The following definitions are provided for quick reference. Full context for each appears in the relevant section of the guide.
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
An evidence-based therapeutic model built around accepting difficult internal experiences while committing to value-aligned action, rather than requiring those experiences to disappear first. Cognitive defusion is one of its core techniques.
Anhedonia
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities previously found enjoyable. A core diagnostic marker of clinical depression, distinct from ordinary low mood.
Cognitive Defusion
A technique from ACT involving creating psychological distance from a thought — treating it as an observed mental event rather than a literal fact — without needing to eliminate or argue with it.
Identity-Based Habit
A habit framed around a stable self-characteristic ("I am someone who...") rather than a goal requiring active motivation each time, associated with greater durability than goal-based framing.
Oxytocin
A hormone released in response to physical touch and social bonding, associated with measurable cardiovascular effects including lower blood pressure and heart rate.