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Letting Go, Creating Meaning: The Role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Helping People Confront Existential Concerns and Lead a Vital Life

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Existential Concerns and Cognitive-Behavioral Procedures

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Abstract

We all must confront existential crises such as sickness, death of loved ones, loss of job, mistreatment from others, and relationship breakdown. These crises can shatter our sense of meaning. How can we face that moment with honesty and courage, embrace the distress, and create new meaning? This chapter provides a theory of how language and self-awareness can lead us into existential crisis and loss of meaning. It then provides an evidence-based account of how the DNA-V model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help people to answer “Yes” to Camus’ most important philosophical question, “Is life worth living?”. ACT can help people recreate coherence after a coherence-shattering event, overcome alienation from the body, overcome inertia, overcome a sense of self that is self-destroying or feels “empty,” and bridge the gulf between self and others and create genuine connection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, The Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Joseph Ciarrochi, Gareth Quinlen, Baljinder Sahdra, Madeleine Ferrari & Keong Yap

  2. The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Louise Hayes

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  1. Joseph Ciarrochi
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  2. Louise Hayes
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  3. Gareth Quinlen
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  4. Baljinder Sahdra
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  5. Madeleine Ferrari
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  6. Keong Yap
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Correspondence to Joseph Ciarrochi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia

    Ross G. Menzies

  2. University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

    Rachel E. Menzies

  3. University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Genevieve A. Dingle

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Ciarrochi, J., Hayes, L., Quinlen, G., Sahdra, B., Ferrari, M., Yap, K. (2022). Letting Go, Creating Meaning: The Role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Helping People Confront Existential Concerns and Lead a Vital Life. In: Menzies, R.G., Menzies, R.E., Dingle, G.A. (eds) Existential Concerns and Cognitive-Behavioral Procedures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06932-1_17

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