Cultivation of Mindfulness and Acceptance Processes in ACT and CBT: A Randomized Clinical Trial in a Pure Self Help Context

There is a paucity of research on self-help approaches within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); specifically there is a need for more randomized controlled trials to elucidate the effectiveness of ACT-based biblio-therapy relative to more traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The aim of the present research, therefore, is two-fold: (a) to provide a preliminary comparison of ACT and CBT for anxiety in a self-help context and (b) to examine how the two treatments impact ACT-relevant processes in an international community sample (N=200) of persons reporting difficulties with anxiety and fear. Participants were randomized to receive either an ACT or CBT workbook, and five process variables relevant to ACT were assessed at pre- and post- intervention periods twelve weeks apart (i.e., self-compassion, mindfulness, psychological flexibility, thought suppression, and cognitive fusion/defusion). Results are reported here for participants who completed both pre- and post- intervention assessments (N=67). Consistent with expectations, ACT and CBT moved all five ACT processes in expected directions; however, in all cases, ACT did so to a significantly greater extent than CBT. These results have implications for the effective delivery of ACT and CBT biblio-therapy to the general population, especially to areas where dissemination of efficacious treatment is limite