Transcripts

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. But before I go into that, you probably have many questions. What is ACT? What is psychological flexibility? There are SIX processes?! That seems like it will take a long time! 

Worry not! Through the next six episodes of this podcast, we try to make it easy for  you to learn a little bit about each of the six core processes of ACT: Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Being Present, Self as Context, Values, and Committed Action. 

ACT’s main goal is to help you build psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility encompasses emotional openness and the ability to adapt your thoughts and behaviors to better align with your values and goals.

The theory behind ACT is that it is counterproductive to try to control painful emotions or psychological experiences. Attempts to suppress these feelings ultimately lead to more distress. ACT adopts the view that there are other things you can do than trying to change the way you think, and these include mindful behavior, attention to personal values, and commitment to action. By taking steps to change your behavior while, at the same time, learning to accept your experiences, you can eventually change your attitudes and emotional states.

A great thing about ACT is that it was designed to be flexible. The six core processes do not have to be approached in any particular order for it to be effective. The episodes will be in the order I said previously: Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Being Present, Self as Context, Values, and Committed Action, but the processes all work together in harmony, so feel free to start with the episode about the core process that you are most interested in and go from there! Each of them will provide you with more information on the core process discussed in the episode, as well as guide you through an activity to demonstrate and help you to further understand the concepts and perhaps to be able to apply them in your own life. We hope you enjoy the information provided here, and if you would like further information, we encourage you to follow one of the links provided. 

Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy learning more about ACT!

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. ACT has six core principles that make up this psychological flexibility and the core process that we are reviewing right now is Acceptance. Acceptance is short for “experiential acceptance” and is defined as agreement with or belief in an idea, opinion, or explanation. At this stage in the psychological flexibility, we are opening up.  It is important to note that acceptance is not the same as understanding. It is accepting your inner experiences which are emotions, thoughts, urges, memories, sensations and more.

Acceptance is thought of in the four A’s of acceptance; acknowledge, accommodate, allow, and appreciate. These A’s don’t necessarily happen in the mentioned order but most of the time, we still follow it. Acknowledge means we mindfully notice and name our inner experiences. Next is accommodate, this is when we open up and start to make room for our inner experiences. Allow is when we are permitting our inner experiences to happen and to be present instead of trying to bury them away. Last is appreciation, where you are seeing your inner experiences as an ally and cherish what it has to offer you even if an experience is negative.

It is important to note that it does not necessarily mean that you wanted a negative experience and these “negative” emotions still have important things to offer. Unpleasant feelings that are labeled negative have positive functions, which are life-enhancing effects on behavior. These positive functions are: communication, motivation and illumination. With our emotions, we are able to communicate with others, become motivated to behave in a certain way and illuminate important things to us. Acceptance is taking our emotions - good and bad - and extracting knowledge from them. What is this emotion suggesting that you need to do differently? What does it tell you about what you care about? 

Our acceptance exercise is titled “Understanding The Car” by Hank Robb.

Many people drive cars which are now complex vehicles. Cars these days are large, moving computers with small and big computer chips that control everything in the car from the temperature to the brake system. Very few people understand exactly how these computer chips in the car work aside from the small percent of folks that work with computer chips or cars. Do you need to understand all the inner workings of a car to accept how it works to get in and drive home if the goal is to drive home? Will understanding the intricacies of the car help you get home?  The typical answer is usually no. Most people drive cars without understanding exactly how they work. You do not have to wait to understand the specifics of a car in order to successfully go home.  This does relate with the connection to feelings and valued direction. You do not have to understand the full details of your feelings to reach your goals and valued directions. We can get rid of the barrier of intellectually understanding so we can reach acceptance. 

Thank you for participating in the Acceptance section of this podcast.

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

In this episode, we are going to be focusing on the core principle called “Cognitive Defusion.”

Before we begin to develop an understanding of defusion and its importance, we need to have an idea of Cognitive Fusion, first.

We all have thoughts. Some of them are relaxed and tame, allowing us to just toss them into the unconscious without much effort. We typically don’t worry about thesecognitions; we pay them no mind. They exist without much cause for rumination.

But what about those thoughts that don’t just fade away into static? The ones that are unwelcome, but you can’t seem to shake them. Maybe they’re telling you that you’re a burden or unattractive. Maybe they’re telling you that you’ve failed once and are sure to fail again, so don’t even bother trying.

When people have thoughts as strong as these, their actions often depict what they’re telling themselves. If they think they’re a burden to have around, they might distance themselves from social and familial connections, hoping that the behavior of isolation would negate what their brains are saying.

In ACT, this merging of behaviors and thoughts is referred to as fusion. 

So, once we are able to acknowledge that a thought is creating maladaptive behaviors, how do we deal with it? 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just tell them to go away? Unfortunatly, that’s not how our brains work. What we can do, however, is change how much of our energy we allocate to our thoughts.

By using cognitive defusion, we are able to change the dependent relationship with our thoughts to one that’s passive and less… controlling.

Rather than having the words and their meanings guide our behaviors, this step of psychological flexibility allows us to reduce the weight that our cognitions have over our actions.

Sometimes, the words in our heads are meant to be viewed as just that; words. Nothing more, and nothing less. 

What your mind tells you about yourself doesn’t make that you.

The overarching goal of defusion is to help clients learn not to be driven by the contents of their thoughts so that they learn to behave independently of them.

Let’s do a small exercise. 

Find a position where you can be comfortable. Once you’re there, close your eyes.

If you can, take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. And exhale through your mouth. One more time. Inhale …. and exhale.

Think of something you’ve been struggling with recently. That could be anxiety about your capabilities, doubt in your relationships, or anything else you’ve been dwelling on.

*Pause for a few moments*

Now, I want you to picture yourself standing on a bridge in a place that you associate with serenity and peace. Maybe that place can be in the open countryside, with rolling pastures and soft wind blowing around you.

You hear a train horn in the distance and turn around to see 3 trains on 3 separate train tracks slowly chugging towards the underpassage of the bridge. 

As I guide you through this exercise, your job is to remain on the platform.

The trains go under your bridge and emerge from the other side. You turn back around to watch the trains move away from you, observing what the railcar attached to each train holds.

Rather than lumber or coal, you notice that the train on the track furthest to your left holds the sensations you notice in the now as you think about the thought you’ve been struggling with. 

That might be that you suddenly feel queasy. Maybe you feel hot and your throat tightens. Emotionally, do you sense sadness, anger, or anything else?

Concentrate on the sensations you noticed for a few moments.

*Wait a few moments*

Now, focus on the train in the middle. Imagine that it carries your thoughts about what you’ve been struggling with. That includes who you are, how you feel about yourself, your evaluations of different situations, and predictions about what’s to come.

*Wait a few*

Now, for the train on your right, picture that it holds your urge to act. What do your thoughts make you want to do about the issue that's hoarding your energy? What behaviors are your thoughts trying to justify taking? 

*Wait a few*

Keeping your eyes closed, with the image still in your mind, did you find that rather than being on the platform and observing the thoughts from afar, you ended up boarding any of the trains?

Meaning did you become absorbed in the sensations, thoughts, or urges you had rather than continuing to view each train passively as they rode by without you?

Maybe you boarded one, maybe you boarded all of them. If you did, that’s okay. 

Acknowledge which train or trains made you depart from your spot on the bridge,  store that info, and bring yourself back to your spot overlooking the trains.

If you would like, repeat this exercise a few times until you find yourself staying on the platform.

Whenever you’re ready, you can open your eyes.

The purpose of this exercise was to allow you to actively step back and observe the things you’ve been dwelling on.

If you were able to stay on the bridge, the sensations, thoughts, and urges would’ve passed underneath you and moved ahead as you observed from your perch.

These trains come and go, sometimes on an irregular schedule. Regardless, you have the choice to decide whether you board the train or let it pass by you.

Thank you for participating in the Cognitive Defusion section of this podcast.

 I truly hope that you found this exercise helpful.

I invite you to explore more ACT exercises in the other episodes available.

And remember, who you are is more than a culmination of your thoughts.

You can be in control.

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. I’m your host, Brittany. Today we are going to channel the importance of being present. It is easy to find ourselves distracted in our busy lives and we can get lost in our thoughts about our past and future lives. So, today we’ll take some time to reconnect with the here and now though a simple sensory exercise. 

Let’s start this exercise by discussing why being present matters. By practicing mindfulness we can help ourselves reduce stress, enhance focus while also improving your well-being. Take a brief moment to pause and center ourselves. 

*Pause*

I would like to invite you to find a comfortable space/position. You may sit or stand, whichever is more comfortable. Now, let’s take one to two minutes and I want you to look around. This exercise will involve engaging your senses to help ground you in this present moment. 

First, I would like you to take a moment and really focus on what you can hear.

*Pause*

Okay. What are you hearing right now? Maybe it’s the sounds of a clock ticking, birds outside, or cars driving by. Whatever you’re hearing, take note of it. 

Now, let’s shift your focus on your sight. 

*Pause*

What can you see where you are? I want you to look for specific items. Are these items familiar to you? Does anything catch your attention in a new way today? I want you to notice the little details such as the shapes, sizes, and anything that stands out to you.

Let’s explore color now.

*Pause*

What colors are present around you? Each color can bring forth different feelings, so please take a moment to observe them closely.

Lastly, I would like you to go back to the beginning of the exercise where I had you explore the different sounds. What else can you hear now that you didn’t hear before?

*Pause*

Now that you’ve taken this moment, let’s bring your attention gently back to the present being here with me. 

I want to thank you for your time in participating in this exercise. I hope you were able to find grounding. Being present can feel challenging, especially when you have distractions. Just by taking just a couple of minutes to engage with your senses can help us recenter in our everyday environment. 

Remember, every moment is a chance to be present.

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. Today, we will be focusing on the core principle called Self as Context. This principle helps you notice and observe your thoughts and feelings without being consumed by them. 

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’ll never be good enough” or “I’m a failure” and felt like that thought defined you? In ACT, we explore the idea that you are not your thoughts, emotions, or experiences, rather, you are the observer of them. This is called Self as Context, which allows us to take a step back and see that our thoughts, emotions, and ideas come and go, but do not define us.

Let’s practice this together with a simple mindfulness exercise called “Observing Feeling.” If you’re able to, find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and close your eyes. 

*Pause*

Now, bring your attention to your breath. Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in… and out. You don’t have to change anything, simply observe.

As you breathe, notice any thoughts or feelings that arise. It could be a thought about your day, an emotion such as happiness or frustration, or even a physical sensation. Whatever it is that arises, simply notice it, like a cloud passing in the sky.

You don’t have to judge it, fight it, or change it. Just observe it from a distance. Say to yourself, “I notice that I am feeling…”

*Pause*

Remember, you are not your thoughts or feelings. You are the one observing them. Just like how the sky is not the clouds, you are not your passing emotions. Let’s sit with this awareness for a few more moments.

*Pause*

Now, whenever you’re ready, gently bring your attention back to the room. Wiggle your fingers, and when you feel ready, open your eyes. 

This simple shift of seeing yourself as the observer can help when emotions feel overwhelming. Instead of getting lost in anger, frustration, sadness, or worry, remind yourself: “I am the observer of my experience, not the experience itself.”

Thank you for listening today. If you found this exercise helpful, I invite you to explore more ACT exercises. And remember, you are always more than your thoughts.

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. In this episode, we will be talking about one of the six core processes of ACT: Values and living a values based life.

First, let me ask you a question: Have you ever felt like you’re aimlessly drifting through your life with no direction? Like you’re just going through the motions every day, getting by, but not really feeling like any of it has meaning? In this episode, we’ll explore together how identifying your values can ground you and guide you towards a more meaningful life!

Values are one of the six pillars of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). In ACT, values are defined as a consistent way of doing things, a direction to head, actions and qualities of actions. Values are sometimes confused with goals, but these are two very different things. Goals are more like stops or checkpoints that occur in our life, things which can be achieved or completed. Dr. Russ Harris, an ACT, compared values and goals to two children in the back of a car on a long trip to Disneyland. Child one is goals focused and is constantly asking how much longer until they arrived, are we there yet, and just being generally impatient and annoying. The second child is values focused, so he has the same goal of reaching Disneyland, but he is also in touch with his values of curiosity, adventure, having fun, and so his journey is filled with enjoying the things he is noticing on the trip, different animals, vehicles, and other interesting things. Both children will reach Disneyland at the same time, but they have a vastly different experience on their journey. If something were to happen, perhaps the car breaks down on the way, that caused them to be unable to reach Disneyland, child one would be almost inconsolable, while child two, while also being disappointed, would still be able to reflect on the experience and see that there were also good things that they experienced in the journey, all because they made sure they were open to them by focusing on their values.

When we live a values focused life instead of a goals focused life, we have the fulfillment and satisfaction of living our values as we pursue any goals. We can also feel the satisfaction of achieving our goals, but we will also experience the fulfillment that comes from living our values even if those goals aren’t reached.

How do we recognize our values? There are many ways that we can do so, and I would like to walk you through an exercise that you may find helpful.

Take a few deep breaths. You can also close your eyes if you want. Imagine a scenario where you are a silent observer at your own funeral. Friends, family, colleagues, partners, everyone who you were important to in life, have all shown up. They are sharing stories with each other about you, memories of times shared, and discussing the impact you had on each of their lives. The room is full of memories, emotions, and reflections. What stories would you want these people to share? How would you like your life to be recounted?

What sorts of words come to mind with this exercise? If you are having trouble thinking of some values, a few common ones are acceptance, caring, courage, creativity, fairness, fitness, equality, humor, humility, respect, justice, kindness and trust. There are many others as well, take a moment and think about what resonates most with you. Maybe write them down or type them on your computer or phone, somewhere you can easily access them if you need a reminder.

Once you have chosen a few of these values, I challenge you to think of small ways you can live your values every day. For example, if you chose creativity as a value, perhaps you could make time every day to do some creative writing, practice music, paint, draw, or some other activity that is a creative outlet for you, or if you chose kindness, you could make it your goal to say something kind to another person, whether it be a loved one or even a stranger. Just some small things that you can do to live by the values that you have chosen that are most important to you.

ACT teaches us that by identifying and living in a way that is in line with our values we will live a more fulfilling, more meaningful, and more psychologically flexible life. Being values focused allows us to enjoy the journey of life, rather than letting ourselves get bogged down in our day to day lives, focusing on the next goal along our path. 

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Taking ACTion!

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast, where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. Today, we will be focusing on the core principle called Commitment or Committed Action. This principle helps you take steps toward your goals guided by your values, even in the face of discomfort.

Commitment isn’t just about setting goals, rather it’s about making choices that reflect what truly matters to you. However, when we work towards meaningful goals, we often face uncomfortable emotions like fear, frustration, or doubt. The key is to acknowledge these challenges and still move forward.

Let’s walk through an exercise together to help you connect with your values and commit to an action step. If you can, I encourage you to grab a pen and notebook. But if you’re not able to, you can just reflect on these questions and answers in your mind. 

Step 1: Define your goal: First, think of a goal that aligns with your values. It can be something big, like starting a new career path, or something small, like reaching out to a loved one more often. Take a moment to define this goal.

*Pause*

Step 2: Identify the discomfort: Now, ask yourself: “What uncomfortable or painful thoughts and feelings might come up as I pursue this goal?” It might be frustration, self-doubt, or fear of failure. Take a moment to name them.

*Pause*

Step 3: Coping strategies: What skills or strategies can you use to deal with these challenges effectively? It could be practicing mindfulness, using self-compassion, or reminding yourself why this goal matters. What works for you?

*Pause*

Step 4: Take the first step: Finally, let’s commit to one small step toward your goal. What is one action you can take today to move forward? Be specific– set a time and place. For example, “At 3 pm, I will write the first paragraph of my essay”.

*Pause*

Commitment isn’t about waiting for the “right time”, it’s about taking action, even when discomfort arises. The more we move toward our values, the stronger our sense of purpose becomes. 

If today’s exercise resonated with you, I encourage you to write your responses down and revisit them whenever you need motivation. Thank you for listening today. And remember, small steps, when taken consistently, lead to meaningful change.

Society tells us the way to be happy is to achieve our goals. Get that great job, earn that money, get a good body, find a partner, have happy, healthy kids, have a big house, have a nice car, have holidays! 

Goal, goal, goal, goal, goal! And it's true that if you do actually manage to achieve these goals, then there is a little moment of joy and happiness... but how long does it last? 

How long before you're looking at the next goal, and then the next goal, and then the next goal? And as we live our life trying to constantly strive to achieve these goals, one after the other, after the other. How tiring and exhausting does it get? Is this you?

There is a radically different way to live your life, which is a life based on values, a values focused life. 

It's like two kids in the back of a car and it's a three-hour car journey to Disneyland, and the first kid is totally goal focused, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How much longer? Are we there yet?" This journey of frustration, it's all about the goal. 

The second kid is values focused. He's got the same goal, he wants to get to Disneyland, but he's also in touch with his values around curiosity, adventure, having fun! So he's looking out of the window, playing "I spy with my little eye", he's counting all the- you know, the interesting farm houses that he sees on the way, he's spotting interesting farm animals, cows and sheep, he's noticing different types of trucks and cars on the freeway. So he's actually appreciating the journey as he heads towards his goal. 

Now, they both reached Disneyland at the same time, they both have a fantastic time at Disneyland cause they both got to achieve the goal, but the first kid had a journey of frustration, the second kid had a fulfilling, rewarding journey. 

Then on the way home, the first kid, "Are we home yet? Are we home yet? Are we home yet?" All about the goal, all that frustration. Second kid's looking out of the window, noticing how the world looks different at night, spotting the- the lights in the farmhouses, and the cat's eyes on the freeway.

The car breaks down on the way to Disneyland. Now both kids are really disappointed because neither of them achieved their goal. But the second kid at least had a fulfilling journey up until that point. 

Now when the pickup truck arrives to tow them home, the first kid, "Oh, it's not fair, I want to go to Disneyland! How long before the car gets repaired? It's not fair! It's not fair!" The second kid starts to notice how the world looks different when you're sitting in the front of a pickup truck, high above the level of the rest of the traffic.

So, this is the very important distinction between the values focused life and the goal focused life. In the values focused life, we have the fulfillment and satisfaction of living our values every step of the way towards our goals, the satisfaction of achieving our goals, and the fulfillment that comes of living our values, even when we don't achieve our goals.