ABSTRACT
Open, aware, and active processes can be thought of as the pillars of acceptance & commitment therapy, with the foundation being psychological flexibility. Each of these pillars then functions to support health, wellbeing or resilience, depending on the focus of the intervention. The first pillar, Open, is comprised of the two processes of defusion and acceptance. The second pillar is Aware and refers to the ability to come into contact with the present moment with a sense of openness, non-judgement, and curiosity, rather than being dominated by a conceptualised past, future, or self. Aware process works together with Open processes to facilitate greater contact with the present, as both awareness of content, along with an open stance, are required to genuinely be present. The Active pillar brings together values with taking committed action steps. The terms Open, Aware, and Active cluster the six core Acceptance & Commitment Therapy processes into three.
