Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for anxiety disorders focuses on decreasing the behavior regulatory function of anxiety and related cognitions, and has a strong focus on behavior change that is consistent with client values. Therefore, this therapeutic method has two main objectives: (a) training acceptance of problematic unhelpful thoughts and feelings that cannot and perhaps need not be controlled, and (b) commitment and action toward living a life due to chosen values.

This indicates why ACT is about acceptance and it is about change at the same time. Applied to anxiety disorders, patients learn to end the struggle with their anxiety-related discomfort and take charge by engaging in actions that move them related to their chosen life aims (values). This method also teaches patients skills to appreciate and observe unfavorable thoughts and feelings just as they are instead of teaching “more, different, better” strategies to change or decrease unwanted thoughts and feelings. Therefore avoidance of anxiety along with flexibility in response to it and other forms of emotional discomfort provides an situation for individuals that actuate them in the direction of chosen life aims even when unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations are present.

ACT not only applied to anxiety disorders but also attempted to reduce extreme struggle with anxiety and control unwanted private events along with experiential avoidance-efforts to down-regulate.

Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4537636/