What is ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy)?
Short answer
ACT, short for acceptance and commitment therapy, is an approach built on two movements: accepting difficult inner experiences instead of fighting them, and acting in committed ways towards what the person considers important in life.
The core idea
It shifts the question: instead of "how do I get rid of this thought?", ACT tends to work on "what do I do with my life while it exists?".
Values are central — not as abstract ideals but as practical direction for concrete choices. Mindfulness exercises appear frequently.
Relationship to CBT
ACT is considered part of the contextual behavioural therapies, close to the CBT tradition. Many professionals move between the two.
Frequently asked questions
- Does acceptance mean resignation?
- No. In ACT, accepting means no longer spending energy fighting what you cannot control — precisely so you can spend it on what you can, which is your own actions.
- Does ACT use meditation?
- It tends to use mindfulness exercises, related to meditation practices but applied with a clinical aim and agreed case by case.