ACT Therapy for Anxiety: Why It’s More Effective and How It Works

People are finding ACT therapy for anxiety to be more effective than earlier generations of anxiety therapy because it addresses the core processes that maintain anxiety disorders, rather than just focusing on symptom reduction. Traditional therapies often aim to control or eliminate anxious thoughts and feelings, which can inadvertently reinforce a client’s struggle with anxiety. act therapy for anxiety, on the other hand, focuses on accepting these experiences and committing to valued actions, even in the presence of anxiety. This approach fosters psychological flexibility, allowing individuals to live fuller, more meaningful lives. An anxiety therapist will focus on improving psychological flexibility.

The Six Core Processes of ACT and Their Benefits

act therapy for anxiety utilises six core processes to help people overcome anxiety. These processes work together to increase psychological flexibility and promote valued living.

• Acceptance: This involves willingly embracing internal experiences, such as thoughts, feelings, and sensations, without attempting to avoid or control them. Acceptance helps individuals to stop struggling with their anxiety, allowing them to focus their energy on more meaningful pursuits. An anxiety therapist can guide a client to change their relationship with their anxiety.
• Cognitive Defusion: Defusion techniques help individuals to create distance between themselves and their thoughts, recognising that thoughts are simply words and not necessarily truths or commands. By defusing from their thoughts, people can reduce the impact of anxious thoughts and prevent them from dictating their behaviour.
• Contact with the Present Moment: This process involves cultivating awareness of the present moment, without judgment or evaluation. By focusing on the present, individuals can avoid getting caught up in worries about the future or regrets about the past, both of which can fuel anxiety. An anxiety therapist helps clients to be present in the moment.
• The Observing Self: This involves recognising that there is a transcendent sense of self that is separate from one’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This allows individuals to view their experiences from a broader perspective, reducing the tendency to identify with their anxiety.
• Values: This process involves clarifying what is truly important and meaningful to the individual. Values provide a compass for life, guiding actions and decisions even in the face of anxiety. An anxiety therapist will help you to discover what is important to you.
• Committed Action: This involves taking action that is consistent with one’s values, even when experiencing anxiety. By committing to valued actions, individuals can build a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, which can buffer against the negative impact of anxiety. An anxiety therapist will support you towards the actions you wish to take.

ACT and Modern Psycho-Sensory Therapies: Havening

Modern psycho-sensory therapies, such as Havening Techniques, can be a valuable adjunct to act therapy for anxiety. While act therapy for anxiety helps individuals to change their relationship with anxiety and commit to valued actions, Havening can help to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories and emotional distress that may be contributing to their anxiety. By depotentiating traumatically encoded experiences in the amygdala, Havening can reduce the power of past events to trigger anxiety in the present. This can make it easier for individuals to engage in the ACT processes of acceptance, defusion, and committed action.

Summary: act therapy for anxiety is more effective than earlier therapies because it focuses on psychological flexibility rather than symptom control. Its six core processes—acceptance, cognitive defusion, present moment awareness, the observing self, values, and committed action—empower individuals to live meaningful lives despite anxiety. Modern psycho-sensory therapies like Havening can complement act therapy for anxiety by reducing the emotional impact of traumatic memories.