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74 views

Ansiedad PDF

Uploaded by

Guiliana Valdivieso
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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J Contemp Psychother (2006) 36:191–192

DOI 10.1007/s10879-006-9024-y

B OOK REVIEW

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A


Practitioner’s Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance,
and Values-Based Behavior Change Strategies
Georg H. Eifert and John P. Forsyth, New Harbinger Publications,
Oakland, CA, 2005, 287 pp., $58.95

Beth L. Pearson

Published online: 21 November 2006


C Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is described by In the first section of the book, an overview of ACT, anx-
Eifert and Forsyth as a third-wave behavior therapy. Rather iety disorders, and traditional cognitive-behavioral views of
than focusing on symptom reduction, Acceptance and Com- anxiety disorders is presented. The second section delin-
mitment Therapy’s main goals are to help clients accept their eates the theory and rationale behind Acceptance and Com-
thoughts and feelings and to live in ways which are consis- mitment Therapy. Eifert and Forsyth make it clear that Ac-
tent with their values. Anxiety symptoms are not viewed ceptance and Commitment Therapy is a way of viewing
as problematic; instead, the struggle to control and master the world rather that a set of techniques. In this section,
symptoms is seen to be the main source of suffering. the origin of acceptance-based strategies is acknowledged
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been re- (including humanistic and existential psychotherapies, Di-
searched and used to treat a wide-range of disorders. In Ac- alectical Behavior Therapy, and Eastern traditions, to name
ceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders, only a few of those mentioned). Each concept (for example-
the focus is on the treatment of anxiety disorders specifically. acceptance, mindfulness, values, the problems inherent in
Within this approach, anxiety is not viewed as something language, etc.) is described in a complete, in-depth man-
which is negative, nor as something which must be reduced ner. A variety of process and outcome assessment forms
or eliminated. Alternatively, anxiety is viewed as a part of to be used throughout therapy are also described in this
the full range of human experience. In order to lead more section. In section three, core treatment strategies are de-
satisfying lives, people who experience anxiety should not scribed and illustrated by subsequent therapist-client dia-
attempt to rid themselves of anxiety. Instead they must make logues. A session-by-session guide for what to do in ther-
the choice to act in ways that are consistent with their values, apy is provided, although the authors are explicit in their
rather than using anxiety as an excuse for not participating belief that “there are no dogmas in ACT.” The treatment
fully in life. In addition to an abbreviation for Acceptance guide is viewed by the authors as flexible, not rigid. Fol-
and Commitment Therapy, ACT is an acronym for the three lowing the outline of therapy sessions, the authors dis-
primary steps within the therapy: Accept Thoughts and Feel- cuss relapse prevention, common challenges in conducting
ings, Choose Directions, and Take Action. ACT, and future directions. Additionally, there are four ap-
The book is titled a “treatment guide” and it is, in part, a pendices which include assessment measures and a list of
manual for conducting Acceptance and Commitment Ther- resources. Finally, included with the book is a CD-ROM
apy for Anxiety Disorders. The book is much more compre- of client worksheets, questionnaires, and inventories.
hensive than merely a how-to guide for therapy, however. It This excellent treatment guide is a must-read for graduate
is divided into three main sections. students in psychology, novice clinicians, and seasoned clin-
icians who want to stay current with the latest innovations in
B. L. Pearson () treatments for anxiety disorders. The book is comprehensive
Case Western Reserve University, in its coverage of both theory and practical how-to infor-
Cleveland, OH, USA mation. It is organized well and clearly written. Perhaps
e-mail: [email protected] the greatest strength of the book is its user-friendly man-
ner. Techniques are described explicitly, with the authors

Springer
192 J Contemp Psychother (2006) 36:191–192

modeling the precise language and metaphors a clinician than merely espousing the theory. If the ideas presented in
could use with clients. The authors depict specific experien- the book are new to the reader, it may be necessary to en-
tial exercises to be used in-session. The inclusion of mod- gage in experiential exercises or to seek out supervision from
ifiable assessment measures and worksheets will likely be someone experienced in mindfulness/acceptance practices
helpful for any busy clinician. before conducting this therapy. Also, the empirical support
Additionally, the authors appear to understand that the for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety disor-
treatment approach they describe is counter-intuitive. For ders as presented within the book is incomplete. The authors
example, typically in the age of managed health care, clin- reference many studies which, they state, demonstrate the
icians are interested in symptom-reduction and may not be effectiveness of ACT for a variety of disorders. They do
concerned with the issue of valued living. Therefore, as the not present details of any of the studies, however, so the
reader proceeds through the book, it is possible that the reader cannot judge their quality. Similarly, there is very lit-
approach described will seem contradictory to one’s cur- tle psychometric information provided about the assessment
rent practices. As this reader made her way through the measures presented. Overall, the authors note that although
book, a variety of questions emerged. In time, each ques- all elements of the protocol have been tested empirically,
tion was anticipated and answered by the authors quite the treatment program as outlined in the guide has not been
convincingly. tested empirically. This will be a necessary step before Ac-
Because the philosophy behind Acceptance and Commit- ceptance and Commitment Therapy can be recommended
ment Therapy is contrary to Western views of pain and to as a first-line treatment approach for anxiety disorders. The
traditional therapies which focus on mastery and control of authors, themselves, are aware that Acceptance and Com-
symptoms, it will likely take more than reading this book mitment Therapy is in its infancy and they do not pretend
to become a believer. Eifert and Forsyth do an exceptional that they have all the answers. Despite its early stage, Eifert
job of making the case for acceptance rather than mastery of and Forsyth have done an admirable job of presenting Ac-
anxiety. Nonetheless, to conduct Acceptance and Commit- ceptance and Commitment Therapy so that clinicians can
ment Therapy properly, it will be necessary for the clinician move forward in their efforts to help their clients lead more
to practice mindfulness and acceptance in her own life, rather vital, satisfying, value-driven lives.

Springer
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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