Happiness Trap Flashcards
Who created ACT?
Steven Hayes
What are the three parts of the happiness trap book?
- How you create and get stuck in the happiness trap
- Transforming your relationship with painful thoughts and feelings
- Creating a rich and meaningful life
What four myths form the framework of the happiness trap?
- Happiness is the natural human state - everyone is happy except me ( in fact, it’s somewhat rare)
- If you are not happy, you are defective or abnormal
- To create a better life we must get rid of negative feelings
- You should be able to control what you think and feel
How does Russ Harris explain the illusion of control?
We try to get rid of, avoid or escape from negative thoughts and feelings.
We use various control strategies to attempt to control our thoughts and feelings.
Discuss the common control strategies;
Flight style:
Hiding/escaping eg drop out of course, not go to party, don’t drive -> avoid anxiety.
Distraction- focus on something else eg surf net, binge watch, eat
Zoning out/numbing - alcohol, sleeping
Fight style:
Suppression- try to push neg thoughts/feelings away
Arguing- arguing with your thoughts to try to disprove them rationally
Taking charge - eg saying ‘snap out of it’ or trying to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
Self-bullying- trying to bully yourself into feeling differently ‘don’t be so pathetic’ etc
What’s the problem with using control strategies?
Nothing, if they are used in moderation, in situations where they can work, and if they don’t stop you from doing things that you value.
But, they become problematic when:
You use them excessively
You use them in situations where they can’t work
Using them stops you from doing things that you truly value
What are the costs of using ineffective control strategies?
- They take up a lot of time and energy, and are usually ineffective in the long run.
- We feel silly, defective or weak because the thought/feelings we are trying to get rid of keep coming back.
- Many strategies that decrease negative feelings in the short term actually lower our quality of life in the long term.
Define experiential avoidance
Experiential avoidance means the tendency to keep trying to avoid, change or get Ted of unwanted thoughts or feelings - even when doing so is harmful, costly, useless or destructive.
What is ‘the happiness trap in a nutshell’?
To find happiness, we try to avoid or get rid of bad feelings- but the harder we try, the more bad feelings we create.
What are the two main goals of ACT?
- To effectively handle painful thoughts and feelings.
2. To create a rich, full and meaningful life.
What are the six core principles of ACT?
- Defusion- defusing painful and unpleasant thoughts so that they lose their ability to depress or upset you
- Expansion (acceptance) - making room for unpleasant thoughts and feelings instead of trying to push them away.
- Connect with the present moment.
- The observing self
- Values
- Committed action.
What are some techniques for defusing unpleasant thoughts?
- I’m having the thought that…….
- Musical thoughts
- Name your story “ oh, this is the I’ve messed up my life story “
- Thank you for sharing that, mind.
5 . Silly voice
In ACT, what is the most important attribute of a thought?
Is this thought useful (not, is it true). Does it help me take action to create the life I want?
What should you ask yourself when an unpleasant thought pops into your head?
Is this thought in any way useful or helpful?
Is this an old thought?do I gain anything from listening to it again?
Does this thought help me take effective action to improve my life?
Does this help me to be the sort of person I want to be?
What would I get for believing this thought?
What is the serenity challenge?
Develop the courage to solve those problems that can be solved, the serenity to accept those problems that can’t be solved, and the wisdom to know the difference.
