ACT
A.C.T. stands for
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Define Defusion
What is objectively looking at your thoughts, memories and images instead of being caught up in thoughts
Define acceptance
"Opening yourself fully to experience, as it is, not as your mind is." Opening up
This is the part of us that objectively is observing thoughts and emotions
What is the observing self?
Describe the passengers on a bus
When you picture yourself as a bus driver and your intrusive/automatic thoughts as passengers who try to tell you where to go and what to do to keep you stuck on the same route. As the driver though, you have the power to choose where you go
What is "Pain is inevitable, suffering is manageable"
True or false, we can avoid suffering and painful experiences.
What is false
True or false, acceptance means you like the emotions or thoughts.
What is false? Acceptance is about making room for them, not liking or agreeing with it.
This is the ultimate goal and aim of ACT
What is to create a rich and meaningful life by managing suffering and becoming psychologically flexible
Describe the unwelcome party guest
When you picture your intrusive thoughts/painful experiences as someone who shows up to your party unannounced. If you spend your whole time trying to keep this person out and argue with them about why they aren't allowed, you end up missing your party. Allowing them to be there, even if they may at first appear rude, gives you the space and time to get more comfortable around them and enjoy your party
The opposite of experiential avoidance
What is acceptance
Trying to get rid of a feeling, sensation, urge, feeling and/or memory
What is experiential avoidance
This increases our awareness of what we are currently doing
What is present moment
How are values different from goals?
What is values are like a compass as they help us to make choices based on the directions we want our lives to go?
Describe leaves on a stream
When you picture yourself by a river or stream, and practice imagining your thoughts as leaves floating down the stream, to let go of painful thoughts and experiences
An image/shape that represents psychological flexibility
What is ACT Hexaflex
When someone becomes entangled with their thoughts and makes decisions or actions based on the internal experience
What is cognitive fusion
This increases when someone is engaging in experiential avoidance
What is suffering
This is taking effective action that is guided by our values.
What is committed action?
Describe the expansion jar
When you picture/draw a jar or container for all of your challenging thoughts and experiences and practice looking at your jar.
the six constructs of ACT
What is Acceptance, Defusion, Present Moment, Self-as-Context, Committed Action and Values
Name a technique to help yourself defuse from a thought or experience
Ex: just noticing, put them out there, focused mindfulness, sing it out, silly voices, etc
What is one technique that helps you be in the present moment?
Ex. Meditation, leaves on a stream, progressive muscle relaxation, being aware of your surroundings
"This is the ability to be in the present moment with full awareness and openness to our experience, and to take action guided by our values." ACT Made Simple
What is psychological flexibility?
Describe self-as-context metaphorically and non-metaphorically
"No matter what kind of weather we're having, the sky will always be the sky."
"No matter what we are going through, we will always be ourselves."