Professional Documents
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Running away from any problem only increases the distance from the solution. The
easiest way to escape from the problem is to solve it.
Medical conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD, addictions, and substance abuse
can all benefit from ACT and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
In the case of ACT, you commit to facing the problem head-on rather than avoiding
your stresses. Imagine committing to actions that help you facilitate your experience
and embrace any challenge.
As you will see later in this piece, ACT is effective for a wide range of psychological
disorders, and it is also effective as a life-affirming and inspirational perspective of
self-determination.
What if you could accept and allow yourself to feel what you feel, even if it’s
negative?
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Mindfulness
Exercises for free. These science-based, comprehensive exercises will not only help
you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life but will also give you
the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students or employees.
According to the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), ACT is:
The founder of ACT has also offered a definition of ACT in terms familiar to the
psychology field:
Core Processes
Six core processes of ACT guide patients through therapy and provide a framework
for developing psychological flexibility (Harris, 2011). These six core processes of
ACT include the following:
Acceptance;
Cognitive Defusion;
Being Present;
Self as Context;
Values;
Committed Action.
Acceptance is not a goal of ACT, but a method of encouraging action that will lead to
positive results.
Cognitive Defusion refers to the techniques intended to change how an individual
reacts to their thoughts and feelings. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy does
not intend to limit our exposure to negative experiences, but rather to face them and
come out the other side with a decreased fixation on these experiences.
Self as Context is the idea that an individual is not simply the sum of their
experiences, thoughts, or emotions. The “self as context” process offers the alternative
concept that there is a self outside of the current experience.
We are not only what happens to us. We are the ones experiencing what happens to
us.
Values in this context are the qualities we choose to work towards in any given
moment. We all hold values, consciously or unconsciously, that direct our steps. In
ACT, we use tools that help us live our lives in accordance with the values that we
hold dear.
Finally, ACT aims to help patients commit to actions that will assist in their long-term
goals and live a life consistent with their values. Positive behavior changes cannot
occur without awareness of how a given behavior affects us.
ACT is not all that different from other behavioral-based therapies; it just emphasizes
acceptance instead of avoidance, and in that way, differs from many other forms of
therapy. This departure from most mainstream treatment can be traced back to the
background of ACT’s founder, Stephen C. Hayes.
Hayes disagreed that suffering and pain are to be avoided and buffered whenever
possible. He saw suffering as an inevitable and essential part of being human, as well
as a source of fulfillment when we do not flee from what scares us.
Steven Hayes makes a compelling case for acceptance and self-compassion based on
his own experiences with pain. His TED Talk on psychological flexibility explains the
foundation for his psychological exploration of ACT.
Relating involves noting the dimensions along which relation exists. For example, we
may associate an apple with an orange, but our ability of relating allows us to
understand that although they have a similar shape (round) and function (to be eaten),
they have different colors and textures.
Humans, unlike most other animals, have an uncanny ability to relate even neutral
events, as well as seemingly unrelated words and ideas.
Our ability to form relational networks (e.g., I relate the words “orange”, “apple”, and
“pear” to the concept of “fruit”) can be a destructive ability when anxiety and
depression impact us.
For a more detailed explanation of Relational Frame Theory, you can check out this
PDF from Act Mindfully, a web resource revolving around principles of ACT.
Many of these are made available by the organization ACT Mindfully, which is a great
resource.
Follow this link for a PDF that includes several worksheets and lots of information on
how to guide a client through them.
This worksheet is a fillable matrix on page 6 with one column for writing down
triggers (situations, thoughts, or feeling that immediately precede a certain behavior),
behaviors (what you actually do), and payoffs (the immediate outcomes of the
behavior that encourage the behavior to continue).
This worksheet can help you or your clients identify self-defeating behaviors with the
motivation behind them, which can be a first step to recognizing and modifying
problematic behavior.
Another worksheet presents the Values Bull’s Eye, or a set of concentric circles that
are separated into four quadrants: work/education, leisure, personal growth/health, and
relationships.
The exercise involves placing an “X” on the circle that most closely represents how
you feel in the present moment.
The closer to the middle the X is, the more you feel you are behaving like the person
you want to be. The further out the X is, the less you feel like the person you want to
be. This worksheet can be found in the PDF above on page 11 or individually here.
The final pages in the PDF from ACT Mindfully help you estimate your
psychological flexibility based on three factors:
1. Ability to open up
2. Ability to be present
3. Ability to do what matters
Here you will find a visual representation of psychological flexibility, an explanation
of each of these three factors, and a method of estimating your abilities in these areas
at this moment.
Next, you are asked to write a list of everything you have done to try to avoid or get
rid of these thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories. Distracting yourself from
these, avoiding activities, or using substances to self-medicate are a few examples of
avoidance techniques.
Then you are asked to consider these questions for each item:
1. Did this action get rid of my painful thoughts and feelings in the long term?
2. Did it bring me closer to a rich, full, and meaningful life?
3. If the answer to question 2 is “no,” then what did this action cost me in terms of
time, energy, money, health, relationships, and vitality?
This worksheet can help you become aware of your own avoidance strategies, and
whether they are producing the results you want.
This page introduces two simple mindfulness exercises for any typical day:
This worksheet allows space for you to imagine some informal mindfulness exercises
to add to your day, such as while waiting in traffic or while walking from your car to
your door. Maybe it’s as little as “no-phone” time while you grocery shop or wait in
line.
The Values Assessment Rating Form provides a matrix with 10 life domains (e.g.,
couples/intimate relationships, parenting, employment, etc.) and 4 columns to fill out:
The Values Assessment Rating Form can help you identify where you are falling short
of your goals and where you are meeting your goals, as well as aiding the
prioritization of meeting these goals going forward.
This worksheet guides the reader through the values that underlie their goals and how
to make sure these goals are SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for goals that are
Specific, Meaningful, Adaptive, Realistic, and Time-bound.
This activity will help you understand how to set goals that you can meet, rather than
lofty ideas that are not backed by concrete actions.
This informational page offers a practical and useful response for when you face a
crisis.
Slow your breathing: enter into a quick and simple mindfulness practice.
Take note: noticing what you are experiencing in the present moment.
Open up: allow yourself to feel without judgment or avoidance.
Pursue your values: decide what the best course of action is based on your most
important values.
Here is a list of things to consider during this exercise:
1. Consider if you need assistance or support, and who could provide you with the
assistance or support you need.
2. Think about whether you have experienced anything similar before, and how
you responded to it then.
3. Consider ways to improve the situation, even in the smallest way, whether it’s
in the next few minutes or the next few days.
4. Be willing to practice acceptance if you cannot improve your situation, and
commit to spending your time and energy in a constructive way.
5. Ask yourself what the best way is to deal with this situation or, as the metaphor
goes, how to play the game with the cards you have been dealt.
6. Remember to practice self-compassion; if you need inspiration, imagine a
friend or loved one was going through your experience right now, and tell
yourself whatever you imagine telling them.
5. Psychological Inflexibility
Psychological inflexibility is the extent to which anyone has trouble practicing the six
core processes. The questions map to the opposite of the six core processes as follows:
This set of questions can be a great tool to help your clients ascertain where to focus
their energy. This is a critical step to embracing their experiences and act according to
their deepest values.
If you’re looking for a visual resource on how to apply ACT in your practice, check
out this slide presentation on acceptance and mindfulness as therapeutic tools.
This presentation includes information on how mindfulness and acceptance can
benefit people who are struggling. It also explores the theories behind how ACT
works, along with suggestions for therapists who want to introduce their clients to
mindfulness.
Several of these can be found on the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
website, on their ACT exercises page or their ACT metaphors page. For each exercise
or metaphor, a link will be provided to the exercise for you to learn more.
This is a quick exercise for mental health professionals to help their clients understand
how avoidance can be counterproductive. This exercise can be completed in the
following steps:
Give your client a sheet of paper and a pen and ask them if they are ready for
written instructions.
Before the client can write anything, present an obstacle that obstructs the
client’s ability to see the paper and pen (e.g., a piece of cardboard, a mask with
severely limited vision, etc.)
Ask the client if this bothers them and if they’d rather be able to see as they
write. Inform them that the obstacle will stay, but they should still attempt to
work around the obstacle in order to write the sentence.
Let them struggle with seeing around the obstacle for 20 to 30 seconds. They
probably will not have written anything readable at this point.
Ask the client about their experience (i.e., “How was it? Was it difficult? Were
you able to write the sentence? Can we read it?”)
Propose that the client stop trying to see around the obstacle, but just accept
that it is there and write the sentence anyway.
The sentence they write when focusing on writing (instead of avoiding) will
likely be more readable. Point this out to them and help them make the
connection between avoiding the physical obstacle and avoiding emotional
pain, and the negative consequences of each.
This exercise can be guided by a therapist or completed on your own. Following these
steps can help you or your client understand that suffering is an inevitable part of life;
if we eradicated suffering, we would also eliminate joy.
Find an activity or relationship that you find valuable, but that you have
retreated from recently;
Take out an index card or piece of paper. On one side, write down what you
value about that activity or relationship or what you hope to achieve or become
through it;
On the other side, write down the difficult thoughts and feelings that sometimes
happen for you, when you take action towards gaining the value or
achievements written on the other side;
Put the card in your pocket, wallet, or purse. Over the next week, take it out,
look at both sides, and ask yourself if you are willing to have that card, with
both the good and bad. You can either avoid both the value and the pain, or you
can embrace them both.
For more information on this exercise and the story behind it, check it out here, and
look here for a similar exercise from ACBS.
This is a mindfulness technique that can defuse a strong, negative emotion. Follow the
steps to renew your focus on acceptance and positive action toward your values:
1. Sit comfortably in a quiet area. Bring your attention to your breath, feeling the
sensations of breathing without trying to manipulate your breath;
2. Notice the emotion(s) you are feeling, and what it feels like;
3. Name the emotion. Identify what it is and what word best describes how you
are feeling;
4. Accept the emotion as a natural and normal reaction to the circumstances.
Don’t condone it or judge it, just let it move through you;
5. Investigate the emotion by asking questions like: How intensely am I feeling
this emotion? Has my breathing changed? What are the accompanying
sensations in my body? How is my posture? Am I experiencing increased
tension in my muscles? What is my facial expression at this moment? How
does my face feel?
6. Notice the thoughts or judgments that arise, but let them pass. If you find
yourself dwelling on any of them, gently bring your attention back to your
breathing to re-center, then visit the emotion again. This technique may
produce the best results when starting small and working your way up to more
intense emotions.
To read the entire technique description and try it for yourself, click here.
This exercise is a great first step for anyone looking to start practicing ACT
techniques. Values, as mentioned earlier, are a foundational piece in Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy.
The Valued Directions worksheet presents 10 value domains for the reader to
consider:
Work/career;
Intimate relationships;
Parenting;
Education/learning/personal growth;
Friends/social life;
Health/physical self-care;
Family of origin (or relationships other than marriage or parenting)
Spirituality Community life/environment/nature;
Recreation/leisure;
The exercise then asks the reader to rate the importance of each value domain on a
scale of 0 (not at all important) to 2 (very important). There is nothing wrong with
valuing some areas more than others.
Then, readers rate their satisfaction with their lives in each area on a scale of 0 (not at
all satisfied) to 2 (very satisfied).
Once the ratings have been completed, the exercise asks readers to review any value
rated as a 1 or 2 on the importance scale and write their intentions in that area for the
foreseeable future. In other words, write down what you want to achieve, maintain, or
become in each important value area.
These are not goals that can be completed and “checked off,” but rather they are
actionable goals that match how you want to live your life each day.
This exercise can help clarify what is important and needs to be prioritized in your
life. It’s best if you have a therapist or qualified professional to discuss the results and
actionable goals with. It is still a powerful exercise whether you are currently
attending therapy or not.
For more ACT exercises, check out the exercises, techniques, and worksheets on the
following sites:
http://psychologytools.com/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy.html
https://contextualscience.org/act_exercises
Metaphors also play a key role in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. They
provide clients with a simple way to understand how their feelings and thoughts
influence their actions, and thus, allow people to visualize how adjusting our thoughts
affects our behaviors.
So one day, when a particularly big wave breaks over the side and leaves water in
your boat, you start bailing. You may start bailing calmly or mindfully, but
eventually, you might find yourself bailing desperately or wildly to get rid of all this
water.
While you’ve been bailing, have you noticed what is happening to your boat? Where
is it headed? Where has it drifted to? Would it be fair to say you’ve been bailing more
than sailing?
Now imagine that you take a look at the bailer and see that it is really a sieve, full of
holes? What would you do?
The implicit purpose of bailing water here is probably to get your boat back on track –
once you rid the boat of the water. But if your tool is not suited to the task, you will
find yourself struggling to get rid of any water, let alone guide your boat.
The question is would you rather be on a boat that has only a little water in the
bottom, but is drifting without direction, or on a boat that may have quite a bit of
water in the bottom but is heading in the direction you wish to go?
This metaphor can help you or your clients realize two things:
1. The techniques we use to deal with our problematic thoughts and feelings are
tools like the bailer and the sieve, and some are better than others.
2. Sometimes working desperately to avoid wet feet (or other painful or
uncomfortable feelings) gets us so off-track; the distraction and struggle of
“wet feet” become our blocks to reaching our goals, not the waves.
This metaphor is meant for people struggling with a particular emotion or diagnosis,
like anger, anxiety, or depression.
In this metaphor, the mind bully is our particular problem: it is an extremely large and
strong bully. We are on opposite sides of a pit, tugging back and forth on a rope as the
Mind Bully tries to make us fall into the pit.
When we pull on the rope, when we listen and pay attention to or even believe the
monster, we are actually feeding it. Like any bully, the Mind Bully can only harm us
when we engage with it and believe the negative things it says. In other words, don’t
let your mind bully your body.
Instead of pulling on the rope, what do you think would happen if we drop it? The
Mind Bully might still be there, hurling its insults and meanness, but it would no
longer be able to pull us towards the pit.
The less that we feed the Mind Bully, the smaller and quieter it will get. Maybe
eventually, we even will grow empathy for this sad creature and wonder why it says
such mean thoughts.
We stop feeding the Mind Bully by noticing and acknowledging it but shifting our
attention away from it instead of believing what it says. Engaging in a quick
mindfulness exercise can be a great way to do this.
To learn more about the Mind Bully metaphor and read the alternate version of this
metaphor, visit this website.
Quicksand is a loose, wet patch of sand that cannot support weight like dry sand can.
When you step in quicksand, you start to sink instead of finding a solid footing.
Common knowledge is that struggling against quicksand only increases the rate at
which it sucks you down into its depths. When you put more weight on one foot to try
to lift the other, it just sinks deeper into the pit. The more you struggle, the deeper you
sink. Frightening!
The solution to surviving quicksand is to spread your body weight over a large surface
area and move slowly.
Rather than trying to stand and fight the quicksand, ignore your instincts to struggle
and lie down on your back instead.
It’s counterintuitive, but the less you struggle and the more you accept your present
situation and embrace vulnerability, the easier it is to escape.
This same principle applies to pain, suffering, and knowing when to ask for help. The
more we struggle and fight against it, rather than accepting our situation, the more we
drag ourselves down deeper.
When we accept that the suffering is inevitable, we are more likely to survive and
come out the other side more quickly and efficiently.
To learn more about this metaphor, you can read about it here or watch a short
YouTube video about it here.
If you find metaphors to be useful tools in your own life or your clients’ lives, you can
read more metaphors in The Big Book of Metaphors: A Practitioner’s Guide to
Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Jill
Stoddard, Niloofar Afari, and Steven C. Hayes.
You can also visit these websites for quick and simple descriptions:
1) https://contextualscience.org/metaphors
2) https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/metaphors.htm
We also suggest a couple of videos on ACT metaphors in the YouTube videos section
below. Spoiler alert: they include some pretty cute animation.
1. Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) – Steven
C. Hayes & Spencer Smith
The most essential ACT book may be Hayes’ Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your
Life. At one point, this book was a best-seller in the self-help family of American
books.
This book offers an emphasis on accepting and living with pain, which is a concept
largely foreign to the Western perspective on happiness and the avoidance of pain.
This book will walk you through the foundations of ACT and help you learn to accept
your emotions rather than act in ways that are self-destructive or undermining to your
mental health.
Available on Amazon.
This book establishes the groundwork for integrating ACT into your work.
Available on Amazon.
Available on Amazon.
It describes what ACT is, how it can be applied to everyday life, and why it works.
Available on Amazon.
Many studies showcase the positive effects of this form of therapy for patients
struggling with anxiety.
For example, one study showed that college students who received ACT treatment
enjoyed less stress in regards to academic concerns, decreased anxiety and depression
symptoms, greater general mental health, and improved mindful acceptance (Levin,
Haeger, Pierce, & Twohig, 2017).
Another study reiterated these positive impacts on anxiety and showed that ACT
delivered via the internet could be as effective as therapist-delivered ACT (Ivanova et
al., 2016).
The participants in this study reported reduced general and social anxiety, whether
they were in the “treatment as usual” group or the online ACT group.
To learn more about how to apply Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to anxiety
disorders, check out this website that is packed with information on how ACT can
help treat anxiety and why it works. This site focuses on important points like
mindfulness, commitment, and control paradox, which arises from our expert ability
to control our environment paired with our relative inability to control our thoughts
and emotions.
Georg H. Eifert, John P. Forsyth, and Steven C. Hayes offer real and tangible changes
for therapists and clients alike.
Chronic Pain
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been found to improve quality of life-even
without affecting the level of pain experienced-for many cases of chronic pain.
One study showed that cancer patients who receive ACT treatment reported
significant improvements in the acceptance of their circumstances and finding
increased meaning in life, even while still experiencing pain (Datta, Aditya,
Chakraborty, Das, & Mukhopadhyay, 2016).
Another study also found that ACT improves psychological flexibility and reduces
depressive symptoms, even when chronic pain remains (Scott, Hann, McCracken,
2016).
A different study verified this finding, reporting that physical and emotional
functioning improved with ACT, even with no concurrent reduction in pain (Vowles,
Witkiewitz, Levell, Sowden, & Ashworth, 2017).
Depression
Similarly, ACT has been found to improve symptoms for people suffering from
depression. One study found that ACT decreased the severity of depressive symptoms
for veterans with depression and suicidal thoughts (Walser, Garvert, Karlin, Trockel,
Ryu, & Taylor, 2015).
ACT also reduced psychological inflexibility and distress related to depression and
anxiety in older adults, even with only a brief course from a novice ACT therapist
(Roberts, 2016).
If you’d like to learn more about using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to treat
depression, give this book a try: ACT for Depression: A Clinician’s Guide to Using
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Treating Depression, by Robert Zettle. It
describes how ACT can contribute to the successful treatment of depression by
providing a session-by-session approach.
An overview of the quantitative research conducted in this area showed that ACT
treatment for OCD is as effective as the “treatment as usual” approach,
including cognitive behavioral therapy (Bluett, Homan, Morrison, Levin, & Twohig,
2014).
For a great explanation of how to apply ACT in the treatment of patients with OCD,
check out Michael Twohig’s piece on this subject.
Eating Disorders
Finally, ACT has also been successfully applied to patients with eating disorders. A
case-series study on women with Binge Eating Disorder showed that participants
improved with the application of ACT (Hill, Masuda, Melcher, Morgan, & Twohig,
2015).
One patient even reached a point where her symptoms no longer met the clinical
definition of Binge Eating Disorder, while both displayed increases in their body
image flexibility.
In a study on patients with anorexia, participants who received treatment that included
ACT were more likely to reach positive outcomes at the end of the study (Parling,
Cernvall, Ramklint, Holmgren, & Ghaderi, 2016).
The HGPS also lays out some advice for applying ACT in a group (learn more
about group therapy here):
Group Rules
Set rules for the group (show up to each group ready to make it work, don’t try to
“solve” another group member’s feelings, conversations within the group are not
expected to continue outside of this context etc.) and make sure group members know
they must be followed.
Decide on whether the group is more general or for a more specific topic like anxiety
or depression. Consider starting the group with a mindfulness exercise or keeping a
quick mindfulness exercise in your back pocket in case a group member gets off track.
Experiential Exercises
Don’t be afraid to include experiential exercises but be on the lookout for judgment
from group members after the exercise.
Conflict
When conflict arises, which is likely to happen at some point, guide the group
member to their inner experience first. Help them bring their thoughts back to making
therapy work for them. Be ready to experience discomfort. Avoid the urge to “rescue”
group members from their pain. As some therapists say, “don’t steal the struggle,” as
it is sometimes a key part of the group’s process of establishing trust for each other.
For more information on applying ACT in groups, see the humorously named The
Idiot’s Guide to ACT in Groups. This workbook provides a practical outline for
setting up and conducting group ACT therapy and includes models, techniques,
exercises, and basic protocols for group ACT.
For a great overview of ACT videos, begin with Dr. Russ Harris’ YouTube
channel here. He has several ACT videos for different audiences and techniques. For
example, one upload is for specifically for adolescents who want to harness ACT to
“stop struggling and start thriving.”
If you’re looking for a short and sweet introduction to Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy, the video below comes from the Veterans Health Administration.
If you’d like to learn more about the metaphors applied in Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy, this video from Joe Oliver explains the ACT metaphor of
passengers on a bus. In this metaphor, we are asked to place ourselves in the role of
the bus driver, the person who has control over the speed and direction of the bus, but
not the passengers.
Just as we cannot control the passengers who board the bus, we cannot control our
own internal experiences, but we can allow them to say their piece while maintaining
control over the bus. It’s only five minutes and features engaging animation.
Another great video from Joe Oliver outlines the unwelcome party guest metaphor.
This video is just over four minutes and shows how trying to avoid things can
backfire. Instead of avoiding the negative experiences that cause us stress
or emotional discomfort, allowing ourselves to experience them and learn from them
can produce far better results.
What if our depression, or anxiety, was “that unwelcome party guest” we should
allow space for at the party?
Our final metaphor video from Joe Oliver images one of the demons on the boat. In
this metaphor, we are steering the boat with a horde of angry, aggressive, and
intrusive demons in the water below us. If you’re wondering how this translates to
helpful ACT tactics, watch the video below.
Which of these videos resonates best for you? When you finish this article, we would
love to hear from you in our comments section.
ACT Apps That Can Help
As technology flourishes, so do the set of treatment options available to us. As with so
many other problems, issues, or opportunities, there’s an app for that!
The ACT Companion App, or the Happiness Trap App, is very popular. It is from Dr.
Russ Harris and psychologist Anthony Berrick. If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Russ
Harris’s project, this video below may inspire you towards applying ACT to your life
or practice.
The app that Dr. Russ Harris designed helps you keep your commitment to positive
action through mindfulness exercises. One tool measures how well you applied ACT
skills to real-life situations, and prompts quick mindful acts.
This app is available through Google Play for $9.99 and the Apple App Store for
$14.99. It’s not free, but it is a relatively inexpensive investment for an app that can
help you dramatically improve your quality of life.
ACT Coach
This app is offered through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. It includes tabs
such as “Learn,” “Practice Mindfulness,” “Live Your Values,” and “Track Your ACT
Moments.”
This app is designed to help veterans live their values in their daily life, even when
faced with unpleasant situations and potential PTSD. It is available at no cost through
iTunes. You can learn more about this app here.
A Take-Home Message
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has the potential to produce extremely positive
results, and not only for those suffering from psychological disorders.
If you are suffering from the pain inherent in everyday life, or you know clients and
other people who do, this form of therapy has been highly successful. With so many
resources available online, it’s easier than ever to give ACT a try.
Whether you want to try it yourself or guide your clients through ACT, I hope this
piece has provided you with the information and resources you need to get started.
And please, leave a comment below. Have you ever tried Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy, for yourself or your clients? We would love to hear more.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our 3
Mindfulness Exercises for free.
REFERENCES
Bluett, E. J., Homan, K. J., Morrison, K. L., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P.
(2014). Acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety and OCD spectrum
disorders: An empirical review. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 612-624.
Datta, A., Aditya, C., Chakraborty, A., Das, P., & Mukhopadhyay, A. (2016).
The potential utility of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for reducing
stress and improving wellbeing in cancer patients in Kolkata. Journal of
Cancer Education, 31, 721-729.
Harris, R. (2011). Embracing your demons: An overview of Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy. Psychotherapy. Retrieved from
https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy-
ACT#section-the-goal-of-act
Harris, R. (2013). Acceptance and commitment therapy training. Retrieved
from https://www.actmindfully.com.au/acceptance_&_commitment_therapy
Hill, M. L., Masuda, A., Melcher, H., Morgan, J. R., & Twohig, M. P. (2015).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for women diagnosed with Binge Eating
Disorder: A case-series study. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 367-378.
Ivanova, E., Lindner, P., Ly, K. H., Dahlin, M., Vernmark, K., Andersson, G.,
& Carlbring, P. (2016). Guided and unguided Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy for social anxiety disorder and/or panic disorder provided via the
Internet and a smartphone application: A randomized controlled trial. Journal
of Anxiety Disorders, 44, 27-35.
Levin, M. E., Haeger, J. A., Pierce, B. G., & Twohig, M. P. (2017). Web-based
acceptance and commitment therapy for mental health problems in college
students: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Modification, 41, 141-162.
Markaway, B. (2013, May 25). The ACT approach to self-acceptance: Three
surprising, simple ways to increase self-acceptance. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-the-questions/201305/the-act-
approach-self-acceptance
Parling, T., Cernvall, M., Ramklint, M., Holmgren, S., & Ghaderi, A. (2016). A
randomised trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anorexia
Nervosa after daycare treatment, including five-year follow-up. BMC
Psychiatry, 16, 272-284.
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