Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
in Portland, OR
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a well researched therapy approach that helps people build a more flexible life by learning to accept what’s outside of their control while committing to action that aligns with their values. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult thoughts or emotions, ACT helps you relate to them differently- creating space for growth, resilience, and genuine change. It’s a process of developing mindfulness, self compassion, and clarity about what truly matters so you can live more fully and authentically.
What I love most about ACT is it seems to fit with the intuitive feeling of “I can’t get rid of this thought or that feeling”. And that is exactly the point! ACT embraces all of the facts about human experience, that it involves both ups and downs and everything in between. The true “suffering” comes from the constant need to try and control the feelings or thoughts, which ultimately takes away from what the real focus in life should be, living meaningfully and purposefully in whatever way we want, regardless of what a portion of our mind tells us.
The beach ball metaphor. This metaphor highlights what ACT is all about. Ok so imagine you are in your favorite body of water (pool, lake ocean). Imagine you are enjoying yourself until all of a sudden a beach ball which represents your fear, insecurity, guilt, shame or any other emotional experience you dislike shows up. Now we feel uncomfortable due to the existence of the beach ball (remember this is your uncomfortable emotion). So what do we do? Often times our immediate reaction is to do some form of avoidance or control of the beach ball. Picture this as taking the beach ball and shoving it under the surface of the water. How hard is it to keep a beach ball submerged under water for any significant amount of time? This is akin to burying your emotions, we can do it for the short term but it is exhausting! Now, what happens when you let go of the beach ball? It pops back up and sometimes very high! This is like those moments of emotional overwhelm that seemingly come out of nowhere. What if you had the skill set to instead of getting caught up in needing to control the beach ball, instead allowed the beach ball to exist. What would happen to it? My intuition says it may float around me but eventually it will pass. By allowing space for the beach ball to exist, I now have opened up my ability to tolerate the beach balls presence while turning my attention towards what really matters (enjoying the water).
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Take the first step toward greater clarity, resilience, and meaningful change. Learn to accept what’s outside your control and focus on what truly matters.