Dr. Steven Hayes is a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

An author of 46 books and nearly 675 scientific articles, he is especially known for his work on "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" or “ACT” which is one of the most widely used and researched new methods of psychological intervention over the last 20 years. Steve is ranked among the most cited psychologists in the word.

His popular book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life was written up in a 5 page story in Time Magazine and was for a time the bestselling self-help book in the United States. Steve’s book, A Liberated Mind released to wide acclaim.


In this episode, we discuss:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:44 - Steve dedicated his life to becoming a psychologist
00:02:55 - The development of his panic disorder later in life
00:06:21 - Recalling his out of body experience
00:20:37 - What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
00:22:24 - The trouble with avoidance
00:32:03 - Give your mind a name
00:37:40 - Try using one-word repetition
00:40:52 - Psychological flexibility has six processes
00:45:23 - The selfish version of mindfulness
00:47:50 - At what age do negative thoughts start in kids?
00:52:09 - The problem with clinging to the positive
00:53:23 - Teaching kids situational awareness
01:01:03 - Are you on a hero’s journey or are you writing a tragedy?
01:03:25 - The two different vagal systems
01:05:54 - How to pivot towards what matters
01:07:24 - You’re emotions aren’t unsafe
01:12:34 - The emotion of confidence
01:14:20 - Overcoming speech anxiety
01:19:59 - Using mindful awareness to beat anxiety
01:32:55 - Living with a liberated mind
01:39:04 - Seeking an ACT therapist