In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), six core yearnings represent fundamental human desires that drive and guide behavior. These yearnings correspond to the six processes and the six points of the Hexagon Model of psychological flexibility.
These interrelated processes foster psychological flexibility, which is the ability to fully engage with the present moment and adapt behavior in ways that serve valued ends.
One of these core yearnings is the fundamental human desire for feeling.
Our logical, problem-solving mind categorizes experiences as good or bad, striving to avoid what it perceives as negative. In this quest to avoid discomfort, however, we might unintentionally suppress all emotions, not just the unpleasant ones.
Every emotion serves a purpose. It's essential to guide our clients towards embracing the full spectrum of their feelings as part of living a truly fulfilling life.
The desire to fully experience our emotions often conflicts with our instinctual need for safety. This conflict can lead us to limit the range and depth of our emotional experiences.
Left unchecked, this avoidance can lead to emotional numbness, a state where we feel disconnected from life itself. As therapists, we encounter individuals daily who struggle to connect with and explore their emotions.
Developing Acceptance and Willingness / Undermining Experiential Control
Concept: Acceptance involves embracing thoughts and feelings without trying to change them, fight them, or avoid them.
Clinical Application:
The clinician encourages clients to allow emotions and sensations to come and go as they are, without struggling against them in the following ways:
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