Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Addressing Anorexia Nervosa: A Case Study

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave behavioral therapy approach that aims to increase psychological flexibility by helping individuals accept distressing thoughts and emotions rather than attempting to control or eliminate them, while engaging in value-consistent behaviors. Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder characterized by rigid cognitive patterns related to weight control, body image distortion, and eating behaviors. This case study aims to examine the effectiveness of ACT on psychological flexibility, body acceptance, eating-related distress, and engagement in value-driven behaviors in a client diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, through the systematic implementation of ACT’s six core processes: contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context, values, and committed action. The Psychological Flexibility Scale was administered before and after the intervention to assess therapeutic outcomes. The client’s life history, eating behaviors, triggering factors, and psychosocial context were systematically analyzed. Throughout therapy, the client was supported in accepting distressing internal experiences rather than struggling with them and in taking actions aligned with personal values. The findings indicate that ACT contributed to improvements in psychological flexibility, body acceptance, and the management of eating disorder–related symptoms, as well as to the development of a more value-oriented lifestyle. This case study points to the possibility that ACT may represent a potentially supportive approach in the treatment of anorexia nervosa and indicates the need for further studies conducted with larger samples.