A simple tool for assessing the client's willingness to experience uncomfortable sensations, thoughts or feelings in the service of values. In ACT, willingness is not desire or comfort; it is an active choice to stay in contact with inner experience while moving toward what matters. The technique helps shift from "first the pain must go away, then I will live" to "I can live with pain present."
Step-by-step guide
- Identify the specific feeling, thought or sensation the client is avoiding.
- Ask: "From 0 to 10, how willing are you to make room for this anxiety, without fighting it, in order to move toward [value]?"
- Accept the number without evaluation and explore what stands behind it.
- Ask: "What would need to happen for you to move one point higher?"
- Emphasize that willingness is a choice, not a feeling.
When to use
- The client avoids an experience that blocks life.
- You need to motivate acceptance before defusion or exposure.
- The client is waiting to feel fully ready before acting.
- You are exploring the cost of control: what is lost when the client refuses to feel.
Key phrases
From 0 to 10, how willing are you to make room for this anxiety, without fighting it, in order to talk to your boss about the promotion?
Follow-up questions
If 0 means complete refusal and 10 means full willingness, where are you now?
What would need to happen for you to move one point higher?
Do you notice the difference between wanting to feel this and being willing to feel this?
Alternative phrasings
The question is not whether you can remove this anxiety. The question is whether you can carry it with you while moving toward what matters.
Warnings
- ⚠️ Suicide risk: willingness never means consenting to self-harm; clarify this explicitly.
- ⚠️ Active psychosis: the client may not have enough distance from experience.
- ⚠️ Trauma without stabilization: the practice may become overwhelming.
Source: Hayes, S. C. Strosahl, K. D. & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.