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