Posts Tagged ‘ACT made simple’
How to Make a Willingness & Action Plan
“First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus When we are setting goals and making plans for the future, for what kind of person we wish to be, and what values we wish to live by, psychological barriers can threaten to get in way of…
Read MoreHow to Deal with Barriers to Effective Action
“It is not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” – Seneca Once you have an understanding of what your most deeply held values are and what specific goals you have set to begin to live those values, it is important to recognize…
Read MoreChoose to Live According to Your True Values
“‘Cheshire Puss,’ asked Alice. ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to go,’ said the Cat. ‘I don’t much care where,’ said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter where you go,’ said the Cat.” – Lewis Carroll Values provide us with…
Read MoreHow to Practice “Everyday Mindfulness”
“Nothing is worth more than this day.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Mindfulness is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4). When we begin to make contact with the present moment using the tool of mindfulness, the world gradually begins to look and feel…
Read MoreChoose to Make Contact with the Present Moment
“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson No matter how focused we are on memories and worries from the past or hopes and fear of the future, the fact remains that it is always now. We cannot escape the truth that we live…
Read MoreAcceptance in a Nutshell
“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” – Carl Jung Mindfulness-based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) infuse the concept of acceptance throughout treatment. The idea behind acceptance is the notion of surrendering and opening yourself up to all aspects of your internal and external experience in their entirety. This means…
Read MoreIdentify Cognitive Fusion
“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.” – Swedish Proverb Cognitive fusion takes hold when we become so attached to patterns of thinking or specific thoughts that they get in the way of leading a full, rich, and meaningful life. In order words, we are fused to our thoughts when they cause significant…
Read MoreCognitive Defusion in a Nutshell
“People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.” – George Bernard Shaw Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to “defuse” themselves from maladaptive patterns of thinking through a process called cognitive defusion. The idea is that we all have a tendency to over-identify with our thoughts, amplifying…
Read MoreConfront the Agenda of Emotional Control
“Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.” – William James When we experience emotional suffering, it is natural to want it to “stop.” There is often…
Read MoreWhat Stands Between You & the Life You Want?
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) enlists people to identify their most cherished values, set goals in accordance with those values, and then begin to direct their behavior towards reaching those goals. One way of asking yourself a motivating question to…
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