What is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
Understanding ACT
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, commonly pronounced as “ACT,” is a well-researched and empirically supported treatment for various psychological issues. These include anxiety disorders, depression, OCD-related disorders, trauma disorders, and numerous other conditions such as stress, smoking cessation, insomnia, addiction, chronic pain, borderline personality disorder, weight loss, eating disorders, and even personal growth and performance enhancement.
Our Approach with ACT
At Denver Emotional Health, we utilize ACT as a key component within the broader framework of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Combining the behavioral approach of ACT with the integrative nature of IFS allows us to address a wide range of psychological issues effectively. This combination enables us to remain flexible and harness the strengths of both approaches for supportive therapy and beyond.
ACT as a Process-Based Therapy
ACT is applied as an integrative, process-based therapy, often in conjunction with IFS and Exposure Therapy. ACT posits that many psychological problems stem from a lack of behavioral flexibility, leading to ineffective actions towards achieving personal goals. Individuals often become entangled with their thoughts, feelings, and interpretations, resulting in rigidity and avoidance of both internal and external experiences. This pattern perpetuates and exacerbates the very issues the person seeks to resolve.
In ACT, similar to IFS, we do not pathologize clients for having unusual or distressing thoughts, fears, or beliefs. Instead, we teach skills to respond calmly and compassionately to these parts of themselves, promoting healing and reducing persistent problems over time. Our approach is particularly beneficial for those with treatment-resistant disorders who have not found relief through traditional methods like CBT or talk therapy.
Neuroscience-Informed and Mindfulness-Based
Traditional talk therapy primarily engages exteroceptive awareness, focusing attention externally and engaging the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In contrast, our use of ACT and IFS encourages clients to “go inside,” shifting attention internally to engage interoceptive awareness. This process relies on brain regions such as the insula and posterior cingulate gyrus, which integrate body awareness, emotion, memory, and the default mode network. These regions are connected to the limbic system and brainstem, crucial for addressing trauma and other psychological issues.
At Denver Emotional Health, we focus on the neural networks affected by your symptoms. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the PFC, our mindfulness practices impact brain regions directly affected by anxiety or trauma. This integration of mindfulness with IFS leads to corrective experiences that can reverse the impacts of trauma, depression, anxiety, or OCD-related disorders. By focusing mental energy internally, clients are more likely to connect with the brain structures involved, facilitating more effective healing.
Contact Us
At Denver Emotional Health, our goal is not for clients to become experts in the neuroscience behind their treatment but to feel confident in our expertise. We are knowledgeable professionals equipped to treat a variety of complex issues, tailored to the unique needs and history of each person. If you or a loved one could benefit from reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, OCD, or trauma, contact us for a free phone consultation to determine if we are the right fit for your therapy needs.