A Liberated Mind: The essential guide to ACT

Broaden and Narrow Attention

Again, what’s so remarkable for us humans, as opposed to all other living beings, is that we can use our cognitive abilities to intentionally attend to all of these requirements and purposefully evolve ourselves.

Close your eyes and get in contact with whatever you struggled with. Take some time to feel what you feel, think what you think, and remember what you remember. Don’t try to fix it—try to contact your pain. * As you do that, notice that a part of you is noticing that suffering. * Take that noticing part of your awareness and imagine leaving your bo

ACT defines values as chosen qualities of being and doing. They can be expressed with verbs and adverbs: teaching compassionately, giving gratefully.

It is what we do that matters, and that gives us the means to live in a way that is richly meaningful to us, despite even quite difficult challenges.

We fear we might pick a life course we don’t have the necessary qualities to pursue. Maybe

As you notice any pull to lie, direct compassion toward yourself for falling into this trap of human nature. Look at yourself the way you might if you were very young and just beginning to learn to lie.

No matter how good you are at defusion, your mind will keep forming new thoughts that you will naturally fuse with (“I’m the world’s expert in defusion!”). It’s vital to stay aware of this tendency.

I Am/I Am Not

For the first two minutes direct your attention to the sole of your left foot. Focus on what it feels like. What are the sensations you can feel there? See if you can sense that blood is pulsing through it.