#182 What are "towards and away moves" and what on earth do they have to do with hoarding recovery? With Dr Jan Eppingstall

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Today, I'm joined by Dr Jan Eppingstall to unpack "towards moves" and "away moves" in the context of hoarding. These terms might sound unusual, but they're crucial for understanding behaviour in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and how they relate to our values. It's all about recognising whether our actions are leading us closer to what matters or pulling us further away, and we'll be exploring how to identify and pivot those choices.

• Introduction to Towards Moves and Away Moves
• Definition and explanation of the concept.
• The relevance of these moves in dealing with hoarding disorder.
• Initial thoughts on the impact of small actions.
• Examples in a Hoarding Context
• Away moves (e.g., keeping craft supplies, avoiding recognising chaos).
• Towards moves (e.g., donating supplies, acknowledging home environment issues).
• Explanation of how values influence these moves.
• Role of Values in Decision Making
• Importance of determining personal values.
• How values affect choices and provide motivation.
• Impact of materialism and societal pressures on values.
• Cognitive Fusion
• Explanation and examples of cognitive fusion.
• The effect of tightly held beliefs on reality and actions.
• Discussion of accuracy vs. helpfulness of thoughts.
• Flexibility vs. Rigidity and Perfectionism
• Psychological inflexibility and societal expectations.
• The struggle between personal values and societal pressures.
• The concept of emotional flexibility and its importance.
• Recognising Towards and Away Moves
• Strategies for acknowledging and reflecting on these moves.
• Importance of awareness in decision-making processes.
• Dopamine and Pleasure vs. Meaning
• The role of dopamine in pleasure and motivation.
• Discussion on short-term pleasure vs. long-term meaning.
• How these insights influence approach and avoidance behaviours.
• Making Changes and Addressing Moves
• Creating “if-then” plans to anticipate moves.
• Reflecting on decisions and their outcomes.
• Recognising patterns and using past experiences to guide future actions.
• Role of Helpers in Towards and Away Moves
• Identification and importance of helpers like goal setting and values clarification.
• Challenges faced by individuals with attentional deficits.
• Votes for the Person You Want to Be
• Connection between choices and self-identity.
• Concept of actions as votes for future selves.
• First Steps to Take More Towards Moves
• Starting with value clarification exercises.
• Questions to help determine what’s important personally.
• Encouragement to explore inner motivations and experiences.