Welcome to the Hexaflex Model
Develop psychological flexibility through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
What is Psychological Flexibility?
Psychological flexibility is the capacity to adapt to difficult experiences while remaining true to your values. It's the ability to be present in the moment, open up to experiences (even difficult ones), and do what matters.
Rather than trying to eliminate or change difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT teaches you to develop a different relationship with your internal experiences while taking action toward what matters most in your life.
Key Characteristics of Psychological Flexibility:
- ✓ Being fully aware of the here and now
- ✓ Accepting what is out of your control
- ✓ Willingness to have difficult thoughts and feelings
- ✓ Changing behavior based on personal values
- ✓ Doing what matters even when it's difficult
- ✓ Adjusting to situational demands flexibly
The Hexaflex Model
The Hexaflex Model is the foundational framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It consists of six interconnected core processes that work together to enhance psychological flexibility.
These six components are represented in a hexagonal structure, with each component supporting and influencing the others. Together, they enable you to live a more meaningful, vital, and flexible life.
The Six Components of the Hexaflex
Click on any component to learn more and practice exercises
Mindfulness & Acceptance Processes
These four processes help you develop a flexible, open relationship with internal experiences:
- • Being Present: Engaging fully with the current moment
- • Acceptance: Embracing experiences without struggle
- • Defusion: Relating to thoughts differently
- • Self-as-Context: Observing from a stable perspective
Commitment & Behavior Change Processes
These two processes provide direction and translate intentions into action:
- • Values: Clarifying what matters most to you
- • Committed Action: Doing what matters consistently
Together with the acceptance processes, these enable psychological flexibility: the ability to be present, open up to experience, and do what matters.
Being Present (Present Moment Awareness)
What is Present Moment Awareness?
Present Moment Awareness involves fully engaging with and being conscious of the current experience. It encourages awareness of ongoing thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environmental stimuli in the here and now.
Life happens in the present moment. By cultivating present-moment awareness, you can respond more effectively to what is actually happening rather than being caught up in mental narratives about the past or future.
Key Characteristics
- • Being fully engaged in the current experience
- • Mindful awareness of present thoughts, feelings, and sensations
- • Staying grounded in the here and now
- • Reducing rumination about the past or worry about the future
- • Flexible attention to what is happening right now
How It Connects to Other Components
Acceptance: Provides the foundation for acceptance (you can't accept what you're not aware of)
Defusion: Supports cognitive defusion by noticing thoughts as they arise
Self-as-Context: Essential for observing self (observing requires present awareness)
Values & Action: Enables values-based action in the current moment
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
Purpose: Anchor attention in the present moment using all five senses
Duration: 3-5 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions:
- Pause and take a comfortable position
- Take a few deep breaths to settle yourself
- Identify 5 things you can SEE - Notice colors, shapes, textures
- Identify 4 things you can FEEL/TOUCH - Notice physical sensations, textures, temperatures
- Identify 3 things you can HEAR - Listen to sounds near and far
- Identify 2 things you can SMELL - Notice scents in your environment
- Identify 1 thing you can TASTE - Notice any taste in your mouth
- Take a final deep breath and notice how you feel now
Exercise 2: Mindful Breathing
Purpose: Develop present-moment awareness through breath focus
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions:
- Find a comfortable position (sitting or lying down)
- Close your eyes if comfortable, or maintain a soft gaze downward
- Take several long, slow, deep breaths
- Shift to natural breathing - don't control it, just observe
- Notice the sensation of air moving through your nostrils
- Feel your chest and belly rise and fall
- When your mind wanders (and it will), gently guide attention back to your breath
- Remember: noticing your mind has wandered IS the practice
Exercise 3: Body Scan
Purpose: Develop awareness of physical sensations in the present moment
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Instructions:
- Lie down or sit comfortably and close your eyes
- Take three deep breaths
- Starting with your feet, notice any sensations - temperature, pressure, tingling
- Slowly move attention up through: ankles, legs, knees, thighs, hips, abdomen, back, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, face, head
- For each area, simply notice sensations without trying to change anything
- If you notice tension, just observe it
- Finish by noticing your whole body at once
Acceptance
What is Acceptance?
Acceptance involves embracing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without trying to change, suppress, or eliminate them. It is the willingness to experience difficult feelings and internal events without unnecessary struggle.
The goal is not to like or want difficult experiences, but to allow them to be present without adding suffering through resistance. Acceptance reduces the secondary suffering that comes from fighting against primary emotions.
Key Characteristics
- • Acknowledging and embracing difficult emotions without resistance
- • Allowing experiences to exist without judgment
- • Experiencing feelings fully without trying to control or avoid them
- • Practicing willingness to have uncomfortable internal experiences
- • Reducing the struggle against inevitable human experiences
How It Connects to Other Components
Defusion: Works closely with cognitive defusion to reduce struggle with internal experiences
Present Moment: Supports present moment awareness by allowing full engagement with current experience
Committed Action: Enables committed action by reducing avoidance behaviors
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Willingness Scale
Purpose: Assess and develop willingness to experience difficult emotions
Duration: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
0 = Completely unwilling | 5 = Somewhat willing | 10 = Completely willing
Exercise 2: Expansion Technique
Purpose: Practice accepting difficult emotions and physical sensations
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Instructions:
- Identify a difficult emotion you're currently experiencing
- Notice where you feel this emotion in your body
- Observe: Where is it located? What's the shape? Temperature? Is it moving or still?
- Instead of trying to get rid of it, breathe into the sensation
- Imagine creating space around it - allow it to be there
- If you notice resistance, soften around the sensation
- Say to yourself: "I can make room for this feeling"
- Continue for several minutes, breathing and making space
Exercise 3: Acceptance Statements
Purpose: Practice accepting difficult experiences through language
Duration: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Practice saying:
"I notice I'm having the thought that... and I can make room for this"
"I'm noticing a feeling of... and I can allow this to be here"
"I'm aware of a sensation of... and I don't need to fight this"
Cognitive Defusion
What is Cognitive Defusion?
Cognitive Defusion focuses on changing how we relate to thoughts rather than trying to change the thought content itself. It involves observing thoughts without becoming attached to them or treating them as absolute truths.
Thoughts are just words and images in the mind—they are not commands, threats, or absolute truths. By defusing from thoughts, we reduce their power to control our behavior and emotions.
Key Characteristics
- • Stepping back from thoughts and seeing them as mental events
- • Recognizing thoughts as transient occurrences, not facts
- • Creating psychological distance from persistent negative thoughts
- • Reducing the literal impact and emotional weight of thoughts
- • Observing thinking as an ongoing behavioral process
How It Connects to Other Components
Acceptance: Complements acceptance by reducing fusion with difficult thoughts
Self-as-Context: Supports self-as-context by creating observer perspective
Values: Enables values-based action by reducing thought-based barriers
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: "I'm Having the Thought That..."
Purpose: Create distance from thoughts through language
Duration: 2-3 minutes per thought
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions:
- Identify a difficult or unhelpful thought (e.g., "I'm a failure")
- Say the thought as you normally would and notice how it feels
- Now add: "I'm having the thought that..." and notice any difference
- Then: "I notice I'm having the thought that..." - notice increased distance
- Finally: "I notice my mind is telling me the story that..." - notice the shift
Exercise 2: Leaves on a Stream
Purpose: Practice observing thoughts without getting caught up in them
Duration: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Instructions:
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes
- Imagine you're sitting beside a gently flowing stream
- Visualize leaves floating on the surface of the water
- Each time a thought arises, place it on a leaf
- Watch the leaf float downstream and drift away
- Wait for the next thought and repeat
- If you get caught up in a thought, acknowledge it and return to the stream
- All thoughts go on leaves - judgments, worries, plans, memories
Exercise 3: Thank Your Mind
Purpose: Acknowledge thoughts without being controlled by them
Duration: Ongoing practice
Difficulty: Beginner
When you notice an unhelpful thought, say:
"Thanks, mind!"
"Thank you, mind, for that thought"
"Thanks for sharing, mind!"
The tone should be gentle and appreciative, not sarcastic. Your mind is trying to help, even when it's not helpful.
Self-as-Context (Observer Self)
What is Self-as-Context?
Self-as-Context helps you recognize that you are more than your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It develops a sense of self that observes experiences without being defined by them—a stable, continuous perspective from which all experiences are observed.
There is a part of you—the observer—that has been consistently present throughout your entire life, watching all your experiences unfold. This observing self is separate from the content of your experiences. You are the context in which all these experiences occur, not the experiences themselves.
Key Characteristics
- • Recognizing a stable "observing self" that remains constant
- • Understanding that you are not defined by your thoughts or experiences
- • Developing perspective-taking flexibility
- • Creating distance from rigid self-narratives and labels
- • Experiencing the "continuous you" that has been present throughout life
How It Connects to Other Components
Acceptance & Defusion: Provides the perspective from which acceptance and defusion occur
Present Moment: Enables present moment awareness from an observer stance
Values: Creates psychological space for values clarification
Committed Action: Supports committed action by reducing identification with limiting self-stories
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: The Continuous You
Purpose: Contact the observing self that has been present throughout life
Duration: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Instructions:
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes
- Think back to when you were a child (age 5-7) - What did you look like? What did you enjoy? Who was aware of those experiences?
- Think of yourself as a teenager - How had you changed? What were you interested in? Who was aware?
- Think of yourself 5 years ago - What was your life like? Who was aware?
- Think of yourself yesterday - What did you do? Who was aware?
- Notice yourself right now - Who is aware of this experience?
- Reflect: Your body, thoughts, feelings, and circumstances have all changed, but there's been a consistent "you" observing all of it
Exercise 2: Notice Who's Noticing
Purpose: Develop awareness of the observing self
Duration: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions:
- Notice what you're thinking right now - then notice who is noticing that thought
- Notice what you're feeling - then notice who is noticing that feeling
- Notice a physical sensation - then notice who is noticing that sensation
- There's a part of you observing all of these experiences - that's the observing self
- Practice throughout the day: Notice an experience, then notice who's noticing
Exercise 3: Chessboard Metaphor
Purpose: Understand that you are not your thoughts and feelings
Duration: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
The Metaphor:
Imagine a chessboard with black and white pieces constantly in battle:
- White pieces: positive thoughts and feelings (happy, confident, hopeful)
- Black pieces: negative thoughts and feelings (anxious, sad, self-critical)
- The pieces battle: "I'm good enough" vs. "I'm not good enough"
Here's the key insight: You are not the pieces. You are the board.
The board holds all the pieces, is not threatened by any piece, doesn't take sides, and remains stable regardless of the battle.
Values
What are Values?
Values involve identifying and clarifying personal core values—the desired qualities of ongoing action that give life meaning and direction. Values are not goals to be achieved but chosen life directions that guide decision-making and behavior.
Values are about how you want to behave on an ongoing basis—the kind of person you want to be, how you want to treat others, and what you want to stand for. They are chosen directions, not destinations. You never "complete" a value; you live it through your actions.
Key Characteristics
- • Identifying what truly matters to you
- • Clarifying desired qualities of action across life domains
- • Connecting actions to personal meaning and purpose
- • Guiding meaningful life direction and decision-making
- • Providing motivation for behavior change
Common Life Domains for Values
• Relationships (family, intimate, friendships)
• Work/Career
• Education/Personal Growth
• Health/Physical Well-being
• Leisure/Recreation
• Spirituality
• Community/Citizenship
• Parenting
• Environment
How It Connects to Other Components
Committed Action: Provides the "why" for committed action
Present Moment: Requires present moment awareness to notice when off-track
Acceptance & Defusion: Supported by acceptance and defusion (reducing barriers to values-based living)
Self-as-Context: Clarified through self-as-context perspective
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Life Domains Values Clarification
Purpose: Identify values across different areas of life
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
For each domain, ask: "What kind of person do I want to be in this area?"
Exercise 2: Values vs. Goals
Purpose: Understand the difference between values and goals
Duration: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Key Distinction:
GOALS are achievable outcomes (you can complete them)
VALUES are ongoing directions (you never complete them)
Exercise 3: Top 5 Core Values
Purpose: Identify and prioritize personal values
Duration: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Common Values:
Committed Action
What is Committed Action?
Committed Action involves translating values into specific, purposeful behaviors and concrete goals. It means taking effective action guided by values, even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings.
Values without action are just words. Committed action is about doing what matters, even when it's difficult. It involves setting specific, achievable goals that serve your values and taking consistent steps toward those goals.
Key Characteristics
- • Setting goals aligned with personal values
- • Taking specific, purposeful steps toward valued living
- • Developing patterns of effective action
- • Persisting with value-based behavior despite obstacles
- • Creating sustainable, meaningful life changes
- • Building larger patterns of values-based living over time
How It Connects to Other Components
Values: Directly expresses values through concrete behavior
Acceptance & Defusion: Requires acceptance and defusion to act despite difficult internal experiences
Present Moment: Supported by present moment awareness (taking action now)
Self-as-Context: Enabled by self-as-context (not limited by self-stories)
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Values-Based Goal Setting (SMART Goals)
Purpose: Set goals that align with personal values
Duration: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Exercise 2: Daily Values Check-In
Purpose: Maintain daily connection to values and committed action
Duration: 5-10 minutes daily
Difficulty: Beginner
Exercise 3: Willingness and Action
Purpose: Take action despite difficult internal experiences
Duration: Ongoing practice
Difficulty: Intermediate
"I'm willing to have [difficult experience] in order to [valued action]"
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