Creative Hopelessness and PTSD: A Practical Exercise
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- Thought and emotion suppression efforts are largely ineffective.
- This problem is further heightened when the content to be avoided is related to a traumatic event.
- Using an experiential exercise can bring the futility of this effort to light in a nonthreatening way.
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Transcript
So, let’s get practical. Here’s a common exercise that we use in ACT when we’re trying to point out the futility of trying to control what you think and feel.
I’m going to do the exercise here with you using the example of chocolate cake, but you can substitute anything else that you’d like—whether it’s a word or object that has a lot of associations, like chocolate cake or vanilla ice cream, or something that’s like totally novel and absurd that you want to make up, like, I don’t know, a camel that’s wearing a cowboy hat. Anyway, I’m going to use chocolate cake here. So, I’m going to ask you to clear your mind right now. Take a couple of deep breaths. And then I’m going to say 2 words. Once I say those 2 words, your only job is not to think of the object that I’ve just said.
Walser, R. D., & Westrup, D. (2007). Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related problems: A practitioner’s guide to using mindfulness and acceptance strategies. New Harbinger Publications.
Ready, set, chocolate cake. Don’t think about chocolate cake. Don’t think about it being warm and moist when it comes out of the oven. Don’t think of it crumbling and smushing in your mouth. Don’t think of a chocolate cake with extra fudge frosting. And don’t think about what it would be like, after having half a piece of cake, to take a big sip of milk after eating that really rich piece of chocolate cake. And if you don’t like chocolate cake, that’s okay, too. Don’t think about how much you dislike that taste. And so I’m now going to be quiet for a few seconds and your only job is to not think of chocolate cake. Ready, go.
Walser, R. D., & Westrup, D. (2007). Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related problems: A practitioner’s guide to using mindfulness and acceptance strategies. New Harbinger Publications.