Overview
Affect Centered Therapy (ACT) translates
recent advances in several areas of psychotherapy into
effective treatment for a range of Axis I and II disorders.
ACT incorporates an understanding of the fundamental role
of emotion in all dimensions of human functioning. ACT
is derived from attachment theory. ACT is predicated on
a developmental model that emphasizes socioemotional conditioning
of the personality and of the central nervous system's
growth. ACT stresses the central role of childhood adversity
and trauma in conditioning subsequent psychopathology.
<click
here for more details>
ACT Therapy
ACT is a general approach to treatment
of both clinical and personality disorders that focuses
on affects and the central place of affect regulation
in the distressed personality system. ACT consists of
three phases. In phase I, the client is taught basic skills
for emotion regulation using the Affect Management Skills
Training (AMST) protocol. AMST remediates deficits from
childhood and prepares the client for the uncovering and
resolution work of phase II. <click
here for more details>
ACT Phase II
Phase II of ACT facilitates the
client in uncovering and resolving the childhood experiences
of adversity and trauma that set the client on a pathway
toward his or her present pathology. Phase II is predicated
on successful acquisition of the emotion regulation skills
of phase I. The personality system will only change when
it has acquired new skills for emotion regulation to replace
the dysfunctional skills that constitute the current psychopathology.
ACT's phase II has been successfully applied to treatment
for addictions, alcoholism, bulimia, anorexia, binge eating
disorder, Crohn's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD), generalized anxiety disorder, sexual acting out,
narcissistic personality disorder, and borderline personality
disorder. <click
here for more details>
The Ingestive Disorders
ACT has been applied to treatment
of the ingestive disorders. These disorders are characterized
by use of a substance as a means of regulating emotions
that would otherwise overwhelm the personality system.
The abused substances may include alcohol, drugs, nicotine,
or food. <click
here for more details>