Committed Action and PTSD: Key Points
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- Committed action is engaging in behavior that is guided by personal values, even in the face of obstacles.
- Following through with larger patterns of committed action will direct the work of therapy.
- Focus on actions that are rooted in the here and now.
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Transcript
So, here are some take-home messages related to committed action.
Committed action is engaging in behavior that is guided by personal values, even in the face of internal or external obstacles. Committed action, therefore, requires client awareness of his or her own values in order to choose targets for moving forward in life. So, before diving into heavy work on committed action, a more thorough values clarification process can be very helpful.
Following through with larger and larger patterns of committed action in a variety of domains will direct much of the work of therapy, both in session and out of session. With the trauma survivor, the content of some of these committed actions will be directly associated with the aftereffects of the traumatic event and its aftermath. And at the same time, significant progress in life can be made by focusing entirely on actions that are rooted in the here and now.
