Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Live a Richer Life
ACT helps you live by your values, even when things are difficult.
What Acceptance and Commitment Means
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy takes a different approach than most therapies. Instead of trying to reduce symptoms or feel better, ACT focuses on living better. The goal isn’t to eliminate difficult thoughts & feelings. It’s to change your relationship with them so they don’t control your life.
The central idea: you’re suffering not because you have difficult thoughts & feelings, but because you struggle against them. You try to push away anxiety, avoid sadness, suppress anger, control worry. This struggle consumes enormous energy & often makes things worse. Fighting your internal experience becomes the problem.
ACT teaches psychological flexibility: the ability to be present with whatever you’re experiencing while taking action toward what matters. You stop waiting for your thoughts & feelings to change before living your life. You move forward with discomfort present.
This doesn’t mean you don’t care about reducing symptoms. Often, symptoms do reduce with ACT. But the reduction comes from changing how you relate to symptoms, not from battling them directly.
ACT rests on six core processes that work together to build psychological flexibility.
Acceptance means allowing thoughts & feelings to be present without trying to change them. When anxiety shows up, you make room for it instead of fighting it. When sadness arises, you acknowledge it instead of pushing it away. Acceptance isn’t approval or resignation. It’s stopping the struggle.
Most people spend enormous energy trying to control their internal experience. You distract yourself from anxiety, ruminate to solve worry, avoid situations that trigger discomfort. These control strategies work temporarily but fail long-term. Acceptance means dropping the control agenda.
Cognitive Defusion changes how you relate to thoughts. Usually, you fuse with thoughts. You believe them, follow them, let them dictate behavior. A thought says “You’ll fail” & you believe it. A thought says “This is dangerous” & you avoid.
Defusion creates distance. You observe thoughts as mental events, not truths. You notice “I’m having the thought that I’ll fail” instead of believing you will fail. The thought loses power when you see it as a thought, not a fact.
Defusion techniques include labeling thoughts (“That’s my anxiety talking”), thanking your mind for the thought, imagining thoughts as leaves floating down a stream, or singing thoughts to a silly tune. These techniques highlight that thoughts are just words in your head.
Contact With the Present Moment means being aware of what’s happening now instead of being lost in your head. Your mind pulls you into past regrets or future worries. Mindfulness brings you back to the present, where life actually occurs.
Being present allows you to notice more: sensory experiences, emotions, thoughts, body sensations. This awareness gives you information about what matters & what action to take. When you’re lost in your head, you miss your actual life.
Self as Context means recognizing that you are not your thoughts, feelings, or experiences. You are the awareness that observes them. Thoughts come & go. Feelings rise & fall. Situations change. But the you who observes these experiences remains.
This perspective creates stability. When you identify with your anxiety, you are anxious. When you recognize yourself as the one observing anxiety, it becomes something you experience rather than something you are.
Values are chosen life directions. What matters to you? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want your life to stand for? Values aren’t goals you achieve. They’re directions you move toward. You can always take action aligned with your values, regardless of circumstances.
Many people live according to rules, expectations, or avoidance rather than values. They do what they think they should do or what reduces discomfort. ACT asks: what do you actually care about? Once you’re clear on values, decisions become easier.
Committed Action means taking steps toward what matters, even when difficult thoughts & feelings show up. You don’t wait until anxiety disappears to apply for a job you want. You don’t wait until you feel confident to start that project. You act because it matters, not because it’s comfortable.
Committed action involves setting goals based on values, taking steps toward those goals, & persisting when obstacles arise. You’ll encounter barriers: internal (thoughts, feelings, urges) & external (circumstances, other people). Committed action means moving forward anyway.
These six processes work together. You clarify values, commit to action toward them, stay present while acting, accept difficult feelings that arise, defuse thoughts that tell you to stop, & maintain perspective that you’re more than your experiences.
How We Apply ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy at Live Life Now emphasizes moving forward, not waiting for everything to feel okay. Life happens now, not after you fix yourself.
Clarifying Values
starts the work. We explore what matters to you across life domains: relationships, work, personal growth, health, leisure, spirituality. Not what you think should matter, not what others value, but what genuinely matters to you.
This clarification isn’t always easy. Years of living according to shoulds or avoiding discomfort can obscure your values. We use exercises, metaphors, & questions to uncover what you care about.
Once values are clear, they become your compass. When you face decisions, you ask: which choice moves me toward my values? This doesn’t make decisions easy, but it makes them clearer.
Acceptance Training
teaches you to make room for difficult experiences. We don’t work on eliminating anxiety or sadness. We work on expanding your capacity to hold them while still living.
Acceptance exercises involve noticing where you feel emotions in your body, breathing into those sensations, & allowing them to be present without trying to change them. You practice observing thoughts without engaging them. You learn that you can function with discomfort present.
This is radically different from most therapy, which aims to reduce symptoms. ACT says: symptoms might reduce, but don’t wait for that to live. Live now, with whatever shows up.
Defusion Practices
help you relate to thoughts differently. We use various techniques to create distance from thoughts. You might visualize thoughts as clouds passing, repeat a thought until it becomes just sounds, or thank your mind for trying to protect you with its warnings.
The goal isn’t to eliminate thoughts. It’s to stop being controlled by them. When a thought says “You can’t do this,” you notice it, thank your mind, & do it anyway.
Mindfulness Skills
keep you connected to the present. We practice bringing attention to immediate experience: breath, body sensations, sounds, sights. When your mind wanders to worry or rumination, you notice & return to the present.
Being present allows you to respond to what’s actually happening instead of reacting to stories about what might happen. It also lets you notice & appreciate positive experiences that anxiety or depression cause you to miss.
Committed Action Planning
translates values into behavior. What actions align with your values? What small steps can you take this week? We build action plans that are specific, manageable, & value-driven.
You’ll encounter barriers. Thoughts will say you can’t. Feelings will be uncomfortable. Life will create obstacles. Committed action means taking steps anyway. We prepare for barriers & develop strategies to overcome them.
Willingness Practice
builds your capacity to do hard things. Willingness isn’t wanting to feel discomfort. It’s being willing to have discomfort if that’s what value-driven action requires. If public speaking serves your values but terrifies you, willingness means speaking despite terror.
We practice willingness in small ways, building up to larger challenges. Each time you act with discomfort present, you prove to yourself that you can.
Who Benefits from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT helps anyone who feels stuck in struggle with their internal experience. If you spend significant energy trying to control thoughts & feelings, if you avoid situations because of what they might trigger, if you’re waiting to feel better before living, ACT offers a different approach.
Chronic Pain
responds to ACT. Pain might not disappear, but you can live meaningfully despite it. ACT reduces the suffering that comes from fighting pain & helps you engage in activities that matter even when pain is present.
Anxiety & Depression
improve through ACT. Instead of battling symptoms, you change your relationship with them. You learn to act according to values rather than according to feelings. This often reduces symptoms while also improving quality of life.
Stress Management
becomes more effective with ACT principles. You can’t always control stress, but you can control how you respond. ACT teaches you to stay grounded in values during stressful periods.
Life Transitions
are easier to manage with ACT skills. Change brings uncertainty & discomfort. ACT helps you move through transitions while maintaining connection to what matters.
Feeling Stuck or Purposeless
responds to values work. When you clarify what matters, you know which direction to move. Purpose comes from living by values, not from achieving particular outcomes.
Self-Criticism & Shame
decrease through defusion & self-as-context work. When you recognize critical thoughts as just thoughts, & yourself as more than your mistakes, self-criticism loses power.
What Sessions Include
Sessions focus on experiential exercises, not just talk. You’ll do practices in session, then apply them during the week.
Early sessions focus on values clarification & creative hopelessness. Creative hopelessness means examining control strategies you’ve tried & acknowledging they haven’t worked. This opens space for a different approach. We then clarify values to establish direction.
Middle sessions teach & practice the six core processes. You learn acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, self-as-context work. You plan committed actions & troubleshoot barriers. Each session builds skills & applies them to your life.
Later sessions focus on integration & maintenance. You’re using all six processes together. You encounter challenges & practice responding flexibly. You build confidence in your ability to live by values regardless of what thoughts & feelings show up.
Sessions last 50 minutes, typically weekly. Consistency helps you build skills & momentum.
You’ll have experiential homework. Practice mindfulness, notice values violations, take committed actions, practice defusion. The work between sessions is where change happens.
Common Questions About ACT
How is ACT different from CBT?
CBT changes thought content. ACT changes your relationship with thoughts. CBT says “Challenge negative thoughts.” ACT says “Notice thoughts without believing them.” Both work, but they take different paths.
Do I have to accept everything?
Acceptance means acknowledging what is, not approving of it. You accept that you feel anxious right now. You don’t accept abusive treatment. You accept thoughts & feelings. You change behaviors that don’t serve you.
How long does ACT take?
Most people notice shifts within 8-12 sessions. Some see changes faster. Others need more time, especially if avoidance patterns are deeply entrenched.
What if I don't know my values?
That’s common. Values work is part of therapy. We use exercises & questions to help you clarify what matters. Values often become clearer as you practice noticing when you feel alive versus when you’re going through motions.
Will my symptoms get better?
Often, yes. But that’s not the primary goal. The goal is living meaningfully. Many people find that when they stop fighting symptoms & start living, symptoms naturally decrease. But even if they don’t, quality of life improves.
Commit to Your Values
A meaningful life isn’t about feeling good all the time. It’s about living by what matters, moving toward what you value, acting according to who you want to be.
You don’t need to wait until you’re anxiety-free, depression-free, or pain-free to start living. You can live now, with whatever you’re experiencing.
Your first session involves exploring what brings you to therapy, what you’ve tried, & what you hope to achieve. We’ll introduce ACT principles & begin values exploration. From there, we build your practice.
The work requires willingness to try a different approach. If fighting your thoughts & feelings has worked, keep doing it. If it hasn’t, ACT offers another way.
Client Testimonials
“I was skeptical about therapy. I had tried a few therapists in the past and didn’t feel seen. But here, I found someone who really got it. We talked about my anxiety around work performance, but also about being a Black man navigating stress and expectations. It’s been a game-changer. I don’t just cope—I’m growing.”
“What stood out to me was the empathy and skill of my therapist. I’ve struggled with perfectionism and shame for most of my adult life. Through therapy and the skills lab sessions, I finally learned how to soothe my inner critic. I feel like I can breathe again. Therapy didn’t fix me—it helped me meet myself with kindness.”
“Therapy helped me understand patterns I was blind to—especially in relationships. I used to push people away before they could hurt me. Now I see how fear was driving me, and I’ve started building real, open connections. I didn’t expect to feel so supported. I’m grateful I gave this space a chance.”
“I began therapy because I felt constantly overwhelmed and unsure of my place in the world. My therapist helped me make sense of my anxiety and gave me real tools to cope. The mindfulness work we did together shifted how I relate to myself. I no longer feel broken—I feel human.”
“I came in feeling numb and disconnected. Years of pushing down emotions had left me empty. Through therapy, I started to understand my emotional world for the first time. I even learned how to talk about feelings with my teenage son. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do.”
“I work in a helping profession, so I thought I should have it all figured out. But therapy showed me that even caregivers need care. I loved the blend of compassion and structure my therapist brought. The two-hour sessions were particularly transformative—they gave me time to unpack and rebuild.”
“For years, I thought my relationship issues were just bad luck. But therapy helped me understand attachment styles, boundaries, and my own patterns. I learned to stop chasing unavailable people and start showing up for myself. It’s been deeply healing.”
“I never thought I’d be someone who goes to therapy. But I hit a wall and couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine. From the first session, I felt a deep respect and safety here. We unpacked years of suppressed grief and stress. I’ve come out stronger, not just mentally, but emotionally and spiritually too.”
“As a young woman dealing with depression and identity confusion, therapy gave me a place to speak freely. I no longer feel like I’m faking confidence. I’ve found my voice, and for the first time, I actually feel like I belong in my own life.”
