Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner's Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Values-Based Behavior Change Strategies

Abstract

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is described by Eifert and Forsyth as a third-wave behavior therapy. Rather than focusing on symptom reduction, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy’s main goals are to help clients accept their thoughts and feelings and to live in ways which are consistent with their values. Anxiety symptoms are not viewed as problematic; instead, the struggle to control and master symptoms is seen to be the main source of suffering. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been researched and used to treat a wide-range of disorders. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders, the focus is on the treatment of anxiety disorders specifically. Within this approach, anxiety is not viewed as something which is negative, nor as something which must be reduced or eliminated. Alternatively, anxiety is viewed as a part of the full range of human experience. In order to lead more satisfying lives, people who experience anxiety should not attempt to rid themselves of anxiety. Instead they must make the choice to act in ways that are consistent with their values, rather than using anxiety as an excuse for not participating fully in life. In addition to an abbreviation for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT is an acronym for the three primary steps within the therapy: Accept Thoughts and Feelings, Choose Directions, and Take Action. The book is titled a “treatment guide” and it is, in part, a manual for conducting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders. The book is much more comprehensive than merely a how-to guide for therapy, however. It is divided into three main sections.

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