...im practicing a therapy called "social mishap exposure" which is mainly based on ACT, in this exposure u try to intentionally do something wierd that violates ur perceived social norms in order to intensify ur social anxiety and let it pass without fighting it....

Im confused , i just started CBT and i think i can see my thoughts changing to more rational. but ACT stuff seems top of the line. so can i work both at the same time? what should i do-

Usually it's better not to mix forms of therapy at the same time. If you are getting good things out of CBT, stick with it as long as it is useful for you. You never know if the next therapist, no matter how good the treatment is, is going to be a fit for you, so I would say, if CBT benefits you, stay with it a while and see what you think. You can always try ACT later!

Word thanks for the reply. Now i am obsessing (i obsess about everything, its a big part in my S.A.D. negative thoughts) about which method i should try. Im only 3 weeks into CBT, and I see this thread and it seems to be the more modern thing and I'm curious because many members say that CBT didn't work for them. I don't want to wait 5 months on a program that doesn't fully work I rather go with the one that works directly, but I guess i'll never know untill i try them. Thats the thing, If i try it with a "this wont work, aka there is something better out there than this" attitude then it probably wont work for me. Damn i hate being confused it makes me anxious because I really had a lot of hope CBT was gonna work. But this ACT thing looks so good, but I don't even have the books so I guess ill just stick to what I have for now.

I am posting the summary of my experience on this page with the hope that other members will share their experiences as well.
Some months ago I enrolled in a study made by the Drexel University. My therapist used the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment therapy) to help me face my social anxiety. I have also read two useful books about it.
I briefly state what I have learned:
It is not possible to control your thoughts or feelings, and I soon realized this by looking back at my life experiences.
What I have learned is that thoughts are just words in my mind, so toughts are just thoughts, and feelings are just feelings. It looks something logical, but it is very difficult to recognize this in a social context when you experience fear and worry. If I think that I won't be able to speak to a group of people (because of my social anxiety) in that specific situation for example, that does necessarily means that it's going to be true. Being aware that my thought is just a thought is a big step in facing a social situation. The same is true for feeling. ACT helped me to become a better observer.
I have learned that there are two parts of me: a thinking-self, and an observer-self.
The thinking self produces all the possible thoughts: positive, negative, or neutral.
The observer-self is instead that part of me that is aware of what I am thinking, that observes the environment around me and inside me (thoughts and feelings).
Developing the skill of identify these two parts is a key in ACT.
The other fundamental concept is ACT is to live a life based on your values and goals.
There is a bing difference between values and goals.
A value is an on-going process, something that never ends. For example, caring about other people is a value.
A goal is a process that has an end. For example, getting a degree is a goal. Once you get the degree, you reached your goal.
In order to live a meaningful life it is important, first to identify your values and then your goal underlying the values.
Worry and fear will always be part of our path, because is a biological part of being a human being. The important aspect is to act based on your values and goals and never stop our trip because of the obstacles.
This is a brief description of what I have learned in theory. Now I am trying to put this in practice, that is to become a better observer, to accept and be aware of my thoughts and feeling, and to act based on my values and goals.
If you have any experience on this matter, please reply to me. Sharing information is a great tool to improve our life.
Thanks

imo this whole farce of ACT and CBT has been created by the medical society to justify the study of psychology

As the co-developer of ACT (and as an anxiety disordered person in recovery) it is worth noting that the first post in this thread from 2010 mentions the lack of data ... which was fair then but now a 2016 meta-analysis of several dozen controlled studies said that "Findings suggest that ACT demonstrates at least moderate group and pre-post effects for symptom reductions for both anxiety and depression" Journal of Affective Disorders, 190, 551–565. If people want a quick understanding of ACT a good start is my TED talk, which uses my own anxiety disorder as a framework for understanding the model: www.bit.ly/StevesFirstTED

- Steve Hayes