For many Americans and North Carolinians, life is an incredible journey filled with adventure. However, journey and adventure are not always easy and often present obstacles. There will be hardship, stress, and times of struggle. Most often, the obstacles present in tough times can be overcome through a person’s natural coping skills for handling stress and anxiety. However, that isn’t always the case. Grief, trauma, and mental illness are the obstacles that often require professional assistance to overcome. Acceptance and commitment therapy is one of many behavioral health approaches that can help when life seems overwhelming.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy treatment that encourages being present in the moment by teaching mindfulness techniques and coping strategies developed for the sole purpose of helping individuals overcome negative thought patterns and limit stress.
ACT is often used in addiction therapy programs, like those at Insight Recovery Center, and can help address both substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. Call 828.826.1376 to speak to our team of addiction treatment professionals today.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of psychotherapy that derives its methodology from behavior and cognitive behavioral therapy. Behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy are forms of treatment that identify patients’ thought patterns, behavior trends, and emotions and how the interaction of these three components can affect mental health. People often avoid confronting their problems, preferring to ignore or deny their origins and influence.
ACT uses the methods of these two therapy treatments to help patients come to terms with the negative influences present in their lives. This is the “acceptance” side of ACT treatment. Part of this acceptance is the acknowledgment that, while things may seem bleak at the moment, the struggle is a part of life, but only a single part. Patients are encouraged to accept that their emotions are a legitimate and perhaps even appropriate response to a particular situation. Here, therapists emphasize that although a response may be appropriate, it should not create additional obstacles and prevent them from moving forward. Once acceptance has been achieved, therapists help identify lifestyle changes that patients can make to overcome the difficulties and issues they previously could not accept.
What Can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Help Treat?
Acceptance and commitment therapy has been shown to treat various issues, including the following:
- Substance use disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Bipolar disorder
ACT encourages psychological flexibility, a state of mind that promotes emotional openness and adaptability. These lessons are incorporated into the treatment structure as steps patients must progress through.
Steps of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
As ACT is an evidence-based therapy, there is a system that underlies the therapeutic approach. This system involves a number of steps:
- Acceptance – Accepting and acknowledging the reality of an issue while confronting thoughts, emotions, and behaviors caused by or relating to that issue.
- Cognitive defusion – Creating distance between patients and harmful thought patterns and behaviors by limiting judgment and unwarranted self-criticisms.
- Mindfulness and being present – This step encourages patients to be observant of their thoughts and feelings and their effect on behavior without judgment.
- Core values – ACT encourages patients to assess their core values and question whether or not their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors align with the values they hold most dear.
- Action – After identifying harmful thought patterns, recurring emotions, and behavior trends, patients and therapists will craft a plan to challenge and eliminate them and their negative influences.
- Commitment – This step sees patients actively work towards eliminating harmful thought patterns and behaviors identified up to that point. This step incorporates all the lessons and skills previously learned in treatment.
When suffering from a substance use disorder, feelings of shame and guilt are not uncommon. ACT works to help patients eliminate judgment associated with their addiction and view their thoughts and behaviors without unnecessary harsh criticism. This lack of judgment gives patients an enhanced perspective, allowing them to see the connection and influence of their thoughts, feelings, and actions more clearly.
Contact Insight Recovery Center Today
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for addiction. Everyone responds to treatment differently. At Insight Recovery, we understand the complexity of addiction and the challenges of living with a substance use disorder. Since our inception, our mission has been to restore balance to those affected by substance use and mental health disorders through evidence-based outpatient treatment.
For more information on acceptance and commitment therapy or to schedule an appointment today, contact Insight Recovery Center online or call 828.826.1376.