Acceptance and commitment therapy was shown to be effective at the post-test and follow up stages for reducing external shame, social anxiety, and difficulty in emotion regulation and its components, and for increasing psychological flexibility and self-compassion (p < 0.05). The largest effect size of treatment was for increase of psychological flexibility and the lowest efficacy was for the
components “difficulty in impulse control” and “limited access to emotional strategies” at the post-test and follow-up stages, respectively.

Acceptance and Behavioral Therapy encourages people identify to take action in line with their values, rather than trying to control or change difficult thoughts and emotions.

ACT is based on the idea we can accept our thoughts and feelings without judgment, while still taking action to move towards our goals.

This approach can be particularly helpful when dealing with delusions or other challenging conversations. To start, it’s important to recognize that the person may not be able to change their beliefs or behaviors in the moment; instead, focus on helping them find ways of managing their emotions in order to have a productive conversation.