[Summary] In “Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters,” Steven C. Hayes discusses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an approach that emphasizes psychological flexibility to navigate life’s challenges. The author argues that traditional methods, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), often fail because they focus on changing thoughts and feelings, rather than accepting and navigating them. ACT promotes six key pivots: defusion (detaching from unhelpful thoughts), acceptance (embracing difficult experiences), self (connecting with one's core sense of self), values (identifying what matters most), committed action (taking steps toward values), and perspective-taking (seeing things from other perspectives). Hayes emphasizes that psychological flexibility is essential for personal growth and thriving in an increasingly complex world, providing exercises and examples to demonstrate how to use these pivots to cope with anxiety, depression, chronic illness, pain, trauma, and even societal issues like prejudice and substance abuse.
