Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
At Deslongchamps Recovery, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a powerful, evidence-based approach we use to support you in addiction recovery. ACT starts with a simple but life-changing idea: painful thoughts, cravings, memories, and emotions are real—and tough—but they don’t have to control your choices or your future. You don’t need to fight them, numb them, or run from them to move forward.
ACT helps you build practical skills to notice cravings, urges, anxiety, shame, or self-criticism without being pulled back into old patterns. Through mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion, you learn how to sit with discomfort safely and respond in healthier ways—ways that align with your values, your goals, and the life you want beyond addiction.
For clients in recovery, ACT is especially effective because it targets some of the biggest relapse triggers: emotional pain, stress, fear of failure, and the urge to escape uncomfortable feelings. Instead of asking you to “get rid of” cravings or negative thoughts, ACT teaches you how to make room for them without acting on them. Over time, this reduces their power and helps you stay grounded, present, and committed to recovery.
Research has shown ACT to be particularly beneficial for substance use disorders, as well as co-occurring challenges like anxiety, depression, and obsessive thought patterns. At Deslongchamps Recovery, we use ACT to help you reconnect with what truly matters—your health, relationships, purpose, and sense of self—so recovery becomes more than just stopping a behavior. It becomes a meaningful, sustainable way of living.