Acceptance-Based Therapy for Anxiety Relief

Acceptance-based therapy centres on the idea that instead of trying to control or reduce anxiety, clients can learn to accept unwanted thoughts and feelings and still move their lives in valued directions. This approach encourages individuals to accept themselves and others with compassion, choose valued directions for their lives and commit to actions that lead them in those directions.

Why Acceptance-Based Therapy is Effective:

• Addresses experiential avoidance: Acceptance-based therapies target experiential and emotional avoidance, which often keeps people stuck and suffering.
• Focuses on vitality: By increasing people’s vitality and ability to do what they want with their lives, acceptance-based therapy reduces suffering.
• Encourages psychological flexibility: Acceptance can break apart the struggle and control agenda that many anxious clients are consumed with, creating the psychological flexibility to make meaningful life changes.

How an Anxiety Therapist Would Use Acceptance-Based Therapy:

1. Creating an Acceptance Context: An anxiety therapist using acceptance-based therapy will try to create a context of acceptance for treatment.
2. Values Clarification: The therapist will encourage clients to identify their values and commit to actions aligned with those values.
3. Undermining Control Strategies: The therapist will work to undermine the client’s anxiety control agenda.
4. Mindfulness Techniques: Mindfulness exercises will be used to encourage present-centredness and non-evaluative experiential knowing of reality to facilitate active acceptance.
5. Experiential Exercises: Exposure exercises are reframed to focus on feeling better, i.e., becoming better at feeling a full range of private experiences, and to foster greater psychological flexibility, experiential willingness, and openness.
6. Promote Willingness: A therapist can support the development of greater acceptance and willingness by not arguing, persuading, or convincing the client of anything.
7. Address client concerns. The therapist should frame therapy as an opportunity for clients to learn new ways of moving with anxiety on their way to doing what matters to them.

Acceptance-based therapy provides an alternative method for treating anxiety. Instead of trying to control or eliminate anxiety, the focus shifts to accepting unwanted thoughts and feelings, clarifying values, and committing to actions aligned with those values. By fostering acceptance, mindfulness, and value-guided action, acceptance-based therapy helps clients live richer and more meaningful lives, even in the presence of anxiety.

Tags: Acceptance-Based Therapy, Anxiety Relief, Psychological Flexibility, Values Clarification, Mindfulness, Experiential Acceptance.