Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a modern, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that helps you develop a more flexible and meaningful way of responding to life’s challenges. Rather than focusing on eliminating difficult thoughts or emotions, ACT supports you in learning how to relate to them differently—so they have less control over your life.
What is ACT about?
ACT is based on the idea that emotional pain is a natural part of being human. Struggling to suppress or avoid difficult thoughts and feelings often increases suffering over time. ACT helps you build psychological flexibility—the ability to stay present, open, and engaged in your life, even when things feel uncomfortable.
How ACT works
In ACT, we work together to help you Be Present, Open Up, and Do What Matters:
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Cultivate flexible, purposeful attention—staying present, noticing distraction, and returning to what matters
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Develop a more compassionate and accepting relationship with your thoughts and emotions
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Reconnect with what truly matters to you—your values, and take meaningful actions aligned with those values, even in difficult moments
ACT combines mindfulness practices, practical exercises, and values-based work to support lasting change.
What ACT is not
ACT is not about “thinking positively” or forcing yourself to feel better. It’s also not about resigning yourself to suffering. Instead, ACT helps you create space for what you cannot control, while actively changing what you can—your actions, choices, and direction in life.
This is a wonderful talk by Steven C. Hayes, co-author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In Mental Brakes to Avoid Mental Breaks, he shows how our minds can get stuck in unhelpful patterns—and gives a glimpse of how ACT can help us respond with more clarity, flexibility, and balance.