Acceptance & Commitment Therapy helps you live by your values, even when things are difficult.
The Core Idea
ACT 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 eliminating difficult thoughts & feelings. It’s changing your relationship with them so they don’t control your life.
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. This struggle consumes energy & often makes things worse.
ACT teaches psychological flexibility: being present with whatever you’re experiencing while taking action toward what matters. You stop waiting for thoughts & feelings to change before living your life.
The Six Core Processes
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.
Most people spend energy trying to control internal experience. 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.
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.
Contact With 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.
Self as Context means recognizing you are not your thoughts, feelings, or experiences. You are the awareness that observes them. Thoughts come & go. Feelings rise & fall. But the you who observes remains.
This perspective creates stability. When you identify with 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 values, regardless of circumstances.
Many people live according to rules or expectations rather than values. ACT asks: what do you actually care about?
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 act because it matters, not because it’s comfortable.
How ACT Works
ACT therapy emphasizes moving forward, not waiting for everything to feel okay.
Values clarification starts the work. Exploring what matters across life domains: relationships, work, personal growth, health, leisure helps. Not what you think should matter, but what genuinely matters to you.
Once values are clear, they become your compass. When facing decisions, you ask: which choice moves me toward my values?
Acceptance training teaches you to make room for difficult experiences. You don’t work on eliminating anxiety. You work on expanding your capacity to hold it while still living.
You practice noticing where you feel emotions in your body, breathing into those sensations, & allowing them to be present. You learn you can function with discomfort present.
Defusion practices help you relate to thoughts differently. Techniques create distance. You might visualize thoughts as clouds passing, repeat a thought until it becomes just sounds, or thank your mind for its warnings.
The goal isn’t eliminating thoughts. It’s stopping 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. Practicing bringing attention to immediate experience helps. When your mind wanders to worry, you notice & return to the present.
Committed action planning translates values into behavior. What actions align with your values? What small steps can you take this week? Building action plans that are specific, manageable, & value-driven helps.
What ACT Helps With
ACT benefits people who feel stuck struggling with internal experience. If you spend 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.
Anxiety & depression improve. Instead of battling symptoms, you change your relationship with them. You learn to act according to values rather than feelings.
Stress management becomes more effective. You can’t always control stress, but you can control how you respond.
Life transitions are easier to manage. 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.
Starting ACT
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.
Middle sessions teach the six core processes. You learn acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, & self-as-context work. You plan committed actions & troubleshoot barriers.
Later sessions focus on integration. You’re using all six processes together. You encounter challenges & practice responding flexibly.
Most people notice shifts within 8-12 sessions. Some see changes faster. Others need more time, especially if avoidance patterns are deeply entrenched.
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.
