A brief overview of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

[@kathleenc8159]

I have been participating in an ACT program (chronic pain, depression) at Stanford University for two years and have found it very helpful, but have "hit a ceiling." After viewing your presentation, the missing pieces are falling into place, and my motivation is up. Thank you.

[@rayowen7225]

Sorry I missed your comment at the time, Kathleen: really glad you found the presentation useful. ..I hope you got some improvements.

[@evav.5169]

How is this program called? sounds interesting!

[@mikey6452]

Just viewed this terrific presentation. As a psychotherapist of nearly 30 years having only recently encountered ACT, I find this approach very compelling. The processes and procedures it offers to the working clinician are immediately useful. Dr. Owen's video summary is well done. It makes me want to learn more.

[@rayowen7225]

Michael Altshuler, LCSW, CGP Thank you Michael: I share your enthusiasm (clearly!), and I'm glad you like the presentation

[@markthompson1479]

I was fortunate indeed to take part in summer 2011 in what was one of the first "ACT" courses run within the NHS.
Taking part was suggested by my Coach at the time after he showed me how to break my 4 year life threatening addiction to alcohol.
His own course to break my addiction was based upon the principles of neuroplasticity.
That course took 4 sessions totalling 10 hours to complete the coaching.
4 Saturday mornings later I was set permanently free from addiction.
Back to "ACT" I couldn't recommend it highly enough

[@Storin_of_Kel]

I'm in the Netherlands myself and been using parts of ACT to learn to deal with myself in regards to being someone with returning depressions as well as mild fear anxiety. Incorporating this in my daily routine works wonders!
I would also add the Maslow Pyramid as a tool. I learned this years ago when I followed an 8-day NLP course. That was heavy but very good I am now using as well.

[@judy7276]

Hi Ray, thank you for your very helpful summary! A great ACT self-help book is also The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. I frequently recommend this book to my clients who have found reading it immensely beneficial.

[@luigipati3815]

Have read your book Facing The Storm, and will read Living With The Enemy too. It is interesting to note that the rejection of being "happy" as the default of human beings was actually expressed by Schopenhauer, whom , strangely, people classify as "pessimistic". I see many parallels between his philosophy and ACT. Another one is compassion.

[@rayowen7225]

Absolutely, Luigi: I think it is an idea with a long history - including Schopenhauer, but also way back to medieval theology, the Stoics of ancient Greece, and any number of Eastern philosophies. Any worthwhile discovery will be 'discovered' many times over! Glad you like the presentation.

[@luigipati3815]

Hi Ray, yes, wanted to mention the Stoics too, I am reading Seneca's letters every day. And of course, Eastern philosophy has never been a stranger to these concepts. Schopenhauer also mentioned this. What you said about worthwhile ideas being "discovered" many times over, is spot on. What changes is how personal the concepts became to the person who express these concepts. What is striking, is how very few people ever use them naturally. Most of us behave in the opposite ways, just as you said about how our "culture" says "happy" is normal and proper, but unhappy is weird, suspicious, and wrong. As Seneca wrote :" Do not follow the multitude, for most people do all the wrong things". Thanks!

[@integralstanley]

Minute 16.40 presents a nice map of what moving forward to a more fulfilling life could look like. Thanks.

[@user-qy9ys7ux6v]

Thank you Dr Owen. The presentation is very comprehensive.

[@themortalriver565]

Thank you for this succinct, clear overview of ACT. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@jd32k]

I like how well you presented the limitations and evidence against the model. Will be sure to refer to this style in my next assessment i think

[@amirfatemi8317]

Thank you for this. This could change lives.

[@ajmarr5671]

Why ACT is right
Behavior analysis is a pragmatic discipline, and is persuasive because of the efficacy of its procedures, not its explanations. Nonetheless, an explanation of how affective states ‘work’ can demonstrate that ‘Acceptance and Commitment’ is not only a byword for a set of psychotherapeutic procedures, but demonstrably also for a very simple procedure for mental hygiene, or the control of positive affect. This provides not only a new procedure for emotional control, but a validation of ACT as the most efficacious way for self-control.
To wit, ‘acceptance’, as reflected in mindfulness procedure, induces relaxation, which is marked by a feeling of pleasure as reflected by opioid release. ‘Commitment’, as reflected by the continuous pursuit and apprehension of positive values, produces a feeling of attentive arousal that is reflected by the release of the neuromodulator dopamine. Dopamine and opioid neurons are adjacent to each other in the midbrain, and when simultaneously activated stimulate each other, or are synergistic. This results in a heightened feeling of pleasure and arousal or joy, and reinforces a commitment to a meaningful lifestyle. This can be easily demonstrated procedurally, not to mention providing an easy way of falsifying my argument.
A more formal explanation of this procedure from affective neuroscience is provided on pp. 44-52 in a little open-source book on the psychology of rest linked below.
www.scribd.com/doc/284056765/The-Book-of-Rest-The-Odd-Psychology-of-Doing-Nothing

[@shaunhardie]

Excellent overview of ACT!

[@melliecrann-gaoth4789]

Very good. Thanks

[@-._7]

Excellent introduction and sharing of related resources, thanks!

[@TheHappychickadee]

This is truly excellent! Thank you!

[@gettingbettereveryday350]

I'm working on my mental health and what you've covered here really resonated - great stuff - thankyou!

[@rayowen7225]

Great to hear that: thank you for taking the time to say o!

[@MikeCoulter]

Great overview, hugely useful, (even for a civilian like me ;-) Thank you Ray.

[@islaskinner4911]

Really helpful overview

[@cabincounselling9635]

Really found this overview very helpful. Thank you.

[@drsbox]

Hi Ray , great presentation , look forward to reading ACT made simple !

[@rayowen7225]

Thanks, David: glad you liked it!

[@FaisalKhan-jg6kg]

Thanks Dr Ray, very clear and informative.

[@mshala4913]

Amazing. Thank you for your description of ACT.

[@stephanforster7186]

Thx this was helpful to get InTouch with the topic, order learning ACT as you recommended

[@jbgolf26]

Awesome overview, thanks!

[@TristineBarry]

Thank you so much for this!

[@j.c.6938]

fantastic overview , really helpful

[@michaeladeney]

Thanks Ray, this was very helpful.

[@mr.anindyabanerjee9905]

Very informative Owen. Thanks for explaining the ACT matrix in such simplified way. Just a small request, if you could explain Relational Frame Theory into this context.

[@daniilgrachev]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@jollyajustin5557]

❤❤❤

[@saferspaces]

Very useful video, thank you

[@tamaravazquezcolon941]

So helpful, thank you.

[@Wingedmagician]

Loving this thank you

[@2minutes4life]

Awsome :) ACT is so valuable

[@chadhumbert1791]

Nice suit!

[@badseed86]

Great presentation. Thank you

[@rayowen7225]

Thank you - glad you liked it

[@albinashamanska4125]

Thank you!

[@athensnlp]

Thank you for the overview. I’ve been using more contextual psychology methods especially ACT metaphors

[@gholamnabiokati414]

Explain the functional context in Act

[@EsiEI]

Great overview. Thanks!
Just one question. You first emphasized contact with present moment, and also developing an observing self. Later you described awareness of values. But how is it attainable with the two previous points? In other words, how can I find what "I" "want to" develop, while keeping the observing self and remaining in the present moment? Is it a trade-off?

[@rayowen7225]

Hi Ehsan, glad that you like the overview.
That's a really good question. One important idea in ACT (and similar approaches) which I didn't have time to go into properly is this: it's not that having your mind travel into the future and into the past is bad, or to be avoided - both of those are essential jobs of the human mind to anticipate threats and to learn from the past (amongst other things). But we so easily slip into past/future/elsewhere in ways that don't work for for us (excessive worrying, constantly remembering things we have done wrong). So the emphasis on present moment awareness isn't because we should somehow spend every moment in the present, but rather to help us recognise that's our 'anchor' to come back to when our minds go wandering off.
And you're right- to plan a Values-based action needs us to think of the future, and sometimes the past, AND when we do it our present moment awareness will help us pay attention and notice the results of our actions on the outside world and our inner experience.
Sorry, that was a long-winded answer to your concise question! Hope it helps :)

[@MountainRaven1960]

Would this work for people with pain levels of 10/10, like those with trigeminal neuralgia?

[@ekennahutchinson1636]

Thanks for this

[@skionen1781]

Excellent stuff

[@plunderclat221]

Thank you for this, Ray. Super helpful

[@anthonyburton5927]

Neat overview.....consice and helpful.

[@rayowen7225]

Cheers, Anthony

[@MrYatesj1]

Thank You Sir.

[@nafeesmuktadir3199]

But what happens when you are addicted and it gets in the way of commitment

[@pavlovsdawg6366]

Any behavior analysts in the house? Wanted to see how easily this is incorporated into sessions

[@drewwilson1822]

You know your stuff but please consider using CTML design principles for future videos. This was fairly high on cognitive load.

[@ivanjchandigressing8206]

I wished I had learned of act, 30 years ago.

[@rayowen7225]

Me too!

[@islaskinner4911]

Me too!

[@sneakerbabeful]

What if we don't 'want to be' anywhere?

[@jujudrops]

Any chance I could have a copy of these slides? They are so helpful!

[@rayowen7225]

Julie Evans Glad you found it useful. Yes, absolutely you can have the slides to use however you wish. If you email me at my gmail.com address (I'm drrayowen@ ) then I can get them to you.

[@CatLadyKorea]

Wow, great! I'll definitely try contacting you for the slides, Dr. Owen. This presentation is superb!! Thank you!!

[@NickLAnderson]

Hi! Please, let us pray together. Dear God who art in heaven hallow be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever in Jesus Christ's name we pray amen.

[@dopaminey9946]

Sounds good. But how does it help the 3billion living in abject poverty? Is there a specific therapy for them? Their suffering is needless and easily eradicated yet here we are 2019 talking about how expensive it would be. I think we the comfortable need a therapy that would confront our naive participation in the sadistic social conditions that engender their fate - and ours. I think ACT has the potential to open our minds and hearts to remember what and who are and help change our sad fate.

[@chilbills]

I am new student act

[@linesided]

I am sure this is a wonderful presentation but the audio is just awful. Please invest in a decent microphone. Look forward to trying a gain in the future.

[@stylembonkers1094]

Hmm. Sounds very much like psycho-babble to me. Willing to bet you get most of your money from government with no necessary connection back to benefitting those who are paying.