This document provides an overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It begins by outlining some common misconceptions people have about happiness. It then explains that ACT focuses on psychological flexibility rather than trying to control thoughts and feelings. The core principles of ACT - diffusion, expansion, connection, the observing self, values, and committed action - are meant to increase mindfulness and values-guided action. Techniques like diffusion, expansion, and urge surfing are presented to help cope with difficult thoughts, emotions, and urges in a way that moves one's life in a meaningful direction.

1. Intro to ACT

2. DISCLAIMER
By the end of this talk, we will have a clearer
understanding of the underlying principles and beliefs
behind ACT, and an actionable toolkit to better cope with
our thoughts and emotions
What this talk is about?

3. DISCLAIMER
ACT is not an “all-or-nothing”/”take it or leave it” doctrine.
Only use that parts of this workshop that make sense to you,
and will help you be the person you want to be
What this talk is NOT?

4. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
ACT BASICS
Agenda
EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
PRESENCE
VALUES
ACTION
PART I
(TODAY)
PART II
(TBD)

5. ACT BASICS
The “Happiness Trap”
Common misconceptions:
1.Happiness is the natural state of all human beings
2.If you’re not happy, you’re defective
3.To create a better life we must get rid of negative feelings
4.You should be able to control what you think and feel

6. ACT BASICS
We are hardwired for survival
● Avoid and anticipate danger
● Motivate belonging to a group
● More = better
⇒We are also hardwired for psychological suffering

7. ACT BASICS
The cost of control
1.Take a lot of time and energy and is usually ineffective in the
long run
2.We feel silly, defective or weak-minded if the thoughts/feelings
we’re trying to get rid of keep coming back
3.Many strategies that decrease unpleasant feelings in the short
term, actually lower our quality of life over the long term

8. ACT BASICS
The two “selves”
● The thinking self - thinks, plans, judges,
compares, creates, imagines, visualizes,
analyzes, remembers, daydreams, and
fantasizes
● The observing self - aware but does not
think - responsible for focus, awareness, and
attention
⇐ focus of most
psychological
approaches.
⇐ focus of ACT

9. ACT BASICS
What is ACT?
ACT = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
“an empirically-based psychological approach that
uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies mixed
in different ways with commitment and behavior-
change strategies, to increase psychological
flexibility.”

10. ACT BASICS
The “Happiness Trap”
Common misconceptions:
1.Happiness is the natural state of all human beings
2.If you’re not happy, you’re defective
3.To create a better life we must get rid of negative feelings
4.You should be able to control what you think and feel

11. ACT BASICS
6 basic principles of ACT
1.Diffusion
2.Expansion
3.Connection
4.The observing self
5.Values
6.Committed action
Psychological Flexibility =
Mindfulness (1-4)
+ Values (5)
+ Action (6)

12. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
ACT BASICS
Agenda
EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
PRESENCE
VALUES
ACTION
PART I
(TODAY)
PART II
(TBD)

13. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Fusion
Fusion = a thought and the thing it refers to becomes stuck
together as one.
In fusion, thoughts become: reality, the truth, orders, wise, threats
Rather than try to control/avoid thoughts, we try to diffuse them -
realize that they are JUST thoughts

14. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
To diffuse, or not to diffuse?
There are helpful thoughts; not all thoughts must be defused
● Does it help me be the person I want to be ?
● Does it help me build the sort of relationships I’d like?
● Does it help me connect with what I truly value?
● Does it help me in the long term create a rich, full and
meaningful life?

15. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Diffusion techniques: thoughts
● “I’m having a thought that…”
● Musical thoughts
● Thanking your mind
● Silly voices

16. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Diffusion techniques: images

17. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Television Screen

18. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Diffusion techniques: images
“D’oh, done it again....”

19. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Musical Soundtrack

20. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Shifting Locations

21. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Shifting Locations

22. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
Shifting Locations

23. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
ACT BASICS
Agenda
EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
PRESENCE
VALUES
ACTION
PART I
(TODAY)
PART II
(TBD)

24. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
What are emotions?
● Emotions generate in the midbrain.
● They manifest alongside physical changes throughout the
body
● These physical changes prepare us to take action

25. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
How are emotions created?
1.A significant event
2.Getting ready for action
3.The mind gets involved
Our fight-or-flight trigger is overly sensitive

26. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
The Struggle Switch
● Clean discomfort - Negative emotions generate a
natural level of physical and emotional discomfort,
depending on who we are the situation we’re in.
● Dirty discomfort - Struggling with these emotions,
trying to change them or make them go away
amplifies the discomfort

27. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
We’re programmed from childhood to keep the
switch ON
“Anger, guilt, shame,
anxiety, etc. are
“negative” emotions”
“Negative emotions are bad,
dangerous, irrational and a sign
of weakness”
“Negative emotions damage our health”
“People should hide their
feelings, expressing
emotions is a sign of
weakness”
“Strong emotions
mean you’re out of
control”
“Women shouldn’t feel angry, men shouldn’t feel afraid”
“Negative emotions mean that there’s
something wrong with your life”

28. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
No judging
We tend to judge some emotions as “bad” or “negative” and
some emotions as “good” or “positive”
ACT encourages us to let go of judging our feeling altogether
and see them for what they are: a stream of constantly
changing sensations and urges, continuously passing through
our bodies

29. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
Willing != wanting
Wanting something means you actually like it.
Willingness simply means that you’re allowing it.
Accepting discomfort has only one purpose: to help you take
your life forward in a meaningful direction.

30. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
Why “expansion”?
“Tension”, “stress”, “strain” are commonly used to describe
feeling bad. They imply that our feelings are too big - they are
pulling us apart and stretching out beyond our limits.
Expansion means making room for our feelings. If we give
negative feelings enough space, they no longer stretch or
strain us.

31. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
4 steps of expansion
1.Observe
2.Breathe
3.Create space
4.Allow

32. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
Urges
Urge = impulse to take action
We don’t want to struggle with the urge b/c then it’s hard to
focus on effective action. So rather than try to resist, control
or suppress it, we aim to make room for it.

33. EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
Urge surfing
1.Observe it
2.Acknowledge
3.Breath into it and make room for it
4.Watch the urge as it rises, crests and falls again
5.Check in with your values

34. DISCLAIMER
ACT is not an “all-or-nothing”/”take it or leave it” doctrine.
Only use that parts of this workshop that make sense to you,
and will help you be the person you want to be
What this talk is NOT?

35. THOUGHTS (AND IMAGES)
ACT BASICS
Agenda
EMOTIONS (AND URGES)
PRESENCE
VALUES
ACTION
PART I
(TODAY)
PART II
(TBD)

36. Thank you!