ACT Episode 1: Introduction
Episode 1 starts you on the journey of increasing your psychological flexibility.
Do 2 things before watching the video: 1) It will help to read the introductory paragraphs below before starting the video. 2) Scroll down to the bottom of this article and print out the PDF of the ACT Psychological Flexibility Measure so you are ready to complete the assessment as instructed by the facilitator.
Acceptance Commitment Theory (ACT) is sometimes referred to as The Psychological Flexibility Model.
The overall goal of ACT is to help you begin to notice how much time and mental energy you spend resisting what is. Most of us are in an active state of resistance much more than we realize, and this resistance can block our creative response to the problems and challenges that pop up on any given day. Instead of trying to control your circumstances or avoid difficult emotions ACT helps you accept what is and bring your full creative energy to responding to the challenge in a wise, value guided manner. According to author Russ Harris, ACT can be summarized in two sentences: It is what it is. Given that it is what it is, who do I want to be and how to I want to move forward?
Note: These videos are designed for you to watch in sequence, so please start with Episode 1.
Episode 1 - Introduction: This video starts with you completing The ACT Psychological Flexibility Measure, an assessment that will help you get a sense of how psychologically rigid or flexible you might currently be. This will allow you a way to measure your growth over time as you learn and practice the specific skills introduced in this series. This video also provides an overview of what psychological flexibility is and the 6 core skills of this model.
If you enjoyed this video and would like to know when a new tool is placed in the Emotional Resilience Video Toolbox follow us on Facebook
If you have feedback on the Emotional Resilience Video Toolbox we would love to hear it, send an E-mail to Health4U
Related Articles
ACT Episode 8: Value Guided Living
This video concludes the ACT series with a focus on clarifying your values so you are able to direct your time and energy towards value guided living.
ACT Episode 7: Expansion Strategies
This video offers specific skills and strategies to help you navigate powerful emotions.
ACT Episode 6: Expansion and Acceptance
This episode illustrates that a life well lived is one that involves the full range of human emotions. Knowing how to experience and navigate big emotions is a key component of emotional resilience and psychological flexibility.
ACT Episode 5: Connection
This episode introduces the skill of “Connection” which is an informal mindfulness practice. Shifting our attention to the here and now allows us to release our attachment to our current thought, making space for a brand new ones to come through.
