ABSTRACT
Creative practitioners can find ways of physicalising any of the concepts in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), although the technique is probably most frequently applied to the defusion and acceptance processes. Good examples include acting out the ‘Passengers on the Bus’ metaphor, the ‘Lifeline Steps’ exercise and the use of physical metaphors like Chinese Finger Traps. A pad of sticky notes is one of an ACT practitioner’s best friends, since such notes can be used very flexibly in a range of exercises. One useful example of this is often referred to as the ‘two sides of the paper’ exercise, which starts with the client writing down a difficult thought on one side of the sticky note. Having established the co-ordination between values and pain with the two sides of the paper, physicalising can be taken in different directions. ACT is about flexible and functional choosing, rather than the dogged pursuit of values.
