Disney Mental Health Series: Moana & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
“And the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside me. It’s like the tide always falling and rising. I will carry you here in my heart. You’ll remind me that come what may, I know the way.”
-Moana
Moana is a fierce warrior. She accomplishes amazing feats with courage, compassion, and a deep connection with herself and nature. Her journey exemplifies how to act in accordance with your authentic self and true calling despite great and powerful obstacles. To illustrate just how Moana accomplished her destiny, I chose to use a lens of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT is comprised of six core components that can be more easily understood by following Moana’s example.
1. Cognitive Defusion
Cognitive defusion is the ability to create space around thoughts and feelings. Defusion is also known as “unhooking” (#yourewelcome). Unhooking doesn’t mean invalidating our unhelpful thoughts or arguing with them. Instead, we create space around our overwhelming thoughts and feelings and remind ourselves, “This is something my mind is telling me. It’s not all of me and doesn’t define me.” Moana's feats are great, but so are her fears, obstacles, and voices telling her she can’t accomplish her mission. We see her unhook constantly throughout her journey remaining committed to her goal of restoring the heart of Te Fiti.
2. Acceptance
Acceptance means acknowledging and experiencing our internal world without resistance or avoidance. Avoidance of our inner world, including distressing thoughts and feelings, typically involves distraction methods and different ways of numbing ourselves. Our avoidance of our painful emotions typically perpetuates suffering due to the costs of our sacrifices to not feel. In the face of fear and uncertainty, Moana embraces the practice of acceptance. She confronts her fears and sits with her vulnerabilities. In doing so, she processes her feelings and is able to face the challenges ahead.
3. Present Moment Awareness
ACT instructs us to increase our contact with the present moment by practicing mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness means returning to the present moment, and we can do this by using our senses to “anchor” us in our current experience. As Moana sails across the vast ocean, we see her fully present in the moment, feeling the rhythm of the sea, and connecting with her ancestors. A great example of this illustration is the song “We Know the Way.”
4. Self-as-Context
Accessing our self-as-context means connecting with our deeper sense of identity, our true self that is ever present and bears witness to our life’s experiences. This self-as-context perspective is sometimes called the observer’s mind or the “Self.” From the seat of the observer, we can find peace and cultivate wisdom. We see Moana access her self-as-context perspective in the song “I am Moana,” in which she reflects on her identity and mission and is able to access her wisdom and gain clarity about her personal truth. She is able to provide her suffering part with wisdom, encouragement, and protection to proceed with her mission and pursue her calling.
5. Values
Values clarification, a vital component of creating a life that is meaningful and fulfilling, requires us to challenge our rules that were externally thrust upon us and instead let our intrinsic values guide our way. Moana’s journey is guided by her inherent sense of values that serve as her compass in navigating the ocean. As the daughter of the village chief, Moana is born into a set of rules and expectations. When unsure of what to do or how to proceed, Moana lets her values steer her ship with trust that she will eventually arrive at her desired destination.
6. Committed Action
Committing to action in line with our values is essential to creating a life of meaning and purpose. Once we identify what behavior will help us create the life we want for ourselves and live more in line with the person we want to be, we can understand how are thoughts and feelings impact our ability to act accordingly. Moana commits to restoring the heart of Te Fiti. Throughout the movie, she continuously pursues this action and practices accepting her emotions and defusing from thoughts, feelings, and circumstances that could deter her.
A benefit of ACT is increasing psychological flexibility. Just like physical flexibility involves creating the physical space for movement and expansion, psychological flexibility is about creating internal space around our difficult thoughts and feelings so we can continue behaving in a direction toward our desired life and have the presence of mind to enjoy it. Moana is a fierce and compassionate model for how we, too, can follow our unique calling and restore our hearts.