ABSTRACT

In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), theorists explain that one of the core processes that lead to human suffering is being attached to the conceptualized self, which is a progressive story consisting of formulations of the past and predictions for the future based on experiences that have occurred in one's life. Furthermore, this concept of ACT also reveals that by the time a client comes in for therapy, this process has woven a spider's web of categories, interpretations, evaluations, and expectations regarding the self. When individuals are diagnosed with a life threatening or chronic disorder, they often begin to self-identify with that disorder. Being self-focused and centered around the disorder, the individual is inhibited from feeling that they have control or power over themselves and their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This intervention has been used in open-ended, process groups focused on same gender loving minority men ages 18-30 that are HIV+.