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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl and Wilson, 1999) stands at the forefront of the "third wave" (mindfulness-based) CBTs. The increasing influence of this approach is evident in the range of books that have appeared over the past few years, including practical guides to ACT (Hayes and Strosahl, 2004; Luoma, Hayes and Walser, 2007), self-help books (e.g. Hayes and Smith, 2005; Robinson and Strosahl, 2008), ACT for anxiety (Eifert and Forsyth, 2005), depression (Zettle, 2007), and trauma (Walser and Westrup, 2007). The Worry Trap is a useful addition to these volumes; this brief book is an ACT-based self-help guide designed to help people make room for worry and anxiety so that they can build more meaningful and fulfilling lives.
The book begins with an overview of the nature and function of worry and anxiety, along with a brief summary of prominent intervention approaches (e.g. cognitive therapy, exposure, relaxation training, and ACT). Chapter 2 imparts some of the key features of the ACT model of anxiety (and psychopathology more generally), which views internal control attempts as part of the problem rather than the solution. The author does a good job of communicating ACT's focus on altering psychological context (i.e. how one relates to internal states) rather than on modifying or reducing difficult psychological content.
The material in the book is organized around a five-step model (LLAMP), which clearly maps onto ACT's core processes/skills:
Label worry thoughts