Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
As adults we all recognise that running away from a problem may temporarily make you feel better but the issue will still be there until you face it head on. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) takes on these principles to encourage people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them.
So, instead of feeling damaged and broken we focus on shifting these unwanted thoughts before they become your go-to mantra. By trying to diffuse negative thinking and dwelling on what we can’t change you’ll learn to develop coping mechanisms to handle whatever life has to throw at you. This new way of thinking can be immensely liberating and can help you to develop new and compassionate ways to deal with your experiences. It also gives you control back to move forward.
Obviously everyone’s situation is different but our clients have found that this therapy has helped them with a number of medical conditions including anxiety, depression, addictions, and OCD. We draw on a variety of approaches including behavioural analysis, mindfulness, commitment and acceptance, and every programme is designed specifically for our clients needs, because of course, there is no one size fits all response.
It may be difficult to imagine accepting things as they come, many of us find ‘letting go’ hard or feel a need to hang on to emotions that are actually holding us back. So it’s important to commit to facing the problem and staring it in the face. You’ll learn to feel what you feel, even if it’s negative and you’ll end up in a place where you know that that is ok.
So, ACT works in three ways:
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Accepting the emotion and being mindful
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Choosing a direction
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Acting accordingly
By doing this you are taking charge and committing to your response instead of being stuck in your own emotional turmoil.
Imagine you as your best self, you are not a collection of negative thoughts or pent up anxiety. Once you commit to this programme we peel away this outer shell to give you back stillness, calm and a renewed energy to handle life’s next challenges.
Contact us to learn more.