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