By Dr Kristy Potter, clinical and training director and clinical psychologist.
I remember first learning about acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and feeling very sceptical. This was just before starting on my clinical doctorate training and I was very much CBT aligned, and definitely at the positivist end of the philosophy of science spectrum. In particular, mindfulness seemed to be something that felt ‘unscientific’ and, in all honesty, I completely wrote it off in my mind!
Fast forward a brief 6 months. I was a total convert. Surprisingly, it was the present moment focus and mindfulness that really did it!
I remember the moment it clicked into place was doing a mindful raisin eating task. At the end of the exercise, I actually felt the raisin in my stomach. I thought, “wow, this is really something. How much of life are we sailing through without enjoying, without feeling”. This is when ACT really fell into place for me, which was only further cemented when my supervisor talked to me about destructive normality. This term made so much sense; it is the human condition to suffer. I suddenly felt as though all those self-critical thoughts (any DClin trainee can probably attest to the level of imposter syndrome that shows up!) were no longer a ‘me’ problem. I felt validated, I felt seen. I felt as though I didn’t have to spend my life convincing myself I was good enough; I could just let them be. I can still remember that feeling – it felt like coming to the end of a school term and your brain just quietening down. This was how my journey started.
I then focused my thesis on supporting carers of people with multiple sclerosis using ACT in self-help / guided self-help format. Despite managing a three-arm feasibility RCT single handedly (for record, would not recommend this!), my appreciation for the approach never waned.
This personal application of ACT is something I endorse. When I train staff, I always encourage them to ‘do’ ACT on themselves as part of their learning process. This is the true experiential way to learn, even if it can be exposing. Since embarking on my own ACT journey, I’ve also roped in many a family member and I’ve lost count of the number of happiness trap books myself and my family / friends have bought!
Within my current context, having recently returned from my maternity leave, ACT has been central to my journey. It has helped with those middle of night anxious thoughts, the natural fusion that comes with “am I doing enough?”. I feel that it has been a privilege to go into my peri-natal period with the ACT understanding, and something I feel passionately about. It has allowed me to stay present even when my brain is hooking me into thinking about the future, particularly about a time when she will sleep! I have the ability to notice this, name it, and also promote compassion towards myself.
Have I always been ACT consistent? Absolutely not.
Do I apply those same ACT consistent approaches to the fact that I sometimes fuse, that I sometimes avoid – absolutely.
ACT isn’t about becoming some kind of mindfulness guru or reaching an enlightened state where thoughts never hook us. It’s not about feeling zen 24/7 or pretending difficult emotions don’t exist. Instead, it’s about noticing when we’re getting tangled in unhelpful thought patterns and having strategies to step back while still showing up for what matters to us. It’s about creating space for discomfort rather than fighting it, allowing us to live in alignment with our values—even when things feel messy or uncertain.
For me, ACT hasn’t been about achieving some perfect, unwavering consistency. It’s been about noticing when I stray, when I get caught up in struggle, and applying the same compassionate, ACT-consistent approaches to that too. And that, really, is the beauty of it—not striving for perfection, but embracing the whole experience of being human.