Transcripts

Cognitive Defusion

Welcome to the Taking ACTion podcast where we explore psychological flexibility through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

In this episode, we are going to be focusing on the core principle called “Cognitive Defusion.”

Before we begin to develop an understanding of defusion and its importance, we need to have an idea of Cognitive Fusion, first.

We all have thoughts. Some of them are relaxed and tame, allowing us to just toss them into the unconscious without much effort. We typically don’t worry about thesecognitions; we pay them no mind. They exist without much cause for rumination.

But what about those thoughts that don’t just fade away into static? The ones that are unwelcome, but you can’t seem to shake them. Maybe they’re telling you that you’re a burden or unattractive. Maybe they’re telling you that you’ve failed once and are sure to fail again, so don’t even bother trying.

When people have thoughts as strong as these, their actions often depict what they’re telling themselves. If they think they’re a burden to have around, they might distance themselves from social and familial connections, hoping that the behavior of isolation would negate what their brains are saying.

In ACT, this merging of behaviors and thoughts is referred to as fusion. 

So, once we are able to acknowledge that a thought is creating maladaptive behaviors, how do we deal with it? 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just tell them to go away? Unfortunatly, that’s not how our brains work. What we can do, however, is change how much of our energy we allocate to our thoughts.

By using cognitive defusion, we are able to change the dependent relationship with our thoughts to one that’s passive and less… controlling.

Rather than having the words and their meanings guide our behaviors, this step of psychological flexibility allows us to reduce the weight that our cognitions have over our actions.

Sometimes, the words in our heads are meant to be viewed as just that; words. Nothing more, and nothing less. 

What your mind tells you about yourself doesn’t make that you.

The overarching goal of defusion is to help clients learn not to be driven by the contents of their thoughts so that they learn to behave independently of them.

Let’s do a small exercise. 

Find a position where you can be comfortable. Once you’re there, close your eyes.

If you can, take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. And exhale through your mouth. One more time. Inhale …. and exhale.

Think of something you’ve been struggling with recently. That could be anxiety about your capabilities, doubt in your relationships, or anything else you’ve been dwelling on.

*Pause for a few moments*

Now, I want you to picture yourself standing on a bridge in a place that you associate with serenity and peace. Maybe that place can be in the open countryside, with rolling pastures and soft wind blowing around you.

You hear a train horn in the distance and turn around to see 3 trains on 3 separate train tracks slowly chugging towards the underpassage of the bridge. 

As I guide you through this exercise, your job is to remain on the platform.

The trains go under your bridge and emerge from the other side. You turn back around to watch the trains move away from you, observing what the railcar attached to each train holds.

Rather than lumber or coal, you notice that the train on the track furthest to your left holds the sensations you notice in the now as you think about the thought you’ve been struggling with. 

That might be that you suddenly feel queasy. Maybe you feel hot and your throat tightens. Emotionally, do you sense sadness, anger, or anything else?

Concentrate on the sensations you noticed for a few moments.

*Wait a few moments*

Now, focus on the train in the middle. Imagine that it carries your thoughts about what you’ve been struggling with. That includes who you are, how you feel about yourself, your evaluations of different situations, and predictions about what’s to come.

*Wait a few*

Now, for the train on your right, picture that it holds your urge to act. What do your thoughts make you want to do about the issue that's hoarding your energy? What behaviors are your thoughts trying to justify taking? 

*Wait a few*

Keeping your eyes closed, with the image still in your mind, did you find that rather than being on the platform and observing the thoughts from afar, you ended up boarding any of the trains?

Meaning did you become absorbed in the sensations, thoughts, or urges you had rather than continuing to view each train passively as they rode by without you?

Maybe you boarded one, maybe you boarded all of them. If you did, that’s okay. 

Acknowledge which train or trains made you depart from your spot on the bridge,  store that info, and bring yourself back to your spot overlooking the trains.

If you would like, repeat this exercise a few times until you find yourself staying on the platform.

Whenever you’re ready, you can open your eyes.

The purpose of this exercise was to allow you to actively step back and observe the things you’ve been dwelling on.

If you were able to stay on the bridge, the sensations, thoughts, and urges would’ve passed underneath you and moved ahead as you observed from your perch.

These trains come and go, sometimes on an irregular schedule. Regardless, you have the choice to decide whether you board the train or let it pass by you.

Thank you for participating in the Cognitive Defusion section of this podcast.

 I truly hope that you found this exercise helpful.

I invite you to explore more ACT exercises in the other episodes available.

And remember, who you are is more than a culmination of your thoughts.

You can be in control.