ACT vs. CBT
June 13, 2013 9:02 PM Subscribe
I am sort of familiar with CBT and ACT. I like the concepts of both, but I find when I would use CBT I would get into a shouting match with myself. I am thinking ACT would be better for myself, but I want to have confident thoughts also through CBT. I was wondering if anyone had luck intertwining both? IF you can mix both? I may need to look more into the two. I do not know all the techniques yet, but just wanted to hear some opinions. Thanks
My therapist is trained in both and we do talk therapy that incorporates tenets of both. They are totally complimentary and I can't recommend both approaches enough!
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:05 AM on June 14, 2013
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:05 AM on June 14, 2013
Long story, but I recently purchased this book as a gift for a friend who is studying this very topic. Might be helpful!
posted by thinkpiece at 6:05 AM on June 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by thinkpiece at 6:05 AM on June 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Something that sort of blends both the CBT and ACT worlds is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. A lot of our group conversations include some tenets of ACT. I think that DBT developed by Marsha Linehan maybe the sweet spot you seek. Search Google or Amazon for anything written by Marsha Linehan. It has helped me tremendously. The skills groups fall into a few groups, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness (which is important in all the other groups of skills to be successfully implemented), distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. The book is summarized at http://www.dbtselfhelp.com
hope that helps.
posted by Jewel98 at 9:14 PM on June 14, 2013
hope that helps.
posted by Jewel98 at 9:14 PM on June 14, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
I started with CBT, and it still is necessary, but sometimes things suck, and you can start (as you admit) arguing with yourself, or trying to minimise something that actually needn't be minimised. My mother died. She hated me. So, big deal - which cognitive distortion can I apply to that? None of them. Because yep, it hurt that we didn't have a relationship, that she didn't love me the way I deserved, that she never relented and let me back into her life though she was dying. This is where the acceptance came in. I accept that. I accepted that pain. I experienced the pain. I did exercises that help relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression by being mindful, and gave me relief and helped build my belief that I wouldn't always hurt so much.
I see no reason why they can't be used together - if you can't get a metal thing into the wall with a screwdriver, pick up a hammer.
posted by b33j at 9:49 PM on June 13, 2013 [7 favorites]