Workshop
ACT for people with severe
personality problems
Annika Cornelissen
Lucas Goessens
Scelta Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Berlin, july 16th, 2014
Intro: 9 questions exercise
Go to a proud,
successful moment,
and evaluate yourself.
Evaluate yourself, from the perspective
of your perfectionistic, “not-good-enough’ self
Go back to a moment
when a loved one left you
From the perspective of you as a 18 year old:
how would you evaluate yourself as you are
now?
How do you judge yourself today, up till now?
Go to a very difficult moment
in your role as a therapist, feeling
desperate and powerless.
Go to a very rewarding moment
in your role as a therapist
Go back to a moment when
you had a strong sense of failure.
Go back to a moment you
fell in love, and this love
was answered.
Workshop outline:
ACT for PPP
(people with severe personality problems)
1. Why is it difficult
2. Why is it important
3. Why is it inspiring
Continued: workshop outline:
ACT for PPP
4. Our treatment: structure, vision,
tailoring!
Experiential exercises
ACT: “BOTTOM LINE” =
PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY
“Helping people to maintain meaningful behaviours
in their lives, even when difficult private experiences
(thoughts/feelings/memories/pain) show up”.
ACT for PPP
1. Why is it difficult?
*behaviour patterns of Short Time
Survival
*e.g. self-hate, paranoia, impulsivity
*patterns give sense of self
*little contact feelings, needs, values
2. Why is it important?
*Tiny steps can make a big difference
*meaningful contacts, value-based
behavior
*EA undermines therapy process
*ACT can stimulate therapy process
Why is it important?
*DBT = ACT for borderline
problems??
→ ACT extra value in creating
meaningful lives.
ACT for PPP
3. Why is it inspiring?
ACT for PPP
4. Our treatment: structure, vision
→weekly group
→2- day clinic:
*start low, go slow, don’t overflow!
*ACT Treatment plan
Value Area 1:
WAVES
BEACONS
LIGHTHOUSE
1._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
___________
4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Value area 2:
WAVES
BEACONS
LIGHTHOUSE
1._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
___________
4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Start low, go slow:
essential is:
the first beacon!!
ACT for PPP
ACT for PPP
our treatment: structure, vision
*cycle: every two weeks 1 hexaflex item
*Clear and simple hexaflex
Default Hexaflex
Mindfulness
Acceptance
Values
Psychological
flexibility
Defusion
Committed action
Self as context
HEXAFLEX SIMPLE
Stay aware when needed
Deal with
difficult emotions
Know what
matters
From staying
alive to living a
life
Deal with difficult
thoughts
Do what it
takes
Put on the right
spectacles
HEXAFLEX SIMPLE: flexibility poles
awareness vs. automatism
allowing vs.
rejecting
From staying
alive to living a
life
hooking vs.
unhooking
knowing what
matters vs, ‘I
don’t care’
keeping on track
vs. letting go
being me instead of
who I should be
ACT for PPP
Experiential exercises
→ Tailoring!!
(light-medium-heavy)
Questions? Workshops?
l.goessens@ggnet.nl
a.cornelissen@ggnet.nl