Therapy model: What is ACT?

Acceptance and commitment therapy - also known as ACT. Is a therapy model, based on scientific-based practices, and it gets its name from one of its core messages:

accept what’s out of your personal control and commit to taking action that improves your life.

The aim of ACT is basically very simple: to help you create a rich, full, and meaningful life while effectively handling the pain and stress that goes with it. ACT achieves this in 2 main ways:

  1. Develop psychological skills to deal with your painful thoughts and feelings more effectively, in such a way that they have much less impact and influence over you. We call these “mindfulness skills.”

  2. Clarify what is truly important and meaningful to you (your values) and then use that knowledge to guide, inspire, and motivate you when making changes in your life.

There are several scientifically proven models for treating PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders. None of them work by eliminating bad memories. What they all do is help you to respond to your memories differently so they have less impact and influence over you.

If I may give you an example: when these memories or dark thoughts show up, think of it like watching a terrifying horror movie late at night, all alone, in a rickety old house, with all the lights off. Now suppose you have exactly the same movie playing, but this time the TV’s in the corner of the room, it’s broad daylight, sunlight’s streaming in through the windows, your house is full of friends and family, and you’re all interacting together. You’re talking, laughing, eating, having fun. The movie hasn’t changed at all. It’s still playing on the TV in the corner of the room. But now it’s having much less effect on you.

Mindfulness skills will enable you to do this. I don’t know any way to permanently delete these memories, unfortunately, but we can change your relationship with them so you can get on with your life and do the things you really want to do.