What are the 6 pillars of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). This post will explain a little bit more about the fundamentals of Acceptance Commitment Therapy and describes the 6 pillars that ACT is based on.
I have talked about Acceptance Commitment Therapy before on my socials and I tend to use it very often with my clients. ACT has many different tools and techniques to help people to develop more psychological flexibility. These tools can be used to deal with anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, etc. ACT is based on 6 pillars, they form the foundations of ACT. When making a conscious effort to practice all 6 pillars of ACT, you develop a higher level of psychological flexibility. This means you are better at responding to stressful situations.
1. Attention to the present moment.
I always like to say, "the present moment is all you ever have". This is because you can't change the past or predict the future. So why do we spend so much time thinking about the past or worrying about the future? We can go round and round in our heads thinking about things we can't control. By practicing being in the present moment, you learn to get out of your head and being present, working on placing your full undivided attention to whatever you are doing and doing it mindfully.
2. Acceptance.
First of all, acceptance is not "giving in" or "giving up". It's about acknowledging things that you cannot change. When we learn that we can choose to respond to an issue with acceptance, it shifts us into a more mindful place. Then form this place, it becomes easier to see things for how they are, and then to find solutions, if there are any. Or, to acknowledge that there isn’t a solution, and instead we are choosing to stay in a place of acceptance, until the situation passes, or a solution becomes available.
3. Defusion.
I think this one must be one of my favourites. Who doesn't get stuck in intrusive or unhelpful thoughts from time to time? This area focus on how to create distance from your thoughts. Tools to learn to acknowledge that thoughts are just thoughts and you don't need to act on them or engage with them.
4. Self as context.
This one is a bit difficult to explain. It's about seeing yourself in relationship to everything else. It's about being in the observer position. Can you observe your thoughts, your surroundings and everything else around you? Because you are not your thoughts or the content of your thought. It can lead to a more spiritual question, who are you?
5. Values.
When you learn what your values are, your personal values, you can learn to act on them. Acting and living in line with your personal values will help you make better decisions.
6. Committed action.
Once aware of your values, you make a commitment to always, or at least most often take actions or do things that align with your valies. This also means that you'll live your life with integrity.
Do you want to know more about Acceptance Commitment Therapy or know how you can develop more psychological flexibility through Acceptance Commitment Therapy, send a message
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innerwellbeingcoach@gmail.com and let's have a look at the options.
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