Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Do you find that the harder you try not to think about something difficult, the more that thought comes back? ACT takes a different approach: instead of fighting painful thoughts and emotions, learn to make room for them — and live in line with what truly matters to you.

How does it work?

ACT combines mindfulness practice with values work. Therapy helps you loosen the grip that difficult thoughts have on you — not by eliminating them, but by changing your relationship with them. You learn to watch your thoughts like clouds in the sky, rather than identifying with each one. The second part of the work is discovering what truly gives your life meaning — and taking steps in that direction, even if anxiety walks alongside you.

What does a session look like?

ACT sessions are informal and often involve mindfulness-based exercises, metaphors, and behavioral experiments. Your therapist might ask you to try a short mindfulness practice or ask what you'd really want to do if anxiety weren't in the way. The length of therapy is flexible — anywhere from a dozen sessions to several dozen, depending on what you need.

Who benefits most from ACT?

ACT is effective for many struggles, especially where fighting emotions has become a source of suffering itself:

  • anxiety and worry that paralyzes action
  • depression, especially recurring depression
  • chronic pain and physical illness
  • burnout and feeling a lack of meaning
  • issues with self-worth
  • perfectionism and excessive self-criticism

Frequently asked questions

Is ACT the same as meditation?

Mindfulness is an important part of ACT, but the therapy is much more than that. Beyond mindfulness practice, you work on your values, your relationship with thoughts, and concrete life changes. You don't need any meditation experience either.

ACT talks about acceptance — does that mean I have to accept my suffering?

Acceptance in ACT doesn't mean resignation or giving in to pain. It means stopping the exhausting fight against what you can't control — so you have the energy for what you can.