Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders by Georg H. Eifert

Author:Georg H. Eifert
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781608826940
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Published: 2013-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Creating an Acceptance Context for Treatment

Sessions 2 & 3

It’s like you’re surfing… The same wave that can be a source of pain, can be a beautiful flowing grace and source of power. It’s all a matter of how you respond to it.

—Trey Anastasio

Session 2: Evaluating the Workability and Costs of Past Control Efforts

Goals and Theme

This session seeks to induce creative hopelessness as a motivational enhancement component to normalize human suffering and to prepare the client for treatment. During this early phase of treatment, the therapist explores with clients the workability of the various strategies they have used to cope with anxiety and to reduce suffering. The purpose of creative hopelessness exercises is to let the client experience that, despite putting forth tremendous effort, their problems have remained. The therapist instills a sense of hopelessness, which is “creative” if clients are willing to do something different and let go of futile efforts to control unwanted thoughts and feelings. If clients start focusing on changing what they can change, their situation in life may improve. The key is to let go of the struggle with oneself instead of adding more strategies to reduce or control anxiety. Many clients have difficulty grasping what letting go means in practical terms and what letting-go behavior looks like. A practical aspect of letting go is to learn to observe anxiety-related experiences mindfully rather than by struggling with, or attempting to eliminate, such experiences. This theme is introduced with a metaphor and a mindfulness exercise.

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