“You are not your thoughts”
What is Cognitive Defusion?
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), defusion is the process of creating distance from unhelpful thoughts so they don’t control your behaviour.
Instead of trying to change or get rid of thoughts (which often tends to make them more powerful), ACT teaches you to see thoughts as just words or mental events NOT facts or commands that you have to obey.
Why Defusion Helps
When you become “fused” with your thoughts, they feel true and powerful- like:
“I am a failure”
“This anxiety will never go away”
“I can’t do this”
When you are fused these thoughts dominate your experience and behaviour.
Defusion breaks that grip and allows you to notice the thought without getting tangled up in it, so you can choose actions based on your values – not your inner chatter.
How Defusion works (a simple summary).
- Notice the thought.
- Label/name the thought
- Create space around it
- Return your focus to what matters
Common Defusion Techniques
- Instead of “I’ll never get this right” Try “I am noticing I am having the thought that I’ll never get this right”
- Name the story Label recurring thoughts with a simple title “Ah, here is the I am not good enough story again”
- Thank your mind. When your mind offers an unhelpful thought say: “Thanks mind! That’s helpful- but I have got this”.
Summary: What Defusion Achieves
- It doesn’t get rid of thoughts
- It reduces their influence
- Instead of being guided by your unhelpful thoughts, you act more inline with your values, not your fears
