The Worry Trap

Chronic worry, a strong and persistent inability to tolerate uncertainty, is among the most common emotional problems. Unchecked, it can lead to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a common and more serious condition. Enter the newest, most exciting development in psychotherapy in the last fifty years. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a revolutionary new approach to resolving a staggeringly wide range of psychological problems – including chronic worry and GAD. ACT paradoxically stresses letting go of attempts to corral, change, and cease negative thinking. Instead, it helps individuals accept their feeling as they occur without judgment. ACT techniques work to “de-fuse” problematic thoughts from the situations that trigger them. By choosing what they value and committing to how they want to live, people working with ACT can bypass problems like worry entirely. ACT is safe, fast, and, clinical studies prove, very effective. This book is the first for general readers to adapt ACT principles for chronic worry and GAD. It offers a step-by-step approach to learning and practicing ACT, from the first steps of acceptance to a lifetime of rich, values-guided living.