Mindfulness and Acceptance: The Perspective of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

There have been disagreements about whether mindfulness- and acceptance-based therapies represent a significant development from more traditional cognitive behavior therapies (CBT). The current chapter describes differences between acceptance- and mindfulness-based therapies and traditional CBT at the level of their respective theoretical models of psychopathology, intervention, and health. The importance of these newer therapies is further discussed in relation to examining the progressivity of the current scientific strategy within CBT. Contextual behavioral science, the scientific strategy undertaken by acceptance and commitment therapy researchers, is presented as an alternative approach. In particular, we argue for moving from technology-focused treatment testing with highly specified syndromes and manuals to a theory-focused model of treatment testing with functionally defined problems and process-oriented treatments that are tightly linked to basic science and underlying philosophical assumptions. These changes in scientific strategy are proposed as a significant paradigm shift in CBT and potentially a new wave of behavior therapy.