How Is Mindfulness Different In ACT?
Dr Russ Harris explains how mindfulness is used in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), how it differs from meditation and relaxation, and how therapists can introduce mindfulness skills to clients who find the concept confusing or off-putting
Russ Harris began his career as a physician, then later trained as a psychotherapist. He is a peer-reviewed ACT trainer with the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and has trained more than 95,000 health professionals in ACT. His book ACT Made Simple, a widely used textbook on ACT, and The Happiness Trap, the world's best selling book on ACT, has sold more than a million copies in over 30 languages. He also wrote the content for the World Health Organization's stress management course, Self-Help Plus, including the illustrated guide Doing What Matters in Times of Stress which has become the single most downloaded mental health document from the WHO website.
In this Q&A, ACT trainer and bestselling author Dr Russ Harris explains what mindfulness means in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), why it is so often misunderstood, and how clinicians can use mindfulness skills in ACT and therapy more broadly.
There is not one single definition of mindfulness that all models of therapy agree on. In ACT, ‘mindfulness’ is generally an umbrella term for four interconnected skills: defusion, acceptance, flexible attention, and self-as-context (the ‘noticing self’). So, keeping in mind there isn’t an official, universally agreed-upon definition, I tend to define mindfulness this way: “A set of psychological skills for effective living, based on a special way of paying attention: with openness, curiosity, and flexibility.”
No. Mindfulness is not meditation! There are zillions of ways to practice mindfulness in everyday life, without ever meditating - for example, eating a mouthful of food and consciously savouring its taste and texture, or having a shower and consciously appreciating the warmth and caress of the water. Similarly, there are many types of meditation that do not involve mindfulness – e.g. practices where the aim is to clear the mind of thoughts.
Of course, there are formal mindfulness meditation practices, but most clients won’t embrace them. Indeed, for many, even the thought of meditation is a turn-off. So if you’re running a ‘mindfulness meditation’ program and that’s what people are coming along for, great. But in most therapy or coaching contexts, if you start trying to push ‘meditation’, you’ll find it a hard sell.
Because the term ‘mindfulness’ is widely misunderstood, it can sometimes elicit negative reactions. (One psychologist told me that his new client angrily exclaimed, “Yes, I know what mindfulness is! You can take that mindful raisin and shove it up your arse!”) Many clients (and therapists) mistakenly think of mindfulness as meditation, Buddhism, relaxation, feeling good, positive thinking, a ‘still mind’ with no thoughts, a form of distraction, a way to get rid of painful feelings, and so on. Given all this confusion, and given that in ACT the term may refer to at least four different skills (defusion, acceptance, flexible attention, self-as-context), I think it’s often better to use different words
If we think clients may react negatively to the word ‘mindfulness’, there are many user-friendly alternatives. For example, ‘unhooking’ from your thoughts; ‘opening up’ and ‘making room’ for your feelings; ‘savoring and appreciating’ something potentially enjoyable; ‘focusing and refocusing’ on, or ‘engaging in’, or ‘giving your full attention to’ a particular task or activity.
In all my books, workshops, and courses, I emphasize quick’n’simple mindfulness techniques - that you can pretty much do any time, any place, any activity. These are much more practical than formal meditation. For example, a little bit of mindful eating, or mindfully stroking your pet, or mindfully drinking your coffee.
Especially useful are short, eyes-open practices that involve physical movement so clients don’t fall asleep, drift off, or struggle with needing to sit still. For example, mindful walking or mindful stretching. ‘Mindfulness on the go’ is a playful term for these types of practice.
Mindfulness is an important part of the ACT model, covering four of the main ACT processes, as mentioned above. However, in ACT we utilise mindfulness in the service of living our values. Values are your heart’s deepest desires for how you want to behave as a human being; how you want to treat yourself, others and the world around you. ACT teaches you to use your values to guide, inspire and motivate you: to do what matters, live meaningfully, and take action to change your life for the better. We use mindfulness to help us live by our values and appreciate the satisfaction and fulfillment of such a life. I like to say, ‘Mindfulness without values is like a ship without a rudder.’
Here’s a recent paper on the role of mindfulness in ACT: The Role of Mindfulness in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Cultivating Present-Moment Awareness
One of the most common reasons why clients are reluctant to practice mindfulness is because it’s presented as meditation, rather than the much more doable ‘mindfulness on the go’ approach, mentioned above.
Another common reason is they don’t see the point of it. Why bother investing time and effort and energy in training your ability to focus or pay attention? What’s the point?
So we need to be clear; if you’re not focused or engaged…
1. You do things poorly: You’ll do just about anything better when you’re focused, and worse when you’re not.
2. You miss out: If you’re unfocused, distracted, or disengaged when doing potentially pleasurable activities, you’ll miss out on much of the enjoyment or satisfaction of that experience. And if you’re doing something challenging or dealing with something stressful, you can easily miss out on important information you need to act effectively.