Educational reference
Treatment overview
Acceptance and commitment therapy takes a different approach from therapies that aim to change the content of difficult thoughts. It works on a person's relationship to them.
The premise is that struggling against unwanted thoughts, feelings and sensations often costs more than the experiences themselves, and narrows life in the process. Rather than disputing a worry or trying to eliminate anxiety, the work involves noticing such experiences, allowing them to be present, and acting on what matters regardless.
In practice it combines mindfulness-style attention training with clarifying personal values and committing to specific actions consistent with them.
It is used across anxiety conditions, depression, chronic pain and long-term physical illness. Evidence supports it, though for some conditions it is less extensively studied than cognitive behavioural therapy. It suits some people considerably better than approaches based on challenging thoughts. Suitability is decided with a qualified professional.