In the place of Freudian psychoanalysis is a trend toward short-term cognitive-behavioral therapy and a new kind of therapy, called acceptance and commitment therapy.
One of the newest therapies to emerge -- acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) -- is considered a third-generation behavioral therapy (traditional behavioral therapy being the first generation and cognitive-behavior therapy the second).
Championed by psychologist Sean Hayes, Ph.D., of the University of Nevada in Reno, ACT therapy hinges on the idea that our normal thinking patterns both distort and enlarge our perceptions of unpleasant emotions and lead us to engage in behaviors that are designed to avoid or lessen those unpleasant feelings. For instance, we may avoid elevators for fear of having a panic attack or avoid trying a new activity because of a belief that we will be bad at it.
ACT therapy suggests that, rather than attempting to challenge and change negative thoughts and beliefs (as cognitive therapy advocates), we should accept and feel our negative thoughts and feelings (in effect, embrace our pain) in an attempt to defuse them -- the acceptance part of the ACT therapy equation. The defusing process develops from allowing the negative thoughts and beliefs to wash over us until they become meaningless, stripped of emotion, and we can distance ourselves from them.
ACT therapy also stresses the importance of dedicating ourselves to living a more personally meaningful life according to our core values -- the commitment part of the equation. According to Hayes, what we truly desire from life, based on our values, often takes "a backseat to more immediate goals of being right, looking good, feeling good, defending a conceptualized self, and so on. People lose contact with what they want in life, beyond relief from psychological pain."
Although ACT therapy is controversial, preliminary research supports its efficacy: In a review of 13 small trials, ACT therapy was found to be better at relieving depression than other treatment approaches, up to a year after therapy ended. The therapy also appears to be effective for anxiety and addiction disorders. Of course further research and experience with ACT is needed before this type of therapy earns validity.
