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