The building blocks of change.

Proficiency in mindfulness lends to the growth of cognitive defusion and acceptance, two important skills derived from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Cognitive defusion — a method of learning to view thoughts, emotions, and other mental phenomena as separate from ourselves — is an important step toward gaining an advantage over harmful variants of these phenomena. The distance we create between ourselves and unwanted experiences enables us to lean into acceptance — allowing these experiences to generate and dissipate naturally, and empowering us to live our lives with autonomy rather than exhausting ourselves fighting against them.

With less of our time allocated to struggling against unwanted experiences, we can begin to devote more of it toward setting meaningful goals that align with our personal values. Through mindfulness, we discover what we cherish and what is most important to us, and we intelligently chart a course to enrich our lives with these ideals.

With a variety of skills under our belt and our goals determined, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of these goals, acting responsibly and in congruence with our values. As we begin to accomplish what we had set out to achieve, we gain a sense of self-actualization — a realization of our capacity and demonstration of our innate potential.