From an interview with
Steven Hayes, PhD, developer of
ACT therapy. ACT therapy stands for acceptance and commitment therapy and the letters are pronounced as one word,
ACT.
"We view anxiety is a problem of psychological inflexibility. It's an inability to come into the present moment and open up to your emotions, to see your thoughts as they are, and to focus on what's really of importance to you. The goal of ACT is to help people develop a sense of self that's larger than the limited story they are used to telling about themselves and others that's getting in the way.
When ACT works, it helps people get more in touch with their thinking and feelings as they are – – not what they are supposed to be. And instead of experiencing emotions as accidents or obstacles, people can understand their meaning and use them to move toward what gives them more energy and purpose in life. ACT isn't a panacea or cure, but it's a way to organize your life around a fuller sense of purpose and meaning, one step at a time."
From: "Point of View" by Ryan Howes, PhD in Psychotherapy Networker November/December 2017
