How can ACT therapy help with anxiety disorders and benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms?

ACT, or acceptance and commitment therapy, is a form of psychological flexibility developed by leaders in the field of contextual behavioral science. It is a behavior therapy that may be useful to victims of iatrogenic injury, such as traumatic encephalopathy caused by benzodiazepines, and the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal.

In recent years, the “third wave” therapies and theories, based on acceptance, mindfulness, and action, include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The third wave therapies are considered to be empirically supported treatments (EST).

No matter what kind of therapy is attempted with a person struggling through intense benzodiazepine withdrawal, we must understand how difficult the benzo withdrawal syndrome can be. Symptoms are intense and difficult to tolerate.

It is important that doctors and therapists realize that clients in withdrawal are going to be skeptical of any talk therapy techniques. They are going through serious and intolerable physical withdrawal symptoms, as their brains attempt to adjust and heal.

While acceptance commitment therapy may very well help them to tolerate withdrawal better, we must approach the subject carefully. A client or patient in early benzo withdrawal, with more severe symptoms, may not be ready to work with an ACT therapist.

How can acceptance help with benzodiazepine withdrawal?

Again, when a doctor asks a patient in benzo withdrawal to be mindful of the present moment and accept their circumstances, the request may not be well received. The patient may view any recommendation from a doctor with hesitation and suspicion.

Benzo toxicity and the tortuous withdrawal syndrome were, after all, caused by a doctor’s prescription and assurance that benzodiazepines were safe to take long-term. It can be difficult to develop any level of trust in doctors after suffering from iatrogenic, or doctor-caused, injury.

Acceptance is connected to mindfulness. There are things in life that we cannot change, no matter how hard we try, or how much we wish they would change.

Benzo withdrawal syndrome does get better with time. However, there is often nothing that we can do to move the process along any faster. The healing process takes time, and the withdrawal will run its course.

While there are definitely recommendations that can be helpful, such as dietary changes, sound therapy, and activities, such as walking, the process of brain recovery can not be rushed. ACT techniques start with discussing mindfulness of the present moment.

Once we are mindful of our environment and our situation, we can become open to the possibility of accepting benzo withdrawal as an uncomfortable process that will get better, over the long-term.

What is ACT defusion, and how can it help?

Cognitive defusion is a spiritual concept of separating consciousness from thoughts and feelings. It is similar to the teachings of the spiritual movement, The Three Principles, and other philosophical teachings.

If you have read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, then you are familiar with the concept. Our brains are machines that calculate and generate thoughts and feelings, and we are an observer of this process.

Essentially, we are not our thoughts and feelings. We are consciousness that is aware of the thoughts generated by our brain.

A brain in pain, in benzodiazepine withdrawal, generates very negative thoughts and feelings. When we begin observing self, we realize that we are not our thoughts, we are the observer of our thoughts.

In order to facilitate healing, and not harm ourselves further, it is important to avoid acting on negative thoughts and feelings.

When a person finds themselves in a dark place during the benzo tapering and withdrawal process, they must realize, using mindfulness skills, that the heavy, unhappy thoughts are just thoughts, and they must not be used to motivate dangerous actions. A negative thought or bad feeling is just a product of a suffering brain.

As the brain heals, difficult thoughts will come around less frequently. Painful thoughts will become less painful.

What does it mean to make a commitment and take committed action?

During the course of ACT with an ACT therapist, you will work through assignments to help develop personal values. You may have developed unhealthy habits to avoid uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.

The act of doing something unhealthy to avoid unpleasant emotions and uncomfortable thoughts is known as experiential avoidance. For example, feelings of anxiety caused by being around other people might lead someone to isolate, or take benzodiazepines to suppress the anxiety.

Is it a good thing to avoid being around other people? Success in life, including a sense of fulfillment and happiness, generally involves socializing to some extent.

Patients of ACT therapists eventually realize that they must adjust their values to live the lives they want to live. Then, they make a commitment to take action.

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy helps the patient, through mindfulness and meditation, to become aware of their thoughts and feelings. Yet, without taking committed action as part of treatment, there can be no behavior change, and no resolution of the underlying issues.

The goal of ACT is not just to become aware of thought and emotion, but to take appropriate action to overcome life’s challenges. Unwanted thoughts will always be there, but they do not have to limit our lives.

How can learning ACT help someone in benzodiazepine withdrawal to take positive action?

Taking a walk is a healthy activity for anyone who is capable of going outside to walk for a reasonable distance. Walking is physically healthy, benefiting our heart health and metabolism.

Yet, many people in benzo withdrawal or tapering from benzodiazepines do not want to go outside to take a walk. Benzodiazepines cause serious trauma to the human central nervous system, and the trauma recovery process can be long and painful.

Who would want to take a walk when they are suffering? It is much more comfortable to stay in bed.

There are difficult times in benzo recovery when a person is truly not able to get out of bed, but when they have a window of being capable of getting up to take a walk, they may want to take that opportunity.

ACT is a behavioral therapy tool that can help a patient to take that next step in taking positive action. For a patient going through benzo withdrawal symptoms, simply taking a walk outside is a major accomplishment.

Walking is not only good for physical health, it is also good for mental health. An ACT therapist may make a significant difference in the healing process by encouraging their clients to simply get out of bed and join a partner, friend, or family member for a refreshing walk.

ACT vs CBT: How is ACT different from cognitive behavioral therapy?

CBT seems to be everywhere. Smart Recovery is a group therapy program that offers cognitive behavioral therapy to help with substance abuse.

There are smartphone apps in the category of prescription digital therapeutics (PDT) that provide CBT in digital form. These apps use a combination of programs and online therapy to treat conditions such as addiction, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

ACT is known as a third wave therapy, in that it goes beyond traditional therapies, such as CBT. It blends the spiritual and the new age, with a focus on ancient techniques, such as mindfulness and meditation.

People who have been searching for answers to their suffering understand the ACT approach. CBT may be very useful in improving the lives of many people, but it is not always the best approach.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is about taking negative, harmful thoughts head on, with the intention of changing them. The goal of CBT in clinical psychology is to change the way you think, and the way you behave.

Changing negative thoughts during benzodiazepine withdrawal is like trying to move a mountain. Rather than struggling to move a mountain, why not accept the fact that the mountain is there?

If we have a mountain in our backyard that obstructs the sunlight, causing us to be unhappy, why not learn to develop a new set of values that do not require us to dig up an entire mountain? The mountain will erode away in time, but in the meantime, we can still make a commitment to make the best of it for now.

What about ACT vs DBT?

Dialectical behavior therapy is often listed in the laundry list of services provided by substance abuse treatment facilities. Rehabs provide CBT, DBT, group therapy, family therapy, social work, and various other services.

The underlying philosophy of dialectical behavioral therapy and acceptance commitment therapy are similar. They both describe the importance of acceptance, mindfulness, and action.

However, the implementations by therapists are different. Additionally, the areas where DBT has been studied are more limited.

A patient going through an issue with drug addiction might be treated by a DBT therapist. Yet, benzodiazepine physical dependence is not addiction. Physical dependence is, in general, not at all the same as addiction.

Because of the unique challenges of benzo tapering and benzo withdrawal, ACT may be the better choice of therapies, rather than DBT. This is especially true if the DBT therapist is more comfortable working with people who have addiction issues, rather than physical dependence issues.

Can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alone solve the problem of benzodiazepine withdrawal?

Unfortunately, there are no magic bullets or silver bullets to make benzo withdrawal symptoms go away quickly. The benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome resolves with time.

The most important thing a person in benzo withdrawal can do is to stick with it. Things may be very unpleasant now, but there is always hope. We never know what the tide may bring in tomorrow.

While the healing process takes time and the withdrawal discomfort cannot be fixed overnight, there are positive actions that may help to move the process more quickly, and to make it more tolerable. Healthy eating, and healthy activity can make a difference.

While binge-watching Netflix all day, or reading novels, can help to pass the time, it is also important to engage in healthy self-care. Spiritual engagement can help significantly to gain a new perspective on life, helping the person in benzo withdrawal to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and to appreciate the good in their lives.

Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy compatible with Gratitude Therapy?

Gratitude therapy involves being aware of the good things that we have in our lives. It may also involve being aware of the bad things that are not present for us.

For example, a person in benzo withdrawal may feel hopeless, because they have persistent headache, upset stomach, insomnia, anxiety, pain, vibrations, ringing in the ears, restlessness, agitation, and many other symptoms, including the intolerable movement disorder, akathisia. They may even experience new allergies to foods that they never had an issue with before, due to histamine intolerance.

How can someone who suffers with these symptoms feel gratitude for anything? It is not easy to be grateful when daily life is all about suffering that seems to have no end.

Yet, a person with these symptoms might feel gratitude that they are still able to speak and move their limbs, and bear weight, being able to walk across the room to get a glass of water or turn off the television.

There are medical conditions where a person is not able to stand or walk, or they have lost the ability to speak, or they have lost all motor abilities, being trapped in their own bodies. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is a terrible, long-lasting condition, but being able to self-care, self-feed, and have conversations with others is worth being grateful for.

We can be grateful for the positive things in life. Healthy family members, safe living conditions, beautiful things in nature, such as kittens, puppies, clouds, gentle breezes, trees, and butterflies are things we can write down on our gratitude list.

While gratitude therapy is a great help in realizing the value of continuing life, ACT is a therapy that includes developing positive values through acceptance, and taking action. Action is critical for making positive changes that will aid the healing process.

Do I need an ACT Therapist to properly practice ACT?

People who face the challenge of living with benzo withdrawal often try many kinds of therapies. They may work with energy healers, coaches, psychologists, counselors, and other talk therapy workers.

In no time, a person in benzo withdrawal may find their schedule filled with various appointments for telemedicine, telehealth, or online coaching and counseling services. Some practitioners may give conflicting advice or feedback, and they may provide extensive assignments that are difficult to keep track of and complete.

If you are going through the benzodiazepine withdrawal process, you may be wondering if it will be necessary to schedule yet another therapist to get the benefits of ACT. Will talking to one more talk therapist really make a difference?

Fortunately, you may be able to do much of the ACT work on your own. You do not necessarily need a therapist to develop a sense of mindfulness and awareness of your thoughts and feelings.

You may even gain significant benefit from reading books about mindful living and the separation of your existence and awareness from the thoughts and feelings generated by your physical brain. I recommend the books of Michael Singer, as mentioned above, as a great start.

I also recommend considering The Three Principles, which was founded by Sydney Banks. In fact, Sydney Banks can be seen on various YouTube videos, and he is soothing to listen to, with a simple, yet profound message.

If reading a book is not easy at the current stage, these books are also available in audiobook format. There are also many great video presentations on YouTube, and many podcast episodes on these topics that may be helpful.

While immersing yourself in the subject of mindfulness, self-awareness, and change, you may decide to work with a formal ACT therapist. Or, you may find that you are able to make use of ACT without the need for another dedicated therapist.

In fact, your current doctor or therapist may be able to integrate ACT principles into your sessions with them. While the subject of ACT is fascinating, the important thing is to implement it and make use of it in a way that is most helpful to you in moving forward towards living with and accepting your current situation.

Additionally, ACT will help you find motivation to take positive actions that will help with the healing process. Even when suffering in benzo withdrawal, when you are able to open a journal and start writing, you will be able to determine your values and goals, and actions you can take to keep moving forward.