Key Ideas
it is all about relating
‘Stand by me.’
the basic idea
If A is bigger than B, and B is bigger than C, then A is bigger than C, and C is smaller than A.
How do you know both that A is bigger than C, and C is smaller than A?
The given context, and your ability to relate things. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Focusing on one thing in isolation, it’s easy to miss its embeddedness in a larger complex system that gives it its nature. It’s easy to miss the garden for the flowers.
Basically, this means that thoughts, habits, emotions, and even our self-concept don’t occur in isolation. They unfold within a context, shaped by a myriad of internal and external factors. This is where the Relational Frame Theory (RFT) comes into play.
RFT & complex systems
RFT, a psychological theory focusing on the role of language and cognition in human behavior, proposes that the building block of human language and higher cognition is the ability to create bidirectional links between things, known as relating.
To fully comprehend something, it is crucial to understand it in its context. This is the essence of RFT, which emphasizes the importance of our arbitrarily applicable relational responding ability, allowing us to respond to stimuli based on the relations we have learned.
To expand on this even further, let’s take water molecules for instance. If you put two of them together, do they form a cloud? No. Similarly, if you have neurons and connections, do they constitute a mind? Again, no.
This simple analogy underlines how the whole is more than just the sum of its parts. Complexity science, also known as complex systems science, is a field of study that focuses on understanding systems as a whole, rather than simply the sum of their parts. Deeply rooted in mathematics and physics, it provides a framework for understanding the interconnectedness and interdependence of elements within a system.
the mind
‘Mind in Disguise: thoughts as facts and absolute truths.’
Following this understanding, the mind is not merely an enskulled brain, while being 100% dependent on brain functioning. On my pages I use the term mind to mean the core of our experience of being alive, including feelings, intuition, thinking, memory, attention, awareness, intention, and behavior initiation.
In physics, complex systems are often described as systems with many interacting components, leading to emergent behavior that cannot be predicted from the properties of individual components. This concept aligns with the given term mind as more than just the sum of neurons and connections.
When you ask someone, “What’s on your mind?” you’re not asking about the physical matter in their brain. You’re asking about their thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensory experiences—the complex interplay of mental activities and relations. This landscape of experiences is shaped by the continuous flow of energy and information within and between minds. And our minds are always at work, constantly creating systems of interconnected relations.
And this is where Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) comes in.
ACT & neurobiology
ACT, an action-oriented approach to therapy and training, encourages individuals to accept their emotions and commit to making necessary changes in their behavior, regardless of their current circumstances or feelings.
Scientific support underlies the proposal that the mind is both embodied, captured in the physical workings of the brain, and relational, shaped by our interactions with the world around us. This is a key concept in both RFT and ACT, with a focus on the relational aspect of cognition and behavior, as well as Interpersonal Neurobiology, which emphasizes the relational nature of the mind.
Let’s take a precise look at thoughts, or cognitive patterns. The key lies not in the thoughts themselves but in our quick relational responses—our subconscious thoughts—that often predict our behavior more robustly than the claims we make about what we think. Our subconscious mind, through this relational process, supersedes all conscious control. The invisible world of the subconscious can either work for us or against us, subtly influencing our behavior. This is what ACT addresses by helping to accept emotions and commit to making necessary changes in behavior, all while promoting the concept of workability.
Now, you can imagine how many relations your cognitive patterns might have. The brain can’t just pull out some unhelpful thoughts, memories, beliefs without relating to the entire system. Because one thing is related to another, and another, and another. Our minds are not static; the brain, through a process known as neural plasticity, is continually revising its wiring. While we can’t “delete” or “copy and paste” our thoughts, we can lay down new cognitive patterns, develop them, and strengthen them.
We don’t challenge, dispute, or invalidate our thoughts. We don’t avoid, suppress, or dismiss them. Instead, we acknowledge and defuse from unhelpful thoughts and add new ones in a scientifically sustainable way. Essentially, we become architects of our own mental systems, a process that ACT facilitates.
the magic of relational learning
Finally, imagine a juicy, fresh watermelon, or any fruit/berries you like.
‘Its fresh smell, sweet taste, and crunchy effect when you bite it’
Even if there’s no watermelon in front of you right now, you can still experience the fresh smell, the sweet taste, and the crunchy sensation of biting into it. This is the magic of relational learning. Our brains light up in a similar way whether we’re experiencing something or merely thinking about it.
What does this perspective give us?
Any change—habits, acquiring new skills, taking committed actions, effective cognitive patterns and so on—requires the underlying biological mechanism of learning within the given context. ACT is a practical application of this understanding. It recognizes that changing one aspect of this complex system, such as a behavior or thought pattern, involves dealing with the system as a whole.
This is similar to the concept in complexity science that a small change in one part of the system can lead to significant changes in the system’s overall behavior, a phenomenon known as the butterfly effect.
In the end, it’s all about relating.
Check my “magazine” for insights