Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Developing Psychological Flexibility
ACT HAS COME OF AGE , and what a long, strange trip it’s been. Prior to 1990, there were less than a handful of evidence-based clinical trials. There were no ACT books, and in fact, there was no ACT—back then ACT was known as “comprehensive distancing.” And, it was viewed as a somewhat oddball fringe effort, organized around a small band of visionaries and aspiring graduate students who thought that it was time to develop a psychology more adequate to the human condition. I was fortunate to have been there from the beginning. And here, I’d like to share a few thoughts about how far we’ve come and where we need to go.
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In the early 1990s, the evidence base for ACT was limited to a few small clinical trials. Now, as of this writing, the number of good clinical trials testing applications of ACT has crested at sixty. ACT is also recognized by several organizations as an evidence-based intervention. In the early 90s, there was no organization focused on advancing the science and practical application of ACT and related traditions. As of 2012, we have an organization, called the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, with over 5,000 members and counting. Just over a decade ago, if you wanted to be trained in ACT, you’d have to have attended a workshop led by Steven Hayes, Kirk Strosahl, or one of their students. Now, there are dozens of qualified ACT trainers all around the globe. As of 1999, there was only one ACT book. Now, there are literally dozens, covering many forms of human suffering. In fact, the breadth, scope, and depth of ACT is remarkable. And, I think that has something to do with people like you who are willing to give and share freely—who are united around finding ways to understand and alleviate human suffering, while honoring and dignifying the human condition.
ISBN: 978-16088-22898 / US $39.95
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The books in this catalog are a testament to the efforts of a global group of caring souls. Where this goes next is entirely up to us, each one of us. The books you’ll find in this catalog are a wonderful start as you grow and develop in your understanding of ACT and its basic behavioral science underpinnings in relational frame theory (RFT). Here though, I encourage you to go further. Attend a workshop or two. Check out the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science annual meetings. Form discussion groups and peer supervision groups. Collaborate with like-minded colleagues. And try ACT on yourself, and see how it applies to your own life. It’s easy to think of ACT as a therapy, but I think it’s much more than that. It is an approach to life—a way of living and relating with our own histories and other human beings with whom we have contact. It is an approach that comes to life when it is lived, not simply read about. So do that. Work with the books in this catalog and see what you find. It will be a strange trip, and one that I think you will find both challenging and enormously rewarding. —John P. Forsy th, PHD, professor of psychology, University at Albany, SUNY
ISBN: 978-16088-21938 / US $15.95
John P. Forsy th, PhD, is professor of psychology and director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, SUNY. He is author of more than ninety scientific articles and four ACT books, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders, The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, ACT on Life Not on Anger, and Your Life on Purpose. His research focuses on testing components on ACT as it applies to anxiety disorders, and in tele-health and self-help contexts. He is also an ACT series editor with New Harbinger, a member of the teaching faculty at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY, and a sought-after ACT trainer.
n e w h a r b i n g e r p u b l i c a t i o n s, i n c . 800-748-6273 / newharbinger.com / 5674 Shattuck Ave. Oakland, CA 94609 USA