Living Boldly: An ACT Workshop

Michael Twohig, PhD• Utah State University Marisa Mazza, Psy.D.• choicetherapy psychological services, inc.

***Have paper handy***

Taking risks are hard and can be scary.

Living Boldly

� Being aware of our experiences and the choices we have.� A willingness to take risks that are meaningful.� The risk is giving up what’s safe,comfortable and

familiar in the service vitality.

Bold Moves

ACTAcceptance

Commitment

Therapy

¡ New ways to respond to fear that allow us to be more flexible and live a values based life. ÷ Living with one’s thoughts, feelings,

and/or sensations. ÷ While committing your specific values

and goals in life.

¡ How to be bold. Embrace fear and take risks that are in line with what is important to us.

ACT for OCD RCTs to dateY-BOCS scores

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Twohig et al(2010) (N=40)

Baghooli(2014) (n=30)

Vakili et al,(2014) (n=11)

Esfahani et al.(2015) (n=12)

Rohani et al.(2018) (n=23)

Twohig et al(2018) (n=30)

Shabani et al(2019) (n=22)

Zemestani et al(review) (n=13)

Pre post follow-up

Foundation: Mindful Awareness

� Noticing our experiences ¡ Noticing when the mind tries to judge them¡ Try to take a kind and accepting stance

� Awareness of ¡ Values¡ What keeps us stuck

� There are many ways to do this and the ACT Matrix is one. ¡ Polk, Kevin L., Benjamin Schoendorff, Mark Webster, and

Fabian O. Olaz. The Essential Guide to the ACT Matrix: A Step-by-step Approach to Using the ACT Matrix Model in Clinical Practice. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2016.

1) Who and What is important to you ? List your values and add any people or pets to your list.

2) What unwanted internal stuff (thoughts,obsessions, feelings, sensations) get in the

way when you are trying to get closer toyour values and living the life you want?

3) What physical and mental behaviors (compulsions, avoidance, worrying, ruminating, reviewing, overeating, binge watching TV, over exercise) have you been doing to move away from (or to get rid of) the unwanted internal stuff you wrote below?

4) What behaviors could you be doing to move closer to your values (the who and what you wrote below)? What risks could you take?

Road Map Quadrant 1: Values

• Are the path to a fuller life.• They navigate us toward

who and what is important.

• What we genuinely want but never fully achieve.

Road Map Quadrant 1: Values

� Pick one area of your life you feel stuck in? Or want more in?¡ work/school, self/personal, health, relationships, leisure time

� Sweet Spot Exercise÷ Originally Adapted from Wilson, K.G. & SanDoz, E.K. (2010).

Mindfulness, values and the therapeutic relationship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In S. Hisk & T. Bein (Eds) Mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship. New York: Guilford Press.

÷ Currently adapted from Lejeune, J.T., Luoma, J. (2016) Seven Values “Greatest Hits”: Our Favorite Values Exercises from ACT. Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research and Training Center.

Road Map Quadrant 1: Values

� Values are often found in places like this. � Notice:

¡ What was most important to you about that moment? ¡ How were you in that moment? What qualities were present? ¡ Can you put a word or words to it?

� Examples: Love, compassion, presence, connected, kindness, growth, independence, vitality, reliability, understanding, equanimity, honesty, justice, creativity, humor, fun, integrity, adventure.

� Write down 3-5 of you top values in Quadrant 1.

Road Map Quadrant 2: Unwanted Experiences

¡When you are trying to get to this spot or head towards other values what shows up? ÷ What does the mind say?÷ What feelings come up?÷ What sensations show up?

How to work with the mind…

Road Map Quadrant 3: Away Behaviors� How do you respond to those thoughts, feelings and

sensations? What do you do to escape or get rid of your thought, feelings and sensations?

� Name Behaviors: Things you can see or notice

Road Map Quadrant 3: Away Behaviors

� Do these behaviors work for you?¡ Short-Run?¡ Long-Run?¡ Values?

� What is the aim of away behaviors?¡ Control

Road Map Quadrant 4: Towards Behaviors� What could I do to get closer to my values?� What action(s) was I taking in my sweet spot?� What is the aim of towards behaviors?

¡ To have the unwanted stuff and focus on our values

What Bold Move Am I Willing to Take?

The Big Picture

� Living Boldly Includes¡ Being aware of our experiences and the choices we have.¡ A willingness to take risks that are meaningful.

� We can’t chose the mind we have or most of the experiences that show up but we can choose how we spend our time.

� Is the short-term pain (feeling scared) associated with risk worth the potential long-term gain of living a full life.

ACT Self-Help Workbooks

� The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety¡ by Forsyth PhD, John P. and Eifert PhD, Georg H.

� The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression¡ by Strosahl PhD, Kirk D., Robinson PhD, Patricia J., et al.

� The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for OCD¡ Marisa T. Mazza, Psy.D. – June 2020

� Happiness Trap¡ Russ Harris

� Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life¡ Steven C. Hayes & Spencer Smith