The Sixth Core Process of ACT: Committed Action
The sixth core process of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is Committed Action, which involves translating personal values into meaningful behaviors despite challenges. It emphasizes engaging in value-driven actions consistently over time, fostering psychological flexibility and aligning one's life with chosen values rather than reactive emotions. Denial of existential issues like the 6th mass extinction and climate change hinders committed action by promoting experiential avoidance, where individuals refuse to confront painful thoughts about these crises. This disconnect between expressed values—like care for the environment—and actual behavior leads to inaction and environmental degradation. All six ACT core processes—Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Contact with the Present Moment, Self-as-Context, Values Clarification, and Committed Action—are interdependent and essential for fostering real change. Each process supports individuals in overcoming avoidance and confusion to take meaningful steps toward a sustainable future. As the challenges of environmental crises intensify, ACT serves as a vital framework for both individual and collective psychological change, equipping people with practical tools to address these urgent global issues. A holistic approach that integrates all core processes is crucial for making significant progress in combating mass extinction and climate disruption.
The Third Core Process of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Contact with the Present Moment
The third core process of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is "Contact with the Present Moment," which focuses on bringing conscious, non-judgmental attention to current experiences. This mindfulness involves acknowledging thoughts, sensations, and emotions without avoidance or suppression, fostering psychological flexibility to align actions with personal values even amid discomfort. However, many individuals struggle with genuine present-moment awareness, particularly in the face of pressing global issues like climate change. Denial manifests through avoidance of uncomfortable truths, often leading to rationalizations for inaction. Phrases like "I live in the present" can become shields to disengage from urgent environmental crises, prioritizing transient comforts over necessary ecological actions. Psychological mechanisms such as moral disengagement and cognitive biases (like present bias and optimism bias) further entrench denial, resulting in a disconnection between knowledge of global threats and personal accountability. This creates a “made-up reality” where individuals avoid existential anxiety by focusing on daily, manageable tasks while ignoring larger systemic issues. Ironically, the common encouragement to "live in the present" may contradict the mindful engagement ACT advocates, as it often leads to a disengagement from the genuine realities that require attention and action.
Understanding the Second Core Process of ACT: Cognitive Defusion
Cognitive defusion, the second core process in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), is essential for fostering psychological flexibility. It complements acceptance by helping individuals create distance from distressing thoughts, recognizing them as mere mental events rather than absolute truths. Techniques such as labeling thoughts, visualizing them as clouds, or repeating them aloud help lessen their impact, allowing for value-aligned actions. In the context of catastrophic human behaviors—like climate change—acceptance is crucial but insufficient. Without cognitive defusion, individuals may become fused with despairing beliefs, such as "It's too late," leading to inaction. By stepping back from these thoughts, individuals can think more clearly and creatively, revealing potential solutions obscured by cognitive fusion. The challenge lies in achieving collective psychological change across societies; widespread acceptance and defusion are necessary for effective action against environmental crises. Currently, many individuals are stuck in a cycle of denial and hopelessness, which hampers effective solutions. Breaking this cycle requires a concerted effort to practice acceptance and cognitive defusion collectively, enabling groups to recognize actionable pathways despite feelings of doubt and fear. Only through this combined effort can meaningful change and progress be realized.
The New Social Contract in the Era of the Sixth Mass Extinction
The world is currently facing the Sixth Mass Extinction, a crisis caused primarily by human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, over-exploitation, invasive species, and climate change. This extinction rate is alarmingly estimated to be 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than natural rates, highlighting an urgent need for action. In response, a new social contract is essential—one that recognizes our responsibilities to all life on Earth rather than just focusing on individual rights. This reimagined social contract must begin with individual awareness of our impact on ecosystems and the understanding that our personal actions contribute to either mitigating or worsening the environmental crisis. Furthermore, it encourages collective awareness and action, emphasizing the need for dialogue about our interconnectedness and responsibilities towards each other and the planet. Education plays a crucial role in fostering this collective consciousness, promoting a sense of global citizenship. Unity and solidarity are vital for confronting these existential threats, as history shows that collaboration is our greatest strength in overcoming challenges. Together, through informed actions and shared responsibility, we can work towards a sustainable future and protect biodiversity for generations to come.