they can’t control, like illness, pain, loss, and severe mental health symptoms
ACT therapy can help with a variety of mental health conditions, including stress regulation, work stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and phobias. ACT differs from some other kinds of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in that rather than trying to teach people to better control their thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, and other private events, ACT teaches them to "just notice," accept, and embrace their private events, especially previously unwanted ones.
