Summary of Russ Harris's ACT Made Simple

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 The mind of every therapist I’ve ever known is full of unhelpful thoughts. And the mind of every person who struggles with anxiety, depression, or addiction. We start from the assumption that the normal psychological processes of a normal human mind readily become destructive, and that the root of this suffering is human language itself.

#2 The mind is not a thing or an object. It is a metaphor for the complex system of symbols that is human language. When we use the word mind, we are referring to human language.

#3 The mind is a double-edged sword. It’s very useful for all sorts of purposes, but if we don’t learn how to handle it effectively, it will hurt us. On the bright side, language helps us make maps and models of the world, predict and plan for the future, and share knowledge.

#4 The aim of ACT, in lay terms, is to create a rich, full, and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. Because of the sophistication of the mind, even the most privileged of human lives inevitably involves significant pain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669385479

IRB Media

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Insights on Russ Harris's ACT Made Simple

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The mind of every therapist I’ve ever known is full of unhelpful thoughts. And the mind of every person who struggles with anxiety, depression, or addiction. We start from the assumption that the normal psychological processes of a normal human mind readily become destructive, and that the root of this suffering is human language itself.

#2

The mind is not a thing or an object. It is a metaphor for the complex system of symbols that is human language. When we use the word mind, we are referring to human language.

#3

The mind is a double-edged sword. It’s very useful for all sorts of purposes, but if we don’t learn how to handle it effectively, it will hurt us. On the bright side, language helps us make maps and models of the world, predict and plan for the future, and share knowledge.

#4

The aim of ACT, in lay terms, is to create a rich, full, and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. Because of the sophistication of the mind, even the most privileged of human lives inevitably involves significant pain.

#5

Mindfulness is the art of living consciously, and it is a profound way to enhance psychological resilience and increase life satisfaction. It involves paying attention to your experience in this moment, and it is not a thinking process.

#6

Contacting the present moment means being psychologically present: consciously connecting with and engaging in what is happening in this moment. Humans find it very difficult to stay present. We often spend time absorbed in our thoughts and lose touch with the world around us.

#7

Defusion means learning to step back and separate from our thoughts, images, and memories. We let them come and go as if they were just cars driving past outside our house. We step back and watch our thinking instead of getting tangled up in it.

#8

There are two elements to the mind: the thinking self and the observing self. The thinking self is constantly generating thoughts, beliefs, memories, judgments, fantasies, plans, and so on. But the observing self is the aspect of us that is aware of whatever we’re thinking, feeling, or sensing in any moment.

#9

Committed action is taking effective action guided by our values. It’s only through ongoing values-congruent action that life becomes rich, full, and meaningful.

#10

The six core processes of ACT are psychological flexibility, which is the ability to be in the present moment with full awareness and openness to our experience, and to take action guided by our values.

#11

The six core processes can be lumped together into three functional units: opening up, being present, and doing what matters. Psychological flexibility is the ability to do these things.

#12

The ACT in a Nutshell Metaphor is a physical metaphor that quickly summarizes the model. It consists of five sections, which I’ve numbered for future reference.

#13

The therapist helps the client imagine that the difficult thoughts and feelings and memories are represented by a large hardback book. The client then holds on to the book tightly and blocks his view of the therapist and the surrounding room.

#14

The therapist helps the client push the thoughts and feelings away, but instead of pushing back, he helps the client push the thoughts and feelings away. The harder the client pushes, the more the therapist leans into it.

#15

The therapist pointed out that the client had tried many things to get rid of his painful thoughts and feelings, but they were still there. He explained that the client had spent years trying to get rid of these