Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life

This book develops acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a revolutionary and exciting new direction in psychotherapy, into step-by-step exercises readers can use to get relief from emotional pain. Written by ACT's founding theorist, the book offers a self-help program proven to be effective for coping with a range of problems, from anxiety to depression, eating disorders to poor self-esteem.

Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., is University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno

Acknowledgments

ix

Introduction

1

(8)

Act: What It Is and How It Can Help You

Suffering: Psychological Quicksand

The Ubiquity of Human Suffering

Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Values

Commitment and Values-Based Living

Human Suffering

9

(8)

Human Suffering Is Universal

Exercise: Your Suffering Inventory

The Problem with Pain

Exercise: The Pain is Gone, Now What?

The Problem with Pain: Revisited

Living a Valued Life: An Alternative

Why Language Leads to Suffering

17

(16)

John T. Blackledge

The Nature of Human Language

Exercise: Relate Anything to Anything Else

Exercise: A Screw, a Toothbrush, and a Lighter

Why Language Creates Suffering

Exercise: A Yellow Jeep

Exercise: Don't Think About Your Thought

What You've Been Doing

Exercise: The Coping Strategies Worksheet

The Problem with Getting Rid of Things---Squared

Experiential Avoidance

The Mind-Train

The Pull of Avoidance

33

(10)

Julieann Pankey

Kathleen M. Palm

Why We Do What Can't Work

Accepting the Possibility That Experiential Avoidance Can't Work

So, What Are You Supposed to Do?

Exercise: The Blame Game

Exercise: Judging Your Own Experience: Examining What Works

Moving On

Exercise: What Are You Feeling and Thinking Now?

Letting Go

43

(10)

John T. Blackledge

Michael Ritter

If You're Not Willing to Have It, You Will

Acceptance and Willingness

Exercise: Why Willingness?

Willingness and Distress

Exercise: Being Willingly Out of Breath

The ``Willingness to Change'' Question

The Trouble with Thoughts

53

(16)

Jason Lillis

Thought Production

Exercise: What Are You Thinking Right Now?

Why Thinking Has Such an Impact

Exercise: Your Daily Pain Diary

Looking at Your Thoughts Rather Than from Your Thoughts

The Mind-Train

Exercise: Watching the Mind-Train

Having a Thought Versus Buying a Thought

69

(18)

John T. Blackledge

Jason Lillis

Cognitive Defusion: Separating Your Thoughts from Their Referents

Exercise: Say the Word ``Milk'' as Fast as You Can

Exercise: Labeling Your Thoughts

Exercise: Floating Leaves on a Moving Stream

Exercise: Describing Thoughts and Feelings

Exercise: Exploring the Difference Between Descriptions and Evaluations

Creating Your Own Cognitive Defusion Techniques

If I'm Not My Thoughts, Then Who Am I?

87

(18)

Considering Your Self-Conceptualizations

The Three Senses of Self

Exercise: Retelling Your Own Story

Being the Observing Self

Exercise: Experientially, I'm Not That

Getting Started

Exercise: Tracking Your Thoughts in Time

Taking the Next Step

Mindfulness

105

(16)

Daily Practice

The Practice

Exercise: Be Where You Are

Exercise: Silent Walking

Exercise: Cubbyholing

Exercise: Eating Raising

Exercise: Drinking Tea

Exercise: Eating Mindfully

Exercise: Listening to Classical Music

Exercise: Be Mindful of Your Feet While You Read This

Exercise: Just Sitting

Mindfulness in Context

What Willingness Is and Is Not

121

(12)

Michael Ritter

John T. Blackledge

What Needs to Be Accepted?

Exercise: What Needs to Be Accepted

The Goal of Willingness

Willingness: Learning How to Jump

133

(20)

Michael Ritter

The Willingness Scale

Taking a Jump

Exercise: Willingness Scale Worksheet

Using Your Skills and Learning Some New Ones

Exercise: Physicalizing

Exercise: Giving Your Target a Form

Exercise: The Tin-Can Monster

Exercise: Acceptance in Real-Time

What Are Values?

153

(12)

Values as Chosen Life Directions

What Values Are and Are Not

Choosing Your Values

165

(12)

The Masters You Serve

Exercise: Attending Your Own Funeral

Taking It a Step Further: Ten Valued Domains

Ranking and Testing Your Values

Committed Action

Committing to Doing It

177

(18)

Jason Lillis

Michael Twohig

Taking Bold Steps

Exercise: Goals Worksheet

Exercise: Making Goals Happen Through Action

Exercise: Expected Barriers

Many Maps for Different Journeys

Building Patterns of Effective Action

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Conclusion: The Choice to Live a Vital Life

195

(4)

David Chantry

Appendix: The Values and Data Underlying ACT

199

(4)

References

203

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Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials