“Smile, breathe and go slowly” --Thich Nhat Hanh
According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association (ADAA), over 6 million people in the U.S. suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a psychological disorder that is characterized as persistent and excessive worry. Normally, anxiety can act as a typical response for people when they are stressed or uneasy about something. However, when the condition affects their normal activities, it is classified as an anxiety disorder. The good news is that GAD is highly treatable using a variety of different therapeutic inventions. One of those treatments gaining popularity is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), not only used to treat anxiety disorders, but also other conditions including depression, eating disorders, chronic pain and substance abuse disorders.
ACT is sometimes referred to as “new wave” psychotherapy. Initially, psychotherapy has focused on behavioral approaches developed from classical conditioning and operant learning. Thus, a system of rewards and punishments controlled or dictated our behavior.
Therapy then evolved and focused more on information processing – and more specifically, cognitive processes - as well as behavioral learning principles. “New wave” treatments share a lineage with these earlier approaches but extend in other directions depending on the type.
The term “new wave” treatment refers to a broad spectrum of psychotherapies – including ACT, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), schema therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
ACT assumes that one primary factor, psychological inflexibility, is characteristic of psychopathology (Hayes et al., 1999). The ACT model defines psychological inflexibility as an inability to connect with one's values in the present moment due to experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion.
What exactly is ACT?
ACT is a talk therapy that emphasizes the ways in which we use our words to battle whatever is going on inside of our heads. The approach focuses – as the name implies – on acceptance. The theory suggests that increasing acceptance of your circumstance, the thoughts constantly running through your mind, and your struggle with these symptoms can lead to increased psychological flexibility.
Acceptance is theorized to protect against the avoidance of certain thoughts or emotional experiences and ineffective coping.
Overall, this type of therapy encourages insight into patterns of thinking, patterns of avoidance, and the presence or absence of action that is in line with chosen life values.
How is ACT different from traditional CBT?
Unlike Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), another theory of therapy used to treat anxiety, the goal of ACT is not to reduce the frequency or severity of unpleasant internal experiences (such as upsetting cognitive distortions, emotions or urges). Rather, the goal is to reduce your struggle to control or do away with these experiences and to simultaneously increase involvement in meaningful life activities (i.e., those activities that are consistent with personal values).
An example of this would be someone suffering from agoraphobia (fear of going outside the house) would be encouraged to take the action of going outside to walk their dog even though they were having anxious thoughts about going outside. ACT would help the individual acknowledge the “fearful” thoughts and yet act on their value of being a good pet owner.
If you think that you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder it is important to seek professional help. Talk to you doctor and therapist about the treatment options that will work for you.
Kathy Druzbicki, MA, QMHP, NBCC Certified
Therapist
Clarity Clinic
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2016, August). Facts and Statistics (data file). Retrieved from https://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics.
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.
Hayes SC, Strosahl K, Wilson K. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford Press; 1999.
