Psychological flexibility: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

[Former-Member]

I'm currently doing some research into neuroplasticity and the brain changes related to mindfulness.  In layman's terms I guess it is a technical way of saying how we can actually rewrite our brain patterns, even as adults, to change emotional responses and behaviour.

This report gives a good grounding to springboard to further investigation. It relates to ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) and how it fits in with a process of change to pyschopathology, through cognitive practices.

The report is entitled:  Psychological flexibility as a mechanism of change in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy .

It is published by:
Joseph Ciarrochi, Linda Bilich, & Clair Godsell
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong
Ciarrochi, J. Bilich, L., & Godsel, C. (2010).

Here is an excerpt to give an idea of what the process is about.  This is from page 6:

The Hexaflex:

Figure 1:

The six core processes targeted by ACT are expected to build psychological flexibility

The hexaflex illustrates that these processes are all connected and support each other.

There is no correct order for focusing on the processes and not all individuals need to concentrate extensively on each of the processes (Hayes et al., 2005; Strosahl, Hayes, Wilson, & Gifford, 2004).

The ultimate goal is to help people to persist in or change their behaviour, depending on what the situation affords, in order to move towards what they value.

From the Conclusion:

There is perhaps no form of psychotherapy that has as inspired as much mediational research as ACT. We identified over 50 studies, many of which have been completed in the last 5 years.  The evidence suggests that ACT improves three markers of psychological flexibility: it reduces believability of dysfunctional thoughts, increases acceptance of private experience, and reduces believability that private experience acts as a barrier to action. More research needs to be done to evaluate the other components of the hexaflex.

Full pdf link to downloadable report:

http://thehappinesstrap.com/upimages/Ciarrocchi_Bilich_Godsel_Psychological_Flexibility.pdf

( @Appleblossom )

[Appleblossom]

@PeppiPatty  likes Russ Harris too ... 

Things I like about this approach

1. Do valued activities 

2. Defuse power of language and prevent cognitive fusion .. I am not my thoughts etc 

3. Self as context .. is similar to performance practise ideas .. of S1 aware of S2

4. Accept internal experience .. let it come and go .. control or avoidance futile .. and possibly counterproductive as may intensify discomfort

5. Values and committed action

Anyone else???

Thanks @Former-Member

Before doing my own reading I had been told ACT was just about acceptng life and being able to commit ... with the assumption that the disasters in my life were due to my lack of commitment ... NOT HELPFUL... not true .. and not even what the therapy is about.

[Former-Member]

@Appleblossomok well wow.  Really.  That is not even close to how I understood it reading that report. So whoever conveyed it to you sees it so very differently to me.  I see in one of your other posts you refer to confirmation bias, perhaps I have a bit of that reading this and it has skewed my interpretation.

So indulge me, if you will, while I convey my understanding of it.

First off I think it is important to define Acceptance.  Because it can come in different nuance and perspective. Coincidentally or synchronistically, I posted my understanding of acceptance, on the mind quote thread a couple days ago.  To me acceptance in this process is not a passive.  It is quite the opposite.  It is pro-active undertanding. 

The Michael J Fox quote I used to illustrate this was:

Acceptance doesn't mean resignation, it means understanding that something is what it is, and that there's got to be a way through it.

Understanding that something is what it is, meaning pro-actively understanding what the "something' is. 

Once understanding of "it" is gained, that is to say the nature of  "it," then we figure out a way through it. Ergo we commit to deal with it consciously.

Perhaps I am interpreting the report the way I want to, but that is what it seems to be saying to me.  That is why I chose the graphical "explanation" of the process. Because that in a nutshell is what I felt the crux of the idea was.

Would love your thoughts if you wouldn't mind.

[Appleblossom]

I go along with your summation @Former-Member

I think it was the problem when people try and oversimplify things reduce it to the 2 main words .. Acceptance & Commitment, but then put a different spin on them.

They were not therapists, but informal chats with women in the community, who I thought were intelligent and perceptive, but this experience has reinforced me not to believe everything I hear ... check it out for myself.

[Former-Member]

@AppleblossomPerhaps that distinguishes between two quotes attributed to Einstein:

   -   “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”

   -   "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

[Appleblossom]

lol .. something like that. @Former-Member

it also may have something to do with my ability to process or engage with spoken word and listening

in comparison .. to written word.

or why we, as a species have taken to the written word ... cos things get complicated ??? Dunno

[Former-Member]

@Appleblossom  Both can be limiting in some ways I guess, especially with abstract subjects.   The key is to try to look at the baseline and work up from there. But that can be such a challenge, to see through what is and isn't relevant for clarity.

At least though, with the written word all the information is presented to process, whereas verbal exchanges it's probably more important to ask the right question for that clarity.  Especially these days with google, any questions that arise from the written word can be searched for and answered, which alleviates questionable bias or assumption from the original information provider.

If you get what I mean 😛

[Appleblossom]

Yes @Former-Member

It is amazing how the access to information has changed the world.  So often in the past we had to soldier on without knowing the answer to so many questions ...

I have come late the party with getting a laptop .. for my personal use .. as apart from family, eductaion and still reluctant to jump to mindless daily use of a phone.

My approach was to limit incoming stimuli .. to help clarity as I sifted through things .. but it is still a bit slo-mo ...

Love your posts ... 

[Former-Member]

@Appleblossom  Thank you.  I know I think more deeply than most.  I always relied on my mind, during my PTSD I couldn't get it back.  The fact that I can now is so "clearing" you have no idea!  For the longest time I hated my mind, I felt it had betrayed me, or I had betrayed it and it sprung a spring.  But in the last weeks it's just wow.. I'm really back.

I think when we are in that clouded part, we have to do slow mo.  Well I know I did, I didn't even reach slow mo.  I just lost time, I mean really lost time.  It's like I am where I was before it started..    do you have any idea what it is like to me 14 years older than you feel like you are, simply because you have no real memory of those 14 years, it's just one blurr that feels more like it was yesterday. 

What has got me out is learning, learning and understanding what the heck happened. 

I don't know your story.  You probably shared it before I got here.  Do you have a thread or anything I could learn something about you?  If you don't mind..   of course if you haven't that's absolutely no problem either.

[Appleblossom]

I am glad you are getting back your old functioning self again.@Tooky .. sorry my tagging isnt working atm 

If you click on a persons profile you can see their history and old posts.  

Briefly I had early childhood separation from family and early contact with psych hospitals cos of parents and siblings. Left home 16, but got to uni 23 and studied Psychoanalysis and Social Theory, Earth Science, Music etc..

Mental Illness and Health have been passions of mine now as long as I can remember.  Dont have solid diagnoses, but am an Disability, so I did tick enough of their boxes.  

Also ex public servant 3 departments .. Social Security, Tax Arbitration Commission.

Long term therapy but very frugal so spread out .. a few sessions per year .. Would not have survived without it. Brother and sister didnt make it.  She died at 21, he died at 33, and another brother is dying at the moment of colorectal cancer.

I am friends with my mind and have relied on it a lot.  It also went AWOL for a few years .. so I can relate to missing out on many years, but somehow if I am careful I can have some reasonable quality of life atm.

I will be 57 in a few weeks. Yes @Shaz51 I am a March Bub and an Aries on Pisces cusp