Cognitive · 2007
Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy (ABBT)
Anxiety becomes limiting when the person is caught up in their internal experience and organises their life so as not to feel it.
Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy (ABBT) is a model developed for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder that integrates behaviour therapy with mindfulness and acceptance strategies, focusing on the relationship the person establishes with their internal experience. ABBT conceptualises anxiety as a process maintained by three main mechanisms: a critical, fused relationship with thoughts and emotions; experiential avoidance as an attempt at control; and behavioural restriction that draws the person away from a meaningful life. Worry is understood as a form of avoidance that reduces contact with more intense emotions, perpetuating the cycle of distress. Treatment seeks to develop an open, non-judgemental awareness, cultivate willingness to experience internal states and reorganise behaviour around personal values, facilitating a fuller, more flexible and more committed engagement with life.
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Influences
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness
- Functional analysis of behaviour
Key references
- Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2007). An open trial of an acceptance-based behavior therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.
- Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2009). Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapies in Practice.
- Orsillo, S. M., & Roemer, L. (2011). The Mindful Way through Anxiety.