Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The following text is taken from the back cover of a very popular ACT self help book:
Stop Overthinking & Start Living
Get ready to take a different perspective on your problems and your life - and the way you live it. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a new, scientifically based psychotherapy that takes a fresh look at why we suffer and even what it means to be mentally healthy. What if pain were a normal, unavoidable part of the human condition, but avoiding or trying to control your painful experience were the cause of suffering and long term problems that can devastate your quality of life? The ACT process hinges on this distinction between pain and suffering. As you work through this book, you'll learn to let go of your struggle against pain, assess your values, and then commit to acting in ways that further those values.
ACT is not about fighting your pain, it's about developing a willingness to embrace every experience life has to offer. Its not about resisting your emotions; its about feeling them completely and yet not turning your choices over to them. ACT offers you a path out of suffering by helping you choose to live your life based on what matters to you most. If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, or problem anger, this book can help - clinical trials suggest that ACT is very effective for a whole range of psychological problems. But this is more than a self-help book for a specific complaint - it is a revolutionary approach to living a richer and more rewarding life.
Learn why the very nature of human
language can cause suffering
Escape the trap of avoidance
Foster willingness to accept painful
experience
Practice Mindfulness skills to achieve
presence in the moment
Discover the things you really value most
Commit to living a vital, meaningful life
You can purchase this book through Amazon by clicking here
Among people who habitually pull out thier own hair, experiential avoidance predicts more frequent and intense urges to pull, less ability to control urges, and more hair pulling-related distress than among people who are not experientially avoidant (Begotka, Woods and Wetterneck 2004)
Experiential avoidance is the process of trying to avoid your own experiences (thoughts, feelings, memories, bodily sensations, behavioural predispositions) even when doing so causes long-term behavioural difficulties.
You may find it useful to take a look at a website called Contextual Psychology.org , an online learning and research community. It has a section on ACT and there is a discussion forum open to the general public which can be very interesting to read and helpful if you have any questions you want to ask.