64. Process-based therapy for anxiety

60% of people dealing with depression are likely to be dealing with anxiety. If you're anxious, you are also likely to be depressed.

In the case of fear-based struggles, it is much more common to struggle with different types of fears than a single one. So if you’re dealing with attacks, it’s also possible that you're dealing with chronic worry, or if you’re dealing with chronic worry, it’s also possible that you’re struggling with fears of public speaking. 

Traditional CBT focuses on treating a disorder such as social anxiety or depression. The problem with focusing on a single disorder is that the root cause of those struggles is not addressed.

A core characteristic of ACT is to focus on teaching you psychological skills to increase your well-being, mental health, and the quality of your life. Instead of focusing on a diagnosis, ACT tackles the drivers of that particular diagnosis; therefore, ACT by nature is what is called a process-based model.

In this conversation Joseph Ciarrochi, Ph.D. and I discuss:

• The different psychological processes that are part of any struggle we deal with.
• The relationship between psychological processes and evolution.
• The importance of variation, selection, retention and context as drivers of changes
• The challenges of letting go of “all those stories about who we are.”
• The importance of paying attention to our physiological responses when getting stuck

(*) Show notes and resources of this episode

(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe

(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head

(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses

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