Therapy
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is an evidence-based therapy built around psychological flexibility — learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, while committing to what matters to you. Rather than trying to delete every uncomfortable thought, ACT changes your relationship to it so it stops running the show.
Clinically reviewed by the Lyte Psychiatry Clinical Team · Last reviewed July 2026
What ACT is
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a third-wave behavioral therapy designed to reduce suffering and improve wellbeing by building psychological flexibility. The core idea: you don’t have to win a war with your own mind to live well. You can make room for hard thoughts and feelings and still act on your values.
The six core processes
- Acceptance — being open to unwanted thoughts and feelings
- Cognitive defusion — stepping back so thoughts hold less power
- Contact with the present moment — mindful awareness of now
- Self-as-context — a flexible, bigger-than-your-thoughts sense of self
- Values — getting clear on what actually matters to you
- Committed action — building behavior that moves toward those values
What it helps with
ACT has evidence across a wide range of concerns — anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and chronic stress — and it’s also used for chronic pain, health anxiety, and health-behavior change. It’s especially useful when you feel stuck fighting your own thoughts.
ACT and medication
ACT is often part of a broader plan that may include medication for depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Your prescriber and therapist coordinate so the skills and the medical care support each other.
Frequently asked questions
What is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)?
ACT is an evidence-based, mindfulness-driven form of behavioral therapy that builds 'psychological flexibility', the ability to stay open to difficult thoughts and feelings while taking action toward what matters to you. Instead of trying to eliminate every uncomfortable thought, ACT helps you change your relationship to it and keep moving toward your values.
What are the six core processes of ACT?
ACT works through six connected processes: acceptance (being open to unwanted thoughts and feelings), cognitive defusion (stepping back from thoughts so they hold less power), contact with the present moment, self-as-context (a flexible sense of self), values (clarifying what matters), and committed action (building patterns of behavior aligned with those values).
What does ACT help with?
ACT has evidence across a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and chronic stress, and it's also used for chronic pain, health anxiety, and health-behavior change. It's especially useful when you feel stuck fighting your own thoughts and feelings.
How is ACT different from CBT?
Both are evidence-based behavioral therapies, but where classic CBT often works to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts, ACT focuses less on changing the content of thoughts and more on changing how you relate to them, accepting them, unhooking from them, and acting on your values anyway. Many clinicians blend the two.
Can ACT be combined with medication?
Yes. ACT is often part of a broader plan that may include medication for conditions like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Your prescriber and therapist can coordinate so the therapy skills and the medical care support each other.
Sources
Related pages
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Stop fighting your thoughts — start living your values
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