RE: Greetings ACT friends

[Guest guest]

Hi - Thanks for your fine post. Your story certainly rings true for me. Your are wise to seek the help of an ACT professional. Keep us posted on how it's going. BillTo: ACT_for_the_Public From: garysmeade@...Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:04:09 +1000Subject: Greetings ACT friends

Having joined the group a week ago and itching from the writing bug, I thought I would briefly introduce myself.I am based in Brisbane Australia and have been aware of ACT since being introduced to Russ ' Mindfulness CD back in 2006. You would think that given it is now 2012, I would be quite proficient in mindfulness practice. Wrong! Like many people, my efforts at practice are a stop-start affair.

Since then I have read The Happiness Trap a couple times through, skimmed through parts of the original ACT textbook, and have read a number of different ACT books - my current favourite being Russ' The Confidence Gap.

I really only began grasping ACT as beneficial to me last year. Prior to this I dallied in so many different methods of change. I really, really, really wanted a different life experience! I was tired of being so down, miserable, and lonely. My life seemed to be a little like groundhog day; make some progress and then slide right back again, and repeat. Circumstances began changing in 2011 as I took small steps of affirmative action in the pursuit of things I love. Suddenly acceptance began to make sense; I could actually appreciate and accept my way of being in the world.

Turning back to ACT I realized that previously, despite the repeated warnings in The Happiness Trap, I was attempting to use it as a control strategy - but at the time I couldn't see that. Finally I became sceptical of the entire self-help and change industry, and realized that my growth was in my own hands, and here was a philosophy that I could live by. ACT is far more than a psychological method to me; it is one of the greatest contributions to humanity in our time. It is simple, yet so incredibly profound. I find myself expressing its virtues all of the time.

I could go on and on, but there is plenty of more writing in me. Right now I have decided to seek the assistance of a proficient ACT professional to help me work in areas that I am finding tricky to overcome on my own. I believe he is one of my country's leading practitioners in ACT. I love this list because I get to share in the ACT journey with others, or should I say the journey of life with ACT as a faithful companion!

Respectfully yours,

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome from a fellow Ozzie! I live down south in Melbourne.

I love ACT too, mainly because it's based on good, solid scientific evidence,

unlike most of the self-help books out there. As a scientific naturalist, I

value the scientific method and skepticism as the best tools we have for finding

out what's true and what's not about ourselves and the cosmos of which we are an

integral and wonderful part.

What you say about the danger of using ACT to try and make ourselves feel better

instead of better at feeling is spot on. It's an easy trap to fall into in the

heat of an emotional, turbulent moment.

And yet, having said that, when I'm able to step back from my unhelpful thoughts

and feelings when life throws crap my way, I do feel better. I still experience

anxiety and stomach churns and fear, but they don't spiral out of control as

much as they used to. What also helps is remembering the old phrase " this too

shall pass " .

Cheers,

Stan

>

> Having joined the group a week ago and itching from the writing bug, I

> thought I would briefly introduce myself.

>

> I am based in Brisbane Australia and have been aware of ACT since being

> introduced to Russ ' Mindfulness CD back in 2006. You would think

> that given it is now 2012, I would be quite proficient in mindfulness

> practice. Wrong! Like many people, my efforts at practice are a

> stop-start affair.

>

> Since then I have read The Happiness Trap a couple times through, skimmed

> through parts of the original ACT textbook, and have read a number of

> different ACT books - my current favourite being Russ' The Confidence Gap.

>

> I really only began grasping ACT as beneficial to me last year. Prior to

> this I dallied in so many different methods of change. I really, really,

> really wanted a different life experience! I was tired of being so down,

> miserable, and lonely. My life seemed to be a little like groundhog day;

> make some progress and then slide right back again, and repeat.

> Circumstances began changing in 2011 as I took small steps of affirmative

> action in the pursuit of things I love. Suddenly acceptance began to make

> sense; I could actually appreciate and accept my way of being in the world.

>

> Turning back to ACT I realized that previously, despite the repeated

> warnings in The Happiness Trap, I was attempting to use it as a control

> strategy - but at the time I couldn't see that. Finally I

> became sceptical of the entire self-help and change industry, and realized

> that my growth was in my own hands, and here was a philosophy that I could

> live by. ACT is far more than a psychological method to me; it is one of

> the greatest contributions to humanity in our time. It is simple, yet so

> incredibly profound. I find myself expressing its virtues all of the time.

>

> I could go on and on, but there is plenty of more writing in me. Right now

> I have decided to seek the assistance of a proficient ACT professional to

> help me work in areas that I am finding tricky to overcome on my own. I

> believe he is one of my country's leading practitioners in ACT. I love

> this list because I get to share in the ACT journey with others, or should

> I say the journey of life with ACT as a faithful companion!

>

> Respectfully yours,

>

>