ACT

[steve]

Anyone familiar with Acceptance Commitment Therapy?

It's a form of psychotherapy which incorporates a very Eastern (Daoist, Buddhist) perspective of self and living. It's very cool to see these ideas brought into the mental health arena. There's a book (really a workbook) called Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life which was authored by Stephen Hayes that works clients through this approach. The basic idea being that traditional analysis and attempts at modification of emotions and emotional responses is often not terribly effective in reducing anxiety, depression... and modifying behavior. Instead the approach is to accept these emotions as part of oneself and disconnect them from behavior and self destructive thought patterns. This is done largely through mindfullness training and developing a meditative mindset (ie the type of unattatched awareness we cultivation through meditation) . Behavior is then linked more to values (hence the commitment part), rather than conditioned emotional responses. Three components of "self" are discussed - the conceptualized self (ie the story of myself replete with emotions, expectations, memories...), the continuously aware self (that which is experiencing the present moment and that which was present in previous moments, the perspective of looking out through my eyes), and finally, the observing self (that which is aware of the continuously aware self, the one-self, something akin to the dao, it is indescribable or definable, only experiential). For anyone interested in this stuff, it's worth checking out.

[freeform]

For anyone interested in this stuff, it's worth checking out.

 

interesting, thanks

[cloud recluse]

Anyone familiar with Acceptance Commitment Therapy?

It's a form of psychotherapy which incorporates a very Eastern (Daoist, Buddhist) perspective of self and living. It's very cool to see these ideas brought into the mental health arena. There's a book (really a workbook) called Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life which was authored by Stephen Hayes that works clients through this approach.

 

Youre timing is truly spooky

 

Ive only just'discovered ' ACT myself,am picking up Hayes book end of next week,& am seriously considering some training in it thats being offered locally.

 

If I go through with that (end of this year/start of next) I will post here with all the enthusiasm of any newly hatched fanatic

 

Anyone actually experienced it yet ?

[steve]

 

Anyone actually experienced it yet ?

Me!

An ongoing experience with the chronic illness of a loved one led me to try therapy for the first time in my life about 6 months ago. I was led toward an ACT practicioner by a friend who knew of my meditation/taijiquan/Eastern philosophy interests. It has been a revelation. It integrates perfectly with my meditative practices and my experience of my self and my personal, developing, philosophy, which has a decidedly Eastern bent. It has really shown me another level of self-realization that I had not yet experienced. Whether it is the system, my therapist, the process of therapy, my meditative practice, or a combination of the above is impossible to say (probably the latter). It has really made a difference in my life. I'm not trying to say that I'm "cured," whatever that means or that it's a quick fix to anything, but to anyone looking for a better understanding of themselves or for assistance in facing their suffering, I highly recommend it, particularly if you have an interest or background in meditation/mindfullness/Eastern philosophy. None of these are a prerequisite, however, as ACT includes training in mindfullness and meditative pracitices. I don't think that simply working through the workbook would be anything like the experience of working with a therapist but the book I mentioned earlier has been very informative and helpful.