Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: A Liberated Mind: The Essential Guide to ACT

Reviewed in Australia on 4 June 2022

This book was recommended to me by a practicing clinical psychologist. I was very disappointed with it. The author claims to be targeting both professional and retail readers but in my opinion doesn't succeed in doing either very well.
It is a fairly long book but the essence of what the author has to say could have easily been conveyed in a well edited 100 pages with perhaps an extensive appendix of the many ACT techniques that he mentions throughout the book with a summary of evidence for the claims about these techniques. For a book claiming professional and scientific integrity, proper and credible proof of claims was sadly lacking.

Early in the book, Heyes states that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is heavily based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). He further states that the extensions to CBT which ACT offers are based on ancient spiritual practices such as meditation and mindfulness. These claims seem reasonable and would be interesting if properly explored. Instead we get dozens of stories about these techniques but little in the way of valid evidence to support most of the them.

More conservative research about ACT techniques suggest that they work a little better than conventional CBT in some situations and a little worse in others.

As the book progresses, Heyes' claims become increasingly ambitious. Towards the end he is more or less saying that ACT will cure anything from warts to cancer.

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Adrian

A must read book, especially for anyone interested in psychology

Reviewed in Australia on 8 September 2019

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I loved this book! As a student of counselling it is right up my alley, but it would be useful for anyone who is interested in how the mind works and how we can better harness it's power for good. For those interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) this is captivating reading... Not only can you learn directly from the originator, you will also get the back story of how and why this approach has been developed over the last 4 decades. Including the very personal connections to Steven's own life story and experience with panic disorder. And this is a practical book with lots of hands-on techniques available to build your own toolkit. A Liberated Mind is a fitting legacy for Steven Hayes who has dedicated so many years to academic research in the service of others. I highly recommend this book, and hope many more will join the ACT journey towards liberated minds, more purposeful, fulfilling and compassionate lives.

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Grant Dewar

Liberate your mind to Liberate your Life

Reviewed in Australia on 27 August 2019

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Steve Hayes one of the great thinkers of our time, offers us the keys to living in sustainable, flexible and genuinely productive lives... by transforming pain and suffering into meaning and purpose.

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Mr. S. Alidina

Psychological flexibility matters more than anything else. This book is the guide.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2019

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This book is based on a wonderful evidence based therapy and training process called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It's written by the originator of ACT, so it's a definitive guide which I think will be a classic.

I read a fair amount of books. This is the first book in years in which I read each page carefully and filled with notes and underlined sentences. Usually I just read on Kindle but the contents of this book seemed too precious to me to just scan read it. It surprised me too.

Steven has through his research with his colleagues discovered fundamental insights into the way the human mind works and why it causes itself so much suffering. So whether you are suffering from too much stress, anxiety, depression or just experience the challenging ups and downs of life, you will learn something new within these pages for sure. There's definitely lots of new insights in here.

I hope many therapists read this book. I know there are many forms of therapy. But I personally believe in evidence-based therapies rather than approaches that feel good but may or may not work in the long run.

The reason I say this is because there seems to be a good quality evidence base for ACT. If it didn't have that, I wouldn't be so interested. And some of the stories of the research work they've done on ACT and the findings are very exciting!

There are also some fundamental differences in the way ACT has been researched compared to CBT. ACT is based on lab research rather than just clinical studies so it arguably has a more solid basis to its findings and possibility of wider ranging applications beyond the therapist room and out into offices, schools, communities, prisons and hospitals.

The book is written partly in a story style and partly includes powerful exercises that have been well tested and found to work. There's a lot of content and it's well organised.

Ultimately this book is about the power of improving your psychological flexibility which may be scientifically speaking the most well-founded quality of humans to measure and improve for our mental and emotional well-being. These are developed through 6 skills which can be considered as 6 pivots, as a small shift in mindset and energy can lead to their flourishing rather than a lifetime of effort.

If you want to read something different and like to be challenged and love the need for evidence based work and want to do exercises that have been found to work for others and want to create a rich, full and meaningful life, this book will probably be a great fit for you.

Through reading this book I've managed to discover some hidden thoughts that were holding me back and feel I'm freer from them now. And have taken some brave new steps in my life that I'm proud of. Not just just changing my mindset but taking action too.

Buy and read this book slowly and carefully and begin the journey to an authentic, meaningful life. 🙏🏽

74 people found this helpful

Elles

Hard going

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2020

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This is a 400 Page thesis. I chose this as it’s by Dr Hayes the originator of ACT. I have only read 100 pages (of part 1) but it’s been a hard slog & all about how they got to creating ACT & how the fusion of Dr Hayes personal experiences with anxiety & his research brought movement in from CBT. I tried skipping to part 2 but found too many terms from part 1 I wasn’t familiar with. I’m hoping parts 2&3 will be more helpful when I finally get there & that I’ll regret my 3star rating.....
There is also a minor air of “but of course, behavioural/ humanistic psychologists knew this & no one else did” which just grates slightly.

Currently part 1 is a great book for a psychology student but not for a depressed mother.... if you are the latter, I’d say opt for a lighter introduction/ handbook for ACT!

20 people found this helpful

Sean Ferguson

An Excellent and Thorough New Approach

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2019

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After trying various forms of CBT for many years to cope with 30+ years of anxiety (with no success), I have found Dr Hayes approach in this book to be revelatory. It’s not snake oil and it won’t “fix you”, in fact that’s part of the treatment - learning to accept and not struggle with trying to change negative or anxious thoughts. His metaphor of the “dictator within” really hit home and I can’t thank him enough for writing the book and sharing his experience.

20 people found this helpful

Tony Burton

ACT explained in a highly user-friendly way...buy it, use it, benefit from it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 September 2019

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There are many excellent books on ACT, but this is written by one of the primary originators. It is just magnificent, with the history & development, interwoven with the authors and some of clients struggles, and applying the model. The theory is explained in a highly user-friendly way, & how to bring the 6 processes into your life right now. This ought to be a huge seller - and the message of psychological flexibility stepped even more than ever, into cultures worldwide. Anyone reading this needs to know that ACT is being adopted by not only Clinical Psychologists worldwide, but can be used in so many areas of life. A fine exposition.

Highly recommended.

9 people found this helpful

Joseph Augustine

We hurt where we care...so there!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2020

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The archetypal psychologist James Hillman was critical of CBT (Wiki) in its adoption of a “natural scientific philosophy and praxis calling it reductive, materialistic, and literal; they are psychologies without a psyche, without soul.”; and being of a similar persuasion, I was also almost sure I’d be convinced ACT might fit neatly into this description - well almost...

What ACT amounts to being are several skilful mindfulness moves or 'pivots’ to lessen the judgmental chatter of the problem-solving dictator within.

The objective lens of a scientific experiment is nary a page turn away in how to cultivate the art of flexible thinking under the umbrella term of third-wave mindfulness CBT. However, I found the narrative space a cloister of stiflingly avuncularness in large chunks, mostly consisting of academic research conducted by Dr Hayes’s former students, colleagues (and glowingly praised friends). Also, the tone set out tends to come across like one big whoop of egoic vindication at an Afflicted Critical Thoughts Convention for “egg heads." Not my words, but Albert Ellis’s (inventor of REBT in fact) opined that ACT would not trans diagnose too well across mental health categories, especially psychosis - much to Haye’s chagrin.

According to ACTors pivots are a third wave ‘contextual revolution’ which makes up for the pitfalls of Ellis and Beck’s second wave CBT by pointing out “changing thought does not change outcomes. It is the behavioural component that has a good effect.” In other words “while thoughts have a life of their own, their impact on our behaviour comes from our relationship to them, from whether we act on them, and the choice is up to us.” This explanation reminded me of NLP, which to my mind had practically realised many of the ACT presuppositions in the late 1970s/early 80s (in particular reframing) maybe, minus the mindfulness component. Though one could argue introducing hypnotic phenomena into a session isn’t far off to the present-momentness pivot in disidentifying a client from their conceptualised self - and more rapidly.

An intriguing and playful correspondence with NLP might be contrived if Dilts’s Logical Levels (after Bateson) are mapped across on to the Hayes Pivots Model with some choice elision along the way:

A = ‘Acceptance’ (Capabilities Level: EQ) merges with ‘Defusion’ (Beliefs Level) i.e. techniques to reduce symptom severity of unhelpful thoughts and emotions, and to meet ‘life as it is’ (or the notion of Buddhist wakefulness).
C = ‘Committed Action’ (Behavioural Level) merges with ‘Values’ (Values Level) i.e. greater improvement in lifestyle by taking baby steps consistent with one’s values.
T = ‘Taking Self-perspective’ (Identity Level) merges with ‘Present-moment ness’ (Capabilities Level: IQ), i.e. looking at one’s deluded self-story and discovering dispassionate curiosity to aid in “dropping the tug ‘o ‘war”

As described (in brackets above) each Logical Level can correspond to an ACT Pivot. In one sense this might even explain ACT’s commonality to coaching practices, aa if you look carefully there is already a book on this very subject called Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.

In an overly dominated left-brained world (especially in reflecting the current institution of work for most people) ACT is possibly in its present guise, as near a convergence of pure CBT with Gestalt humanism and contemplative practice as it can get without losing its identity completely. The line is firmly drawn at psychoanalysis with its fantastic seduction theories. There does seem, however, to be a little prospect in the short term at least of an Olive Branch being thrown in the direction of body-based therapies; and certainly scant recognition of outside-in (energetic medicine) nor inside-out (intrapsychic multi parts) approaches. My guessing is if you come from other psychotherapeutic disciplines, for instance, those briefly mentioned right above, there will be moments in the book which scream out for more elegantly applied interventions.

It is somewhat apparent there are a lot of autobiographical investments in the anecdotal examples to elucidate a personal mission - much laid bare - and the difficult birth in bringing forth into the world a statistically robust psychological method. Hayes’s very useful key tests are ‘precision’ (clear and specific); ‘scope’ (apply to lots of conditions); ‘depth’ (consistent, not contradicting with research in other fields over time); demonstrating ‘change processes’: (how to make specific changes to reach goals). Therefore, it is easy to see the attraction of ACT to large institutions, in particular, which must demonstrate a value for money. However, I can see another advantage of ACT. Its emphasis on flexibility is built right into the model and can easily be incorporated into different therapeutic approaches, especially when there is a call to tailor a session to the specific needs and requests of maybe a more rational based client when left-field ideas just won’t do - and there is no morphine to hand too.

4 people found this helpful

Peter Williams

Learn to live with your thinking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2019

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This book has opened my eyes. It has helped me see the real world more clearly and I spend much more time in the present moment. It has also helped me experience my internal world; instead of living in fear of my thoughts, I can watch them dispassionately and even - sometimes - enjoy the drama.
Dr Hayes writes with compassion and commitment. I appreciate the scientific research that has gone into developing ACT and I can vouch for its effectiveness. It has literally been a life saver for me.
I’ve tried many different approaches and techniques with little success, but this book has taught me how to live with my mind in a way that has brought fulfilment. It’s not easy, and I still get drawn into my thinking, but now I recognise the symptoms and have the tools to recover.
Expect to find some things you don’t like, and expect to have some battles. Keep going anyway and let Dr Hayes’s ’ book guide you to a better way of living.

10 people found this helpful

DT

Love is everything

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2021

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A highly practical guide to take back control of thoughts so one can lead a fulfilling life full of love.

The author shares his own struggle with mental health and the relatively simple tools he used to change his thinking. He then goes on to give practical exercises and show how these can be used in a wide variety of situations from helping cancer patients to supporting communities ripped apart by war deal with a serious disease.

Practical, helpful, and astonishingly well documented with thorough scientific study. Written with deep consideration and a good dose of self-deprecating humour. Wonderful.

5 star		73%
4 star		16%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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