Abstract
Hayes, Wilson, Gifford and colleagues argue that experiential avoidance — attempts to escape or suppress thoughts, feelings, and memories — is a functional dimension that cuts across many named disorders.
Hayes, S. C., Wilson, K. G., Gifford, E. V., Follette, V. M., & Strosahl, K. (1996). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(6), 1152–1168. DOI
Key findings
- Functional dimension — Avoiding private experience is treated as a process, not a syndrome label.
- Cost of escape — Short-term relief can maintain longer-term restriction of action.
Limits
Cite-anchor shelf — closed access; expand after a full read. Scite tally includes a small contrasting set (3) — do not treat the 1996 frame as a finished law.
Application
When you name a form you keep not looking at, ask whether the next hour is escape from a private state or contact with it — then take one smaller step than the real domino (Experiential avoidance).