acceptance and commitment theory are unique therapy forms that encourage patients to embrace negative thoughts and feelings instead of just trying to avoid or eliminate them. Trained experts use the technique to treat several conditions, which is remarkably effective for several people.
Basics of acceptance and commitment theory
Acceptance and commitment theory encourages patients to accept the things that are out of their control and commit to the thoughts and actions designed to enrich their life. When they can accept all the negative emotions of their consciousness, patients are also free to start moving away from them, and they can move towards a positive direction in life. The primary objective of acceptance and commitment theory is to enhance psychological flexibility. Experts help patients become more aware of the base through different exercises and strategies.
They also focus on creating lasting behavioral changes by committing to new actions and thought patterns. Patients also learn how to accept their thoughts as they are and evaluate them to understand whether they see the patient’s life goals. If the thoughts are not serving them, patients can also work to instill new beliefs besides more positive thoughts or actions.
Acceptance and commitment theory is built around the following six cores.
Acceptance
Most people try to avoid thinking about and processing negative emotions. In acceptance and commitment therapy, acceptance allows you to allow the negative thoughts to exist without necessarily trying to do anything about them. You have to let the negative thoughts move on to more positive ones, which is the key.
Cognitive diffusion
The process is all about changing how you react to thoughts and feelings. When practicing negative emotions, the objective is to face them and then move on without just fixating on them.
Being present
This is where the mindfulness element of the therapy comes into the picture. You should be aware of what is happening in the present moment but without judging yourself. You can experience what is happening without trying to change it or predict the future outcome.
Self as context
The philosophy will explain that you are not just a sum of all your expenses. Instead, your true self is the core personality and human being that would exist even when all these experiences have been stripped away. The underlying person in yourself is the one who understands and processes those experiences.
Values
Values are qualities and objectives towards which you are working. These values guide you throughout your life journey. In therapy, values reveal what actions you need to take instead of dwelling on negative thoughts or feeling.
Commitment to action
The primary objective of the therapy is to help you commit to a new action that will help you achieve your goals of long term. While negative thoughts are just a normal part of life, but what you do after those negative thoughts arise matters the most.
How does this work?
Human beings are just creatures that are able to create relationships between words and ideas. For example, we can just relate apples and oranges to the overall fruit concept. While this is incredibly useful for processing the world, it can create problems when we associate some negative terms. The therapy teaches you to acknowledge and move on from all the thought processes instead of allowing you to be ingrained.
This is all you need to know about acceptance and commitment therapy, which will help you.
