ACT for PTSD: Present Moment Awareness and Self-as-Context
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- To approach life with psychological flexibility, individuals need awareness in the present moment.
- Behavior becomes constricted when it’s aligned with fused self-labels.
- ACT experiential exercises help trauma survivors come into the present moment and make effective behavioral choices.
Materials Downloads
Transcript
Hello. In this module, we’ll be working on the concepts of present moment awareness and self-as-context.
These processes of ACT address the trauma survivor’s propensity to spend lots of energy focused on memories of the past and worries about the future as well as being defined by the person’s trauma history. We’ll explore the fact that, although it can be useful to reflect on past events in order to learn from them and to plan for the future, many individuals who present for therapy related to a history of trauma focus excessively on the past or on an imagined future rather than living their lives in the present.
Batten, S. V. (2011). Essentials of acceptance and commitment therapy. SAGE Publications Ltd.
And many of the problems that bring trauma survivors to treatment have, at their core, some type of problem with remaining in the here and now.
Batten, S. V. (2011). Essentials of acceptance and commitment therapy. SAGE Publications Ltd.
