Pacing Issues Using "Get Out of Your Mind..."
I happened upon "Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life" and immediately realised that this book was for me. I am not 'into' self-help or even psychology although I have received counselling many times over many years without thought to theory or method. ACT is congruent with my belief system and educational background and the book seemed accessible for someone who needs to apply her higher order brain functions to writing her M(m)asters T(t)hesis.
I bought the book, I opened it and I've been devouring it ever since (3 days ago). I seem to be working more on this than the other things in my life that are past due and even downright urgent. These things cause me pain and I am a World Class Procrastinator (I know, I know, identifying with my pain and all that). What do I do about feeling like ACT is, in and of itself, a pain escaping strategy?
On page 40 is an exercise called "judging your own experience" that asks me to take the larger view of my struggle for 10 days. Fine. But I kept reading and now I've come to page 64 - "keeping a pain diary" - that asks me to log the types of pain I have during the day, observe their content and the related ideas that tag along for the ride with a pain-inducing thought.
I feel I am ready for this step but wonder if I moving too fast? (Will my workbook respect me in the morning?) Is this simply a sign of willingness or am I cheating myself out of valuable experience? (like, say, um, i dunno, the value of delayed gratification perhaps...)
Many thanks advance for your insight. I look forward to reading your response(s).
Oblivia
Pacing
One thing: join the ACT_for_the_Public listserve and look at the message archives. There are several posts on this kind of thing.
There are no data on this issue so we can just guess. The general consensus seems to be to do your own thing, but if you bolt ahead to come back later and work though what you zipped over. Most folks who really work the book, go through it several times. These are slippery issues and it takes a while for the exercises to help
folks see how this all works.
- S
Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada
Pacing
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the tip re: listserv; good idea! I think you're right about having to cycle through the book a few times to get the hang of it. I'm prone to being a bit too self-satisfied with conceptual understandings and stopping short of practice.
Congratulations on getting such a useful introduction out there. (I've also found a couple of typos, should i send them to you or your publisher? :))
Thanks,
Robin