What is acceptance and commitment therapy - act?

ACT is the abbreviation for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - it reads like the English word "act".

This is one of the approaches called third-generation behavioral and cognitive therapies, and uses elements of contextualism as its main basis. In this sense, the patient's life context is one of the most relevant aspects.

In ACT, we understand that the origin of psychological suffering is the lack of psychological flexibility, which involves the excessive search for control, the lack of contact with the present moment and, mainly, the exacerbated search for positive sensations, in order to completely avoid negative experiences.

The big difference between ACT and other approaches, such as classic Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, is that here the search is for acceptance and resilience as a fundamental aspect for the development of psychological flexibility. This approach is one of the most researched currently and presents scientific evidence, being indicated for the treatment of various conditions such as anxiety, depression, panic, among others.