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I thank you so much for the reply, for the kind words, and for the resources you provided. I will absolutely look into ACT and talk to my therapist about it as well on Wednesday. I will also be looking into A Liberated Mind to learn more about the exercises.
Could you tell me a little more about why those exercises resonated with you? And are there any exercises you would recommend for feelings of guilt, specifically?
Mindfulness has definitely helped me in the past with my anxiety. I think I've been subconsciously avoiding mindfulness exercises because I've almost been afraid of it making things worse? But maybe that's me running away from my feelings more than I realized.
Sorry for the late response. I hope you have had time to process things and to learn a bit more about who you’d like to be now that you have a new path before you.
Why do those exercises resonate with me? Because they seem effective for me. Sometimes I stop suffering altogether and can face difficult situations more flexibly. Sometimes the exercises punch me in the gut… and then I can face difficult situations more flexibly.
I also know about Coherence Therapy, and I think the experiential exercises are exploiting the same mechanisms. In effect, you’re transforming schemas deeply, instead of simply trying to change by building new ones (while the old ones are still powerfully guiding your behavior). If you’re curious, we can talk about Coherence Therapy’s mechanisms and how ACT can exploit them.
The take-away is that experiential exercises like the object one are taking advantage of your memory, your sensory apparatus, and your meaning-making capacity to make it easier for you to accept tough situations and choose who you’d like to be.
As to exercises for guilt, I’d suggest something strange.
First, I’d suggest the objects exercise or similar defusion exercises. That way, you can think flexibly beyond “I’m guilty”. Then, I’d suggest acceptance exercises like the wider view or the acceptance through perspective. That way, it becomes easier to experience that guilt without it tripping you up. I’d do self exercises like the acceptance through perspective. That way, you can build a sense of self that is greater than “I’m a guilty person”. Finally, I’d do values exercises such as values writing, drawing on sweetness, or flipping the pain. That way, you learn from your guilt and orient your life towards what you value.
So, if you notice, I’m suggesting the same exercises as before, but I’m directing them towards the guilt itself.
You can think of ACT as a toolset. A very effective one. And you can use its tools in different contexts. It’s just a matter of doing precisely that.
I hope ACT and mindfulness can help!
As always, feel free to ask :)