El ser humano utiliza el lenguaje para moldear su mundo, para estructurarlo y darle sentido. El lenguaje construye nuestros rascacielos, contribuye a la fuerza de nuestro acero, crea la elegancia de nuestras matemáticas y forma la representación de la belleza en nuestro arte. El lenguaje ha sido la fuente de tantos logros humanos que es natural que lo utilicemos de forma prioritaria para identificar un problema y elaborar una solución. Pero, precisamente porque el lenguaje puede sernos tan útil, también puede ser problemático. El lenguaje no solo permite los logros humanos, sino también nuestra capacidad para proyectar futuros terribles, para compararnos con ideales irreales y encontrar nuestras carencias, o para atormentar nuestras almas con la finitud de la vida misma. El lenguaje está en el centro de la habitual tendencia humana de sufrir en medio de la abundancia...

The present study examined the relation between changes in psychological flexibility and changes in mental health stigma in the context of a 2.5-hour long Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group workshop for reducing mental health stigma. Of 27 college undergraduates who attended the workshop, 22 completed one-month follow-up assessment. Results revealed that mental health stigma was reduced significantly at post-treatment, and these reductions were maintained at one-month follow-up. Increased psychological flexibility from pre to follow-up was significantly correlated with the reduction in mental health stigma from pre to follow-up. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.

Background Obesity is a growing epidemic. Weight control interventions can achieve weight loss, but most is regained over time. Stigma and low quality of life are significant problems that are rarely targeted. Purpose A new model aimed at reducing avoidant behavior and increasing psychological flexibility, has shown to be relevant in the treatment of other chronic health problems and is worth examining for improving the lives of obese persons. Methods Patients who had completed at least 6 months of a weight loss program ( N = 84) were randomly assigned to receive a 1-day, mindfulness and acceptance-based workshop targeting obesity-related stigma and psychological distress or be placed on a waiting list. Results At a 3-month follow-up, workshop participants showed greater improvements in obesity-related stigma, quality of life, psychological distress, and body mass, as well as improvements in distress tolerance, and both general and weight-specific acceptance and psychological flexibility. Effects on distress, stigma, and quality of life were above and beyond the effects due to improved weight control. Mediational analyses indicated that changes in weight-specific acceptance coping and psychological flexibility mediated changes in outcomes. Conclusion Results provide preliminary support for the role of acceptance and mindfulness in improving the quality of life of obese individuals while simultaneously augmenting their weight control efforts.

Little is known about the assessment and treatment of self-stigma in substance abusing populations. This article describes the development of an acceptance based treatment (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT) for self-stigma in individuals in treatment for substance use disorder. We report initial outcomes from a study with 88 participants in a residential treatment program. The treatment involves 6 h of a group workshop focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and values work in relation to self-stigma. Preliminary outcomes showed medium to large effects across a number of variables at post-treatment. Results were as expected with one potential process of change, experiential avoidance, but results with other potential mediators were mixed.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has previously been shown to alter stigmatizing attitudes and to be relatively useful for psychologically inflexible participants. The present study is the first to bring those two findings together by comparing ACT to an education intervention for reducing stigma toward people with psychological disorders, and examining whether results differ for psychologically inflexible versus flexible individuals. A sample of college students (N =95) was randomly assigned to a 212h ACT or educational workshop. Measures were taken before and after the workshop and at a 1-month follow-up. ACT reduced mental health stigma significantly regardless of participants’ pre-treatment levels of psychological flexibility, but education reduced stigma only among participants who were relatively flexible and non-avoidant to begin with. Acceptance could be an important avenue of exploration for stigma researchers.

Behavior analysis in general and applied behavior analysis in particular requires a well developed, empirically Supported, and useful approach to human language and cognition in order to fulfill its mission of providing a relatively adequate comprehensive account of complex human behavior. This article introduces a series of articles in which the possibilities presented by Relational Frame Theory (RFT) are explored as they apply to issues addressed by Organizational Behavior Management (OBM). RFT provides an empirically useful operant account that has already led to a variety of applied innovations, including several of direct relevance to OBM.