Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is based on the idea that many psychological problems are caused by an over-focus on negative thoughts and feelings, and that attempting to suppress or control these thoughts and feelings can actually make them worse.

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ACT helps individuals to focus on accepting and acknowledging their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, while also encouraging them to take action in line with their personal values. The main goal of ACT is to help individuals develop psychological flexibility, which is the ability to respond to life's challenges in a flexible and effective way.

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ACT uses a variety of techniques to help individuals develop psychological flexibility, such as mindfulness and acceptance, cognitive defusion, and values-based action.

 

Mindfulness and acceptance techniques help individuals to learn how to observe and acknowledge their thoughts and feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them, cognitive defusion techniques help to separate an individual from negative thoughts and feelings, and values-based action techniques help individuals to identify and take action towards their personal values, despite the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings.

 

ACT has been found to be effective in treating a wide range of issues, such as depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. It's based on the principle that the mind and emotions are a part of the human experience and not just the problem, and It accepts them as part of the solution.