Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you respond more flexibly to difficult thoughts and feelings while taking steps toward what matters to you. Rather than waiting for anxiety to disappear, ACT focuses on how you respond to it. Below are the main skills, an everyday example, and how ACT may fit into treatment for anxiety and OCD.
Core Components of ACT
Cognitive Defusion: Noticing thoughts as mental events, rather than automatically treating them as facts or instructions.
Acceptance: Allowing thoughts to come and go without struggling with them.
Mindfulness: Being aware of the present moment with openness, interest, and receptiveness.
Observing the Self: Accessing a sense of continuity and perspective beyond any transient thought or feeling.
Values Clarification: Discovering what is most meaningful and important in life.
Committed Action: Setting goals according to values and carrying them out responsibly.
How ACT Helps with Anxiety, Depression, and OCD
For Anxiety: ACT teaches the acceptance of unwanted thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that align with personal values, thereby reducing the impact and influence of anxiety on life.
For Depression: ACT helps by promoting engagement in activities that provide a sense of purpose and value, while also teaching skills to handle negative thoughts and feelings effectively.
For OCD: ACT can help you make room for unwanted thoughts and uncertainty while reducing compulsive responses. It is often used alongside Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Your therapist can discuss how these approaches fit your symptoms and treatment goals.
An Everyday Example
Imagine wanting to reconnect with a friend but getting stuck on the thought, “I’ll say something awkward.” An ACT approach might involve noticing that thought, allowing some discomfort, and sending a brief message because connection matters to you. The useful question is whether your next step serves your values, rather than whether the worry has disappeared.
For short practices you can explore, see Four ACT-Based Practices for Mindfulness.
Dr. Brandon Mason works with adults through online therapy in California. Learn more about OCD and anxiety treatment, including how ACT may complement his work with other approaches.
Learn more about Dr. Brandon Mason’s approach to online therapy.
