Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for gut-brain axis and provides direction when gut-brain axis removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Gut-Brain Axis
Gut-Brain Axis often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when gut-brain axis has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult gut-brain axis periods
- A basis for action independent of how gut-brain axis makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Gut-Brain Axis
Ask yourself: 'If my gut-brain axis 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 Gut-Brain Axis
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when gut-brain axis is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite gut-brain axis, are more sustainable than waiting for gut-brain axis to lift first.