Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for emotional abuse and provides direction when emotional abuse removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Emotional Abuse
Emotional Abuse often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when emotional abuse has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult emotional abuse periods
- A basis for action independent of how emotional abuse makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Emotional Abuse
Ask yourself: 'If my emotional abuse were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Emotional Abuse
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when emotional abuse is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite emotional abuse, are more sustainable than waiting for emotional abuse to lift first.