Introduction
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, also known as ACT, is made up of two components, Acceptance and Committed action. ACT is based on the idea that it is not our thoughts, feelings or experiences that are the problem but how we relate and deal with them. We tend to either get caught up in our thoughts, feelings and experiences to the point that we cannot see anything else around us and it is difficult to live our lives, or we try to avoid the negative thoughts, feelings and
experiences to the point that we use all our energy to do this and so it is again difficult to live our lives. When we accept where we are then we can work out how to move forward because we can see more clearly and have more energy to deal with things.
ACT can help with a range of diagnoses and can improve mental health and well-being for anyone as long as they are wanting to try a different way to deal with difficult thoughts, feelings or experiences.
This isn’t easy and the journey of acceptance is not usually straight forward, instead it is often winding and some days it will be easier to accept than others. However, ACT has 6 key skills that can help us called the Hexaflex. Using these skills can help us to become more psychologically flexible by helping us to notice when we are stuck/caught up in experiences and then gives us ways to defuse so that we can be more in the present moment and living the life that we want to live. They also can
help us to tolerate difficult emotions and experiences rather than engaging in behaviours that may work in the short term but in the longer term can make things worse.
Values are important to know as each person’s will be different and when we are not living in line with our values this is when we tend to feel more negative thoughts and emotions. Often we are out of touch with our values and feel unsure of who we are but if we can reconnect to them and then work out what steps we can take however small in line with these values then we can begin to move forward and this can then help us to feel better.
The best way to think about values is to think about a compass. The direction you want to travel in is the value, no matter how far you travel East, there is always more East you could travel. The places you stop along the way are your goals. Finding the value first before identifying your goals means that you can recognise that even a small goal that is in line with your values can be beneficial to your well-being. It can also help you to respond flexibly when something means that reaching your goal isn’t achievable – I mean life happens right and even with the best intentions we can’t always achieve the goals we set.
How does ACT apply to Chronic Pain?
When we experience Chronic Pain we tend to either struggle to be present and enjoy things because the pain is all consuming or we do everything that we can to avoid the pain including not moving, taking medication or even searching for a possible answer as to why, in the hope of a cure for the pain. This means that all our energy becomes focused on trying to control the pain. This can mean that we then miss out on so much of our lives but also can mean that we lose our identity and who we want to be because we cling on to what life was like prior to the pain. We can’t see any other way.
When we have more acceptance towards our pain, we can begin to work with our bodies rather than against them. Once we notice our pain more then we can have more of an understanding of what can make our pain better or worse. We can have more flexibility to adapt as the pain fluctuates depending on the different factors that can affect our pain. Once we understand our pain, we can do more things that help for the longer term rather than being focused on getting through the day. We
can begin to focus our energy on how we would like life to be like and live more in line with our values. You can find a new you, after all we cannot take away your experiences in life or the reason that you ended up with pain but through ACT we can help you to find a life that for you has meaning and purpose.
If you’d like to find out more about how ACT could help you, then please contact me.