Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT is a way of working with the mind that helps you carry difficult experiences differently and live more fully.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is about learning a new way to relate to difficult thoughts and feelings. Instead of struggling to get rid of them, ACT teaches skills that help you carry them differently—so they don’t take over. It’s not about forcing positivity or ignoring pain, but about building psychological flexibility: noticing what’s happening inside, making room for it, and still moving toward what matters.

birds eye view photography of cloudy sky_edited.jpg

Six Core Skills

Defusion – Noticing thoughts as thoughts, rather than facts. You might say, “I’m noticing the thought that…” or picture the thought floating by on a leaf. This space helps you choose your next step instead of the thought choosing it for you.
Expansion – Allowing feelings to be present rather than fighting them. Feelings are waves—rising and falling. By softening and breathing into them, they often pass more freely.
Connection – Returning to the present moment through the senses, breath, or attention. This helps you respond to life as it is, rather than being lost in past or future.
Observing Self – The steady part of you that notices thoughts and feelings without being defined by them. Stepping back gives perspective and flexibility.
Values – Clarifying what matters most. Values are not goals, but qualities that guide how you want to live. Exploring them can bring direction when life feels messy.
Committed Action – Turning values into small, meaningful steps. Even the tiniest action—sending a kind message, taking a short walk—can build momentum.

ACT Metaphors – Stories That Stay With Us

Metaphors are a big part of ACT. They turn abstract ideas into something we can picture and carry with us:

Leaves on a Stream – Imagine your thoughts floating down a river, like leaves carried by water. You don’t need to stop them, just notice them drift by.

Tug of War with a Monster – Picture pulling on a rope against a huge monster. The harder you pull, the harder it pulls back. Dropping the rope doesn’t defeat the monster—it frees your energy for living.

Quicksand – Struggling to get out makes you sink deeper. The way forward is counterintuitive: spreading out and making space.

Passengers on the Bus – Imagine you’re the driver of a bus, and your thoughts and feelings are noisy passengers. You can let them shout, but you still get to steer.

Sky and Weather – Thoughts and feelings are like passing weather—sometimes stormy, sometimes calm. You are the sky: steady, spacious, always present.