If you've experienced hardships, it may be difficult to believe that the pain you're enduring has the potential to bring you meaning, connection and a sense of purpose. How can we use our hurt to open our hearts? How can the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy fuel that transformation?

On this episode, Dr. Hayes discusses connections between ACT and a diverse range of spiritual and religious practices, offering insight on how science can help us discern what's helpful and what's harmful. He also shares about his own history of panic, mental health stigma, and his new insight about the possibility of pivoting from a place of pain to one of purpose.

Steven C. Hayes is a Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and is the author of 46 books including Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (which for a time was the best-selling self-help book in the United States), and his new book A Liberated Mind. An expert on the importance of acceptance, mindfulness, and values he is ranked among the most cited psychologists in the world and his TEDx talks have been viewed nearly 3/4 of a million times.