Twohig, M. P., Masuda, A., Varra, A. A., & Hayes, S. C. (2005). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a treatment for anxiety disorders. In S. M. Orsillo & L. Roemer (Eds.), Acceptance and mindfulness-based approaches to anxiety: Conceptualization and treatment (pp. 101-130). New York: Kluwer/Springer-Verlag.
Human verbal abilities are a two-edged sword. Language and cognition enable us to solve everyday problems and create a comfortable world. The same processes, however, allow us to constantly evaluate ourselves, to compare ourselves to an unrealistic ideal, to bring our painful past to the present, and to project fearsome futures. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT, said as one word, not initials; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on undermining unhealthy uses of human language and cognition, and to channel it into more productive areas. The present chapter will outline the philosophy and basic science behind ACT, present the core components of ACT, illustrate how ACT would be implemented with an anxiety client, and provide empirical support for the use of ACT with anxiety disorders.