ABSTRACT
People with progressive neurological conditions face psychological challenges throughout the course of their illness. Challenges include existential threat, adjustment to an altered life course, fear of disability, as well as disability-related stigma. Activities of daily living can fluctuate with periods of relapse and remission, within an overall pattern of progressive deterioration. This can lead to a requirement to find a balance between a focus on here-and-now responding and making flexible plans for the future. A focus on the present moment and open, flexible and engaged responding can facilitate the negotiation of these challenges for the person and their significant others, making acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) a potentially useful approach to psychological therapy. Empirical evidence for this is at an early stage but is growing and shows promise.
