Guest guest Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 made an important point here the other day. There is an awful temptation with ACT to read the books and do the exercises (mostly - let's be honest now) and think, " OK, I've got this down, " then gradually the practice slides. I know this temptation well. My wife is an ACT therapist. We have all the books around, and I really want to understand how it works, to be able to say, " I get it! " But getting it is only the start. If ACT were nothing more than " knowledge " then it might as well be just another weapon to bore friends with - or to argue over the meaning of words: acceptance, defusion, self as context . . . all of which prove kind of hard to talk about, don't they? Also, if there's " knowing " and " not knowing " ACT, it's just a short step to " right " and " wrong " ways of doing ACT - and nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, the books are necessary, but we should treat them as an actor treats a script. We have to 'learn' it first, but the ultimate goal is always to bring the character - the play - to life, to make it our own. There'll be plenty of occasion to reexamine, rethink, make adjustments during the run of the play, which is (oh good lord!) . . . now! So while the books go back on the shelves, the real ACT, the ACT that enriches and revitalizes our lives, has to take place in each of us, in our own way, as we go mindfully through our days, make our choices, pursue our values. As said, most of the good we'll get out of ACT will come from practice, from our own ongoing discovery of what ACT means to us and how we can use it. I've been away from the list for a few days and see I've missed a lot of great stuff. Thanks to everyone who's posted! Tom Hardy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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