Intrusive and negative thoughts can become a pattern in thinking and create unhealthy ways of dealing with life. When you learn how to accept what you can't control and learn to live in the present, you can move forward into the life you want.
So, how can you break negative patterns and get "unstuck"?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a cousin to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It's a form of talk therapy that uses mindfulness and self-acceptance to break negative thought and behavior patterns. This treatment modality can help you focus on the present and acknowledge your thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them or feeling guilty about them.
What can you expect from ACT treatment at Lukin Center? Your Lukin Center therapist might weave ACT techniques into your one-on-one sessions to boost the effectiveness of other methods, therapies, or medication.
Feelings Aren't Facts
Your therapist will guide you through exercises and scenarios that allow you to acknowledge a particular feeling, let it pass, and process what you feel without dwelling on it. You'll learn new strategies for allowing yourself to feel emotions in the moment, without giving them power over your thinking or behavior.
Change Your Conversation Understanding your own self-talk is the key to success with ACT. You and your therapist will unpack the stories you tell yourself about past events, relationships, limitations, or hardships in your life.
Commit to Change Using ACT strategies, you'll learn to accept situations for what they are and interrupt the thought patterns and behaviors that are keeping you from moving forward. ACT is not about changing the way you think or controlling your emotions; it's about paying attention to your thought patterns and feelings, accepting them, and taking action to change the decisions you make because of them.
ACT is most commonly used as a companion modality to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or other forms of talk therapy. ACT techniques can help you deal with:
Life and Family Stress
Generalized Anxiety
Social Anxiety Disorder
Depression
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Chronic Pain
Substance Abuse and Addiction
Chronic Medical Conditions
As with all psychotherapy, the success of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has a lot to do with the therapist. An effective ACT therapist is empathetic but firm. They help you feel comfortable, accepted, and safe to explore your true feelings, while gently challenging your negative thought patterns and helping you set healthy boundaries with your own emotions.
At this time, there is no special certification for ACT practitioners. That's why it's very important to work with a therapist with experience and additional training in this specific modality. Lukin Center therapists are dedicated to ongoing education—including continuing ACT training— to make sure you get the best treatment experience possible.
Lukin Center Psychotherapy Supports Our Community
To help support our community, we are offering a 15% discount for new patients that are interested in getting started with tele-health to help manage feelings of anxiety and isolation during this time.
Stay Healthy,
Dr. Lukin
Konstantin Lukin, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Ridgewood, Hoboken, Clifton, Jersey City and Englewood. He has extensive clinical and research experience spanning individuals of all ages, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He specializes in men’s issues, couple’s counseling, and relationship problems. His therapeutic approach focuses on providing support and practical feedback to help patients effectively address personal challenges. He integrates complementary modalities and techniques to offer a personalized approach tailored to each patient. He has been trained in cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavior, schema-focused, and emotionally focused therapy, and has also been involved with research projects throughout his career, including two National Institute of Mental Health-funded studies. He is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New Jersey Psychological Association, Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists, New York State Psychological Association, The International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, The New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, the International OCD Foundation, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACSB) and a regular contributor to Psychology Today.