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PSYC2200
Lab3– ACT
“Thesinglemostremarkablefactabout
thehumanexistenceishowharditisfor
humanstobehappy”
StephenHayes(CreatorofACT)
ACTRecap
Toacceptwhatisoutofyourpersonalcontrol,
whilecommittingtodowhateverisinyour
personalcontroltoimproveyourqualityoflife.
Aim:
Helppeoplecreatearichandmeaningfullife,
whileeffectivelyhandlingthepainandstress
thatlifeinevitablybrings.
Not symptomreduction(thiscanhappen,but
itisaby‐product)
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Controlistheproblem,notthesolution
Emotionalcontrolstrategiesareseenasa
majorcauseofproblems
E.g.,pushingnegativethoughtsaway,working
hardtoreplacewithpositivethoughts,
unhelpingcopingmechanisms
Turningoffthestruggleswitch
ON – struggleagainstphysical/emotionalpain.
Secondaryissues(e.g.,drinkingalcoholtoavoid
feelingsofsocialanxiety).Dirtydiscomfort
OFF – feelingsareunpleasant,butdon’tneedto
stopuslivingavaluedlife
Commonemotionalcontrolstrategies
FLIGHTSTRATEGIES FIGHTSTRATEGIES
Hiding/Escaping
Distracting
Zoningout/Numbing
Suppressing
Arguing/Debating
Takingcharge
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Core
Processes
Principle1‐ Defusion
Relatingtoyourthoughtsina
newwaysotheyhaveless
impactandinfluenceonyou
Takeawaysomeoftheirpower
Loseabilitytofrighten,disturb,
ordistress
Importantly,lessinfluence
overyourbehaviour
NegativeThought
Awkwardmemory
e.g.,“I’msuchanidiot”
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Principle2‐ Acceptance
Makingroomforunpleasant
feelings,sensations,andurges
instead oftryingtosuppress
themorpushthemaway
Stopthembotheringyouas
much
Makethemmoveonsooner
Principle3‐ Contactwiththepresentmoment
Livinginthepresent
Focusingonandengagingfully
inwhateveryouaredoing
Notdwellingonthepast,or
worryingaboutthefuture
Deeplyconnected
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LargeGroupActivity2:Mindfulness
Principle4– Selfascontext
Ifyouareyourthoughts,thenhow
canyouobserveyourthoughts
Thinkingself
Observing self– aspectofuswhich
isexperientiallydistinctfrom
whatevereventisbeingobserved.
Powerfulaspectofhuman
consciousness
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LargeGroupActivity:Observingself
Bringtomindan
uncomfortableandrecurring
negativeself‐judgement
(Nothingtoopainful/distressing)
“Iam……”
Rephraseto:
“I’mhavingthe
thoughtthatIam
……”
Principle5‐ Values
Clarifyingandconnectingwithyour
valuesisanessentialstepformaking
lifemeaningful
Whatismostimportanttoyou
Whatsortofpersonyouwanttobe
Whatissignificant,meaningfultoyou
Whatyouwanttostandfor
Valuesprovidedirectionforlife
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Activity
Principle6– CommittedAction
Arichandmeaningfullifeiscreated
throughtakingeffective action
Effectiveactionis:
Valued– guidedbyyourvalues
Committed– somethingyoustick
withdespitesetbacks
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Settinggoals