Self-As-Context Made Simple

Russ Harris, MD
ACT World Conference, July 2009
Workshop Aims
 Understand the concept of self-as-context
 Have the experience of self-as-context
 Learn how to facilitate that experience
 First a quick refresher course …

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The Aim Of ACT
Cultivate Psychological Flexibility:
 Be Present
 Open Up
 Do What Works

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The Essence Of ACT
ACT= LOVE
 Letting go
 Opening up
 Valuing
 Engaging

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ACT In A Nutshell
The Present Moment
Be Here Now

Acceptance Values
Open Up Know What Matters

Psychological
Flexibility
Be present, Open up
Do what matters
Defusion Committed Action
Watch Your Thinking Do What It Takes

Self-as-context
Pure Awareness 5
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3 Senses of Self
 Self-as-content (the conceptualized self)
 Self-as-awareness (noticing/observing)
 Self-as-context (the perspective/locus/space
from where observing happens; the ‘you’ that
observes)
 Just to confuse you …
 Self-as-context is AKA the observing self, the
silent self, self-as-perspective, pure
awareness, pure consciousness
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Technically Speaking
 In clinical work, the distinction made between
Self-as-awareness and Self-as-context is
often ‘fuzzy’.
 There are examples of this ‘fuzziness’ in
almost every single book on ACT, including
mine . For pragmatic purposes, this is not an
issue.
 Where the distinction becomes most
important is if you want to facilitate a ‘deeper’
experience of this space

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Conceptualized self
(self-as-content)

All the beliefs,

thoughts, ideas,
facts, images,
judgments,
memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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 Conceptualized self
(self-as-content)
Noticing / Observing
(self-as-awareness)
All the beliefs,
thoughts, ideas,
facts, images,
judgments,
memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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Observing Self
(self-as-context)

Conceptualized self
(self-as-content)
Noticing / Observing
(self-as-awareness)
All the beliefs,
thoughts, ideas,
facts, images,
judgments,
memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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Observing Self
(self-as-context)

Conceptualized Self
(self-as-content)
Conceptualized self
All the beliefs,Noticing
thoughts, (self-as-content)
ideas, facts
images,
/ Observing
judgments, memories etc about ‘who I am’
(self-as-awareness)
All the beliefs,
thoughts, ideas,
images,
judgments,
memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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Observing Self
(self-as-context)

Conceptualized self
(self-as-content)

All the beliefs, thoughts, ideas, facts,

Noticing / Observing images, judgments, memories etc
(self-as-awareness) about ‘who I am’

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All the beliefs,
thoughts, ideas,
facts, images,
judgments,
memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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All the beliefs, thoughts,
ideas, images, facts,
judgments, memories etc
about ‘who I am’

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 Self-as-context
Self-as-awareness

Self-as-content
A Different Three Senses of Self
Physical self (body)
Thinking self (mind)
Observing self (the part of you that notices
whatever your body or mind is doing)

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Three Senses of Self

Thinking Self

Thinks, judges, visualizes,

remembers, imagines,
feels, senses, fantasizes,
analyzes, etc.
 Three Senses of Self

Physical Self

Thinking Self

Sees, hears, smells,

Thinks, judges, visualizes,
tastes, touches,
remembers, imagines,
senses, moves, takes
feels, fantasizes, analyzes,
action, etc.
etc.
 Three Senses of Self

Observing Self

Physical Self

Thinking Self

Sees, hears, smells,

Thinks, judges, visualizes,
tastes, touches,
remembers, imagines,
senses, takes action
feels, fantasizes, analyzes,
etc.
Three Senses of Self

Observing Self

Physical Self

Thinking Self
 Three Senses of Self

Observing Self

Physical Self

Thinking Self

Values

Values = your heart’s deepest desires for how you want to be and what
you want to do with your short time on this planet ...
 Three Senses of Self

Observing Self

Physical Self

Thinking Self

Struggle Values

Struggle = cognitive fusion & experiential avoidance = whatever your mind

does that sets you up to struggle: with your own thoughts and feelings ..
your body … other people … the world around you … your life itself...
Three Senses of Self VITALITY

Observing Self

Physical Self
Effective
Thinking Self Action

Values
 Three Senses of Self VITALITY

Observing Self

Physical Self
Effective
Thinking Self Action

Struggle Values
Ineffective
Action

SUFFERING
An Experience Beyond Words
 A container
 A space
 A perspective

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Common Adjectives
 Spacious
 Expansive
 Silent
 Invisible
 Formless
 Groundless
 Without borders
 Ever present
 Unchanging
 Clear
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 Pure
Useful Metaphors
 Lantern in the dark
 Chessboard
 House & Furniture
 Watching a stage show
 The Documentary of you
 Sky & weather
 Hands as thoughts

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Why Is This ‘Space’ So Important?

 If we want people to stop running from their

pain, let’s help them experience that there is
a ‘place inside’ where no matter how great
the pain is, it cannot harm them
 It is a place from which we can observe our
experience, without being caught up in it. In
this space, thoughts and feelings do not
control actions. This facilitates conscious
choice.
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Why Is This ‘Space’ So Important?

Once established, can utilize for rapid defusion

and acceptance:
“Let’s look at this thought from your observing
self.”
“Take a step back, and look at this feeling from
your observing self.”

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How To Introduce Self-as-context
Can bring it into any session – even the first,
even during informed consent.
There are two parts to your mind:
Thinking self versus Observing self
 Watching a sunset
 Playing tennis

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How To Introduce Self-as-context
More traditionally, made explicit after several
sessions on defusion/acceptance/ present
moment
‘So you’ve been doing all these mindfulness
exercises – noticing thoughts, noticing
feelings, noticing your breath etc. What is this
part of you that does all the noticing? We
don’t have a name for it in everyday
language. So how about we do an exercise
now, to learn more about this aspect of you?’

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The Documentary of You
 Metaphor: mind as documentary maker
 Now turn to your partner and for 1 minute tell
them about yourself…
 And notice what you don’t tell them!
 Now let’s watch the documentary.
 To begin with, close your eyes, and run that
self-description through your mind.

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Brief Observing Self Exercise 1
 Close your eyes. Notice: where are your
thoughts? Above you, behind you, in front of
you, to one side? Inside your head or body?
 Are they pictures, words or sounds? Moving or
still? What speed & what direction?
 There are your thoughts – and there ‘you’ are,
observing your thoughts.
 Your thoughts keep changing. The ‘you’ that
observes them does not change.
 This gets your mind whirring/ debating/
analyzing – so let’s do that again. Notice:
where are your thoughts? (Repeat as needs) 34
Brief Observing Self Exercise 2
 Notice how you’re sitting (5 secs)
 Notice what you can see (5 secs)
 Notice what you can smell and taste (5 secs)
 Notice what you can hear (5 secs)
 Notice what you’re thinking (5 secs)
 Notice what you’re feeling (5 secs)
 Notice what you’re doing (5 secs)
There’s a part of you in there notices everything
you see, hear, touch, taste, smell, think, feel,
or do … is it good, bad, or ‘just there’? 35
Brief Observing Self Exercise 3
 Notice how you’re sitting (5 secs) And as you
do, be aware that you’re noticing (10 secs)
 Notice what you can see … And as you do etc.
 Notice what your mind is saying .. And as etc.
 Notice what you can smell and taste ...And etc.
 Notice what you can hear …. And as etc.
 Notice what you’re thinking …. And as etc.
 Notice what you’re feeling …. And as etc.
 Notice what you’re doing …. And as etc.
 Notice what thoughts you’re having …And etc. 36
Not This, Not That Exercise
1. Observe X
2. There is X; there you are observing X
3. If you can observe X, you cannot be X
4. X continually changes; the ‘you’ that
observes X does not change
5. X = Breath/thoughts/body/feelings/roles
6. To emphasize the ‘continuous’ nature of you
can add in memories: The ‘you’ that
observes was there at the time.
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Who Are You?
Q: Who are you?
R: I am …
Q: Thank you. (pause). Who are you?
R: I am …

To finish off, R says: ‘I just am’

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Let Yourself Go
 Bring to mind an image and some words
that represent your:
 a) Professional self; b) Suffering self; c)
Strong self
 Observe this image and these words
 If you can observe this image and these
words, you cannot be this image and these
words
 Knowing this, let it go …for now
 When it comes back, hold it lightly
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