Cognitive defusion in mindfulness psychotherapy a wellmeaning therapist might ask. Also termed thought distancing, cognitive defusion focuses on recognizing thoughts and emotions as internal constructs that should be acknowledged, but should not be the basis for behavior. Cognitive defusion is the technique of becoming untangled from our thoughts. Through defusion, our thoughts no longer have to control our actions or behaviors. The result of defusion is usually a decrease in the thought s power over us. The purpose of cognitive defusion is to enable you to be aware of the actual process of your thinking so you are better able. Defusion involves seeing thoughts and feelings for what they are streams of words, passing sensations, not what they say they are. Indeed, if you believe that the thought of harming your partner popping into your head is equivalent to actually having harmed them, then understandably, this is a dangerous or threatening thought. There are a number of exercises in theopen upsection of act companion which can be used to help identify unhelpful thoughts and practice defusion skills. There are many techniques that fall under the umbrella of cognitive restructuring, which we will describe alongside several therapy tools throughout this guide. Cognitive defusion this is a mindfulness strategy that involves recognizing our psychological experiences objectively rather than perceiving them as perceived threats or realities.
Rerate emotion 0100% what am i respon is m what happened. It consists of techniques we can use to remember that our thoughts are really just a type of language in our minds. Were constantly getting hooked by our thoughts, beliefs and feelings, getting lost in the drama. In other words, the aim of defusion is to enable mindful, valued living. Cognitive defusion is a descendant of cognitive distancing, a technique. The complete set of client handouts and worksheets from act books by russ harris. Practicing defusion you can practice cognitive defusion in a.
Stopcontrol negative thoughts with cognitive defusion. Thought defusion techniques blue horizon counselling and. The observer meditation is both a guided script and a pdfuse this to help your. Ten defusion techniques for unhooking your mind philosophy for life. Our system perceives them as a threat and switches on the fight or flight. How important will what emotion did i feel at that time. Description a table providing an overview of cognifive diffusion techniques comments clients may try different techniques. May 6, 2015 angela williams as a man thinkith, so is he, is a profound statement. Within act cognitive defusion techniques are one set of practices within a. Defusion is the process we use to create some distance between ourselves and these negative thoughts, beliefs or memories. Description a table providing an overview of cognifive diffusion techniques. Defusion involves distancing, disconnecting or seeing thoughts and feelings for what they are streams of words, passing sensations, not what they say they are dangers or facts. The result of defusion is usually a decrease in the thought s power over us as we loosen our attachment to the thought.
Gaynor abstract cognitive defusion procedures, as used in acceptance and commitment therapy act, attempt to. Thought beliefs leads to feeling depressed, hopeless and behavioral avoidance opportunities, relationships. Unhelpful thoughts images alternative realistic thought more balanced perspective what i did what i could do defusion technique whats the best response. These videos are aimed at providing examples of some of the different components of psychotherapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy act the happiness trap. Through teaching you the act therapy model, i aim to help you learn functional defusion skills. Identifying negative thoughts cognitive distortions. A randomized technique evaluation trial of vocalizing strategies marchion j. A sampling of cognitive defusion techniques type overview keywords cognitive diffusion, decentering, observing thoughts goal providing an overview of possible ways to increase cognitive diffusion observing the content of thoughts and reduce identification with thoughts. In acceptance and commitment therapy, the term cognitive defusion refers to ways in which we can begin to take a step back from the content of our thinking and notice the process.
Cognitive defusion s purpose is straightforward make you see the thoughts for what they are a string of words, not judgments. Im having the thought that this boat is going to sink, and then defused using a variety of techniques, which may include mindfulness, metaphors and language. Leaves on a stream exercise 1 sit in a comfortable position and either close your eyes or rest them gently on a fixed spot in the room. Remember the purpose of the exercise is not to stop. Negative thinking new thoughts and diffusion posted on march 2, 2011 by dailydbt we can probably all agree that thinking negative things, especially about. Defusion techniques defusion involves seeing thoughts and feelings for what they are streams of words, passing sensations, not what they say they are dangers or facts. Rerate emotion 0100% what would someone else say about this what happened.
They can also be used as exercises to experience defusion. Negative thinking new thoughts and diffusion daily dbt. Defusion defusion lessens the negative impact of your thoughts on your behaviour there are a number of exercises in the open up section of act companion which can be used to help identify unhelpful thoughts and practice defusion skills defusingofromiyourithoughts helps to lessen their negative impact on your behaviour. The act model calls that getting fused with, or hooked by, our painful or limiting thoughts. You can defuse the thoughts that create an emotional turmoil and have a negative impact on you by learning to create a distance between yourself and your thoughts. Cognitive defusion is a set of mental thinking strategies and activities which reduce the impact of distressing and unwanted thoughts. Cognitive defusion and mindfulness exercises santa rosa. Cognitive defusion with steven hayes, phd a basic act treatment using the six processes above might look as follows.
But luckily, theres a host of defusion techniques we can use to defuse, from act, cbt, stoicism, buddhism and many other therapeutic traditions. Alternative response what would be a healthier more balanced perspective. Using defusion to detach from eating disorder thoughts. The practice concretely deliteralizes the personal truth and meaning of unhelpful, repetitive. The complete set of client handouts and worksheets from act. Creating your own cognitive defusion techniques practicing cognitive defusion techniques will empower you to use them as you wish. This is a practice developed by stephen hayes, the founder of act.
The goal of thought defusion is to create space between ourselves and our thoughts. Clients have o en struggled at great length with their problems and frequently enter treatment with a goal of eliminating painful thoughts or emotions. While cognitive fusion is the process of believing that our thoughts are literally true, cognitive defusion is the ability to regard thoughts simply as thoughts. An empirically supported strategy to change your relationship with problematic thoughts in this module, we will. Now, imagine a context in which those same words would not be something you had to believe or disbelieve, but would be only something you would notice.
Thoughts are thoughts and not necessarily true, clever, or important. Write down some examples that may help you create some distance from this thought and make it something that you observe, but dont have to believe or take too seriously. Mindfulness and cognitive defusion skills for managing. These can trigger difficult feelings which then reinforce the thinking patterns in turn. What this means is that we are able to see our thoughts, feelings, memories, and physical sensations as just that thoughts, feelings, memories, and physical sensations. At the end of each day note the defusion techniques you used, in what. In this way, thought action fusion and thought suppression may work handinhand to create distressing obsessions. The application of a cognitive defusion technique to. I am a failure, im such an idiot, i am so dumb and make other hurtful remarks to yourself every time you encounter disappointment, setback, or distress. How many of you have at least some difficulty describing the rationale behind why you are using defusion techniques. Empirical research the application of a cognitive defusion technique to negative body image thoughts. Stop, step back, observe the thoughts and feelings, whats happening tofor the other person. Cognitive defusion techniques we tend to fuse with our thoughts and take them too seriously.
Cognitive defusion fosters awareness, regulation, and flexibility. Well this practice, as used in acceptance and commitment therapy, is beyond cognitive restructuring of cognitive distortions and automatic negative thoughts i call red ants. In each exercise we first fuse with the thought, then defuse from it. A preliminary analogue investigation amar mandavia, akihiko masudan,1, makeda moore, hadrian mendoza, matthew r. Hayes and smith recommend thinking about how a comedian would treat this thought, or the way. We may get scared or frustrated by them and this tends to make us try hard to get rid of or avoid them. How to free yourself from unhelpful narratives cognitive defusion a common pattern that is both symptom and cause of stress is negative thoughts and narratives repeatedly playing in the head. Using cognitive defusion in mindfulness psychotherapy. Cognitive defusion for psychological distress, dysphoria. Remember, cognitive restructuring refers to the process of challenging thoughts it isnt a single technique.
The following metaphors can facilitate an understanding of fusion and defusion. The purpose of cognitive defusion is to enable you to be aware of the actual process of your thinking so you are better able to reflect objectively and problem solve effectively before taking any action. Mindfulness and cognitive defusion skills for managing difficult thoughts john paulson acsw, lcsw, mac, lcac, hsbcp. You can download a free pdf of this worksheet from the free. Defusing involves seeing thoughts and feelings for what they are streams of words, passing. When we are overly reactive or attached to the negative thoughts we have about our experiences, that often results in unproductive behavior and unnecessary suffering. Now experiment with creating your own defusion technique. Our feelings, therefore, are simply feelings and not omens of impending doom. Defuse or detach yourself from thoughts using these self help techniques. Hands in front of face metaphorexercise put your hands in you lap, sidebyside as if they are pages in a book. Pick the thought that bothers you the most and use it to work through the following exercises. There is a way to defuse such potentially damaging reactions. The defusion techniques do this by changing the stimulus function.
The next three slides provide examples of defusion for children who are experiencing different. While cognitive fusion is the process of believing that our thoughts are literally. Define cognitive defusion hereafter labeled as cdef explain the difficulty with cognitive fusion describe how cdef works identify when cdef can be particularly useful. Cognitive defusion for psychological distress, dysphoria, and low selfesteem.