Contending with a substance use disorder can be difficult. And when paired with mental health concerns like depression and anxiety substance use disorders can be even harder to overcome. The negative self-talk that these conditions generate makes it more difficult for many people to seek treatment that could otherwise improve their lives. This, however, is where acceptance and commitment therapy comes into play.
Acceptance and commitment therapy, known as ACT, encourages emotional awareness and healthy positivity in the light of one person’s fight against a persistent disorder.
If you’re looking for help addressing a substance use disorder or mental health concern, call 855.579.8599. The team at Virtues Behavioral Health is ready to help you find the acceptance and commitment therapy program that suits your needs best.
About Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a practice that embraces the concept of pain. ACT practitioners embrace the idea that pain, especially in relation to depression, anxiety, or substance use disorders, is inevitable. In that same breath, these practitioners strive to meet this pain in order to address it in full before carefully moving beyond it.
The core functions of ACT include:
- Addressing, then exploring, emotional hopelessness related to specific behaviors or conditions
- Identifying and accepting one’s emotions regarding certain life circumstances
- Actively choosing to value one’s life and pursue personal improvement
- Creating an action plan through which a person can exchange old, destructive habits for more positive ones
ACT therapists will help participants understand what traumatic events, relationships, or physical needs may have driven them to behave as they have thus far in their lives. More specifically, ACT sessions focus on the process of talking through one’s feelings. Once these ideas are out in the open, both the therapist and patient can determine whether their habits need to change.
Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Los Angeles
Acceptance and commitment therapy, as mentioned, is rooted in the practice of acknowledging one’s feelings. Therapists have used this practice to address conditions including:
Depression
Depression often stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Certain events can worsen a person’s experience with depression or make it more difficult for them to treat the condition. ACT helps individuals address their self-worth as well as the side effects of their depression over time.
Anxiety
Anxiety, like depression, originates from miscommunicating neurotransmitters in the brain. Those who suffer from anxiety benefit when they can acknowledge and accept the triggers that result in anxiety attacks. ACT in California helps people identify these triggers, accept them, and address them in such a way as to limit the anxiety they trigger.
Substance Use Disorders
Substance use disorders come with their own litany of problems, but they can also make mental health conditions worsen over time. ACT practices let individuals address the circumstances that drove them to use certain substances. In acknowledging those incidents, patients can reconsider their personal values and begin crafting a plan for their long-term recovery.
Dual Diagnosis
Substance use disorders and other mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, often go hand in hand with one another. If you find yourself contending with this cocktail of conditions, mental health treatment professionals may provide you with a dual diagnosis.
Dual diagnosis treatment programs help you treat both your substance use disorder and mental health conditions. An ACT program in Los Angeles will allow you to address all of the parts of your life that have been affected by these disorders.
Find Acceptance and Commitment Therapy near You at Virtues Behavioral Health
Acceptance and commitment therapy uses positive feedback to guide your recovery. If you think this treatment method may help you address your substance use disorder or another mental health condition, reach out to our center today. Call 855.579.8599 to talk with a Virtues Behavioral Health team member about our ACT program in Los Angeles.
