Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology,
Title: You are greater than what you sense, think and feel: An Acceptance & Commitment Therapy application to Behaviour Medicine
Synopsis
First generation behaviour medicine focused on applying behaviour analysis and behaviour principles of treatment to control and reduce symptoms of mainly chronic illness such as epilepsy, asthma or prevent illness such as heart disease. Third wave behaviour therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) focus mainly on acceptance of symptoms which turns out to be a more effective means in reducing symptoms and increasing quality of life. This presentation offers an illustration of the evolvement from control and symptom reduction to acceptance, increase in life quality and symtom reduction for a number of physical illnesses. Learning how to get ‘bigger than’ your symptoms is key.
Abstract
First generation behaviour medicine focused on applying behaviour analysis and behaviour principles of treatment to control and reduce symptoms of mainly chronic illness such as epilepsy, asthma or prevent illness such as heart disease. Third wave behaviour therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) focus mainly on acceptance of symptoms which turns out to be a more effective means in reducing symptoms and increasing quality of life. This presentation offers an illustration of the evolvement from control and symptom reduction to acceptance, increase in life quality and symtom reduction for a number of physical illnesses. Learning how to get ‘bigger than’ your symptoms is key. The presentation offers examples from my own research in epilepsy, asthma, stomach disorders, chronic and acute pain and obesity. Self as context as a specific perspective taking has shown to a key element in helping clients to get ‘bigger than’ symptoms and from that perspective become aware of relational frames of thoughts, feelings and sensations making up these symptoms. Once the client becomes aware of these ingredients involved in what she call symtoms, she can open up to the actual physical sensation and curiously study its true nature. Becoming aware of the difference between the actual physical sensation involved in symptom and one’s thoughts and fantasies entailed in the symtoms helps the client to open up to and accept what is here and now.
Biography
JoAnne Dahl is a Professor at the Department of Psychology at Uppsala University in Uppsala Sweden. She is originally from the USA with a BA from Earlham College. After a Program in Scandinavian studies in Sweden and Denmark she stayed and earned her clinical psychology degree at Uppsala University. Her Ph.D is also from Uppsala university which was compiled of Randomised Controlled Clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness of Behaviour treatment of Epilepsy. Following her dissertation which received awards from the Swedish government she was given a commission from the International Epilepsy Society for creation and implementation of behaviour treatment of epilepsy in the developing countries. This commission provided a platform for clinical research in following years together with Epilepsy South Africa and Epilepsy India. JoAnne and colleagues established and evaluated programs for treating epilepsy at a Epilepsy Hospital in Pune India and in Springs South Africa.
In Sweden, JoAnne has worked within Rehabilitation Medicine with a focus on chronic illness. Helping people using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with chronic pain and stress come back to work and to a vital life has been a focus in her research and clinical interests. This research has led to 2 widely used books for ACT and chronic pain, one for researcher and one as a self help book. This self help book is noted as an evidence based self help book in the treatment of chronic pain by the American Psychiatric Society.
Other areas JoAnne of research and clinical interest are epilepsy, Asthma, obesity, constipation and HIV and Aids. She has published professional books most recently in the ACT treatment of obesity and Applying ACT to improve intimacy and love relationships.
Recently JoAnne and colleagues have been working with women and former child soldiers in Sierre Leone who are victims of the disastrous civil war. There she has been working to establish and evaluate ways of working with ACT for trauma and stigmatisation with minimal language and under extremely poor conditions. JoAnne is an internationally Recognized ACT Trainer, a license Clinical psychologist, and Licensed Psychotherapist. She is known as a host to a Radio program called ACT taking hurt to hope where she has produced nearly 70 programs weekly with researchers working with ACT all over the world.
Presently JoAnne is working on some controversial new ways to use ACT with pain including children with cancer pain, women with sexual penetration pain and general pain. She is working on a new form internet treatment for obesity using no text, and a one session treatment for the homeless in Stockholm.
Licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Internationally Recognized ACT Trainer
Listen to my weekly psychological self help radio program taking hurt to hope on www.webtalkradio.net
