What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and How Can It Help You?

Chances are, you’ve heard at some point about the importance of accepting suffering as a natural part of life and learning to live with difficult emotions. While this idea may seem obvious, it contrasts with a widespread tendency —even reinforced by some therapeutic approaches— to try to eliminate or suppress all forms of discomfort in the pursuit of feeling good all the time.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) starts precisely from this premise and offers a different perspective from many other psychological approaches: instead of trying to eliminate unpleasant thoughts or emotions, it invites us to make room for them, acknowledge them, and, at the same time, reconnect with what truly gives meaning to our life.

In this article, we’ll explain what ACT is, who it can help, and what its main processes are, using examples that may help you recognize whether this approach could be useful for you.

Although considered a modern therapeutic model, ACT began to take shape in the 1970s, rooted in research on behavior, cognition, and the language we use to explain and make sense of our inner experience.

Its theoretical foundation is known as functional contextualism. Though it may sound technical, it’s based on a simple idea: what matters is not just what we think or feel, but how that thought or emotion functions in a given context.

In other words, ACT doesn’t focus only on the content of our inner experience, but on what role it plays in our life — considering what matters to us, what we want to achieve in the short or long term, or what we might be trying to avoid or protect ourselves from.

Some of ACT’s original authors even describe it as a philosophy of life, as it promotes an attitude of openness and commitment toward one’s personal development and life journey.

ACT invites us to fully connect with our internal experience —without running from discomfort, fear, or pain. Through this process, we explore our habitual behavior patterns and ask ourselves: Are they really helping us build a meaningful life that aligns with our values and vision of the world? If the answer is no, the goal becomes finding new ways of relating to those patterns, even if that means confronting our discomfort with courage and clarity.

For example: A person may feel anxious in social situations and has learned to avoid them —canceling plans or staying in the background. While that may bring short-term relief, over time it distances them from what they truly value: building meaningful relationships and feeling connected. In ACT, therapy wouldn’t focus on eliminating anxiety, but on learning to relate to it differently —so they can take steps toward the life they want, even with anxiety still present.

ACT aims to help us respond more flexibly to our thoughts and emotions, rather than reacting automatically. Psychological flexibility means being able to act in line with what we value, even if that means facing discomfort —instead of avoiding it at all costs.

Although the process isn’t strictly linear, ACT is often described through six key components:

ACT doesn’t try to eliminate negative thoughts, but to help us avoid getting stuck in them. Our mind constantly generates thoughts, but not all of them deserve our attention —or help us move toward our goals.

Example: If I keep thinking “I’m a mess,” I can learn to notice that thought as just that —a thought— instead of taking it as a fact. I can step back and ask: Is holding onto this thought helping me right now?

Rather than avoiding or fighting against unpleasant emotions, ACT encourages us to open up to them —as a way of understanding ourselves and facing situations that, although painful, are essential for our growth.

Example: Speaking in a group might make me uncomfortable, but if I value authentic communication, facing that discomfort could lead to something more fulfilling over time.

ACT encourages us to be present —to bring our attention to the here and now— so we can take responsibility for how we want to respond.

Example: If I’m having a conversation but my mind is stuck on what I did wrong earlier at work, I can recognize that and gently bring my attention back to this moment and the person I’m with.

Our identity is not defined by what we think or feel —these experiences shift constantly. ACT proposes that the “self” is the place from which all those thoughts and emotions arise, without being limited by them.

Example: Sometimes I think “I’m weak.” But that’s just a thought —it doesn’t mean it’s true, nor does it define who I am as a person.

ACT helps us identify what’s meaningful to us —the kind of person we want to be, the relationships we want to nurture, and the direction we want our life to take.

Example: If I feel lost, reflecting on what I truly care about can guide my next steps.

ACT encourages us to act —not just when we feel “ready” or comfortable— but in ways that are aligned with our values, even if we feel fear or doubt.

Example: If I feel insecure but value professional growth, I might send that résumé or enroll in that course anyway —even with uncertainty still present.

ACT is considered a transdiagnostic approach, meaning it’s useful not only for treating clinical issues like anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, or chronic pain —but also in subclinical situations, where there may be no formal diagnosis, yet a person feels emotionally distressed, unmotivated, or disconnected from a sense of purpose.

In general, this therapeutic approach can be valuable for anyone who wants to look inward without judgment and engage more actively in building a life that reflects their values and aspirations.

To sum up, I would like to emphasize that although “acceptance” is part of its name, ACT is not about resignation or passively “putting up with whatever happens”. It’s about honestly examining our patterns, how they affect us, and how we might begin to respond differently —with self-awareness, responsibility, and intention.

Emma is a health psychologist at Sinews. She treats adults and adolescents who come for consultation for problems such as anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, emotional self-esteem, emotional dependency… In addition, she is a specialist in the treatment of trauma. She performs her interventions from an integrative approach, which includes an exploration of primary bonding relationships from the perspective of the attachment theory, as well as an approach to the problem from a cognitive-behavioral approach to the problem from a cognitive-behavioral perspective, using effective techniques according to each patient’s needs.

References:

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., Y Wilson, K. G. (2012). Terapia de aceptación y compromiso: Un tratamiento conductual orientado a los valores (2.ª ed.). Editorial Paidós.

Luciano, C., Y Wilson, K. G. (Eds.). (2008). Terapia de aceptación y compromiso: Un tratamiento conductual centrado en los valores. Editorial Pirámide.

Photos by: Marcos Paulo Prado, Min An & Matheus Bertelli.