aura-background-gradientaura-background-gradient
30 sec preview
Get Started Free

ACT Core Process: Defusion

7 Min
Healthy Mind
18 Favorites

Avatar
Cass Carlopio
Sleep Expert, Psychologist & Meditation
One of the core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is Defusion. This is one of my personal favorite concepts and techniques, to help shift our relationship with our thoughts, and take them less seriously.
From the community
3 reflections
J
Jim
Thank You Mind
Thank you Mind for your years of service. Also picture the Mind’s inner critic voice has a high pitched movie character.
J
Juliano
Defusion
There are two strategies discussed that we can use to take the potency out of negative, critical, or intrusive thoughts. One way is to let the thought come, thank your mind, and let it be. You take the power out of the thought when you don’t fight it, but be grateful for the thoughts that pass by. Another strategy is to play with the thought by imagining something funny or ridiculous in parallel with the thought. Using humor and play to take the negative power of the thoughts that pass by.
T
Therese
Banana
I spoke with a psychologist years ago who asked me to tell myself something crazy whenever I had an unwanted or negative thought enter my head. Instead of fighting to get rid of the thought, I would say: 'YEAH, right, I'm a banana.' I put a sticky note with a drawing of a banana on it that said IM A BANANA on my fridge. My kids came home from school and killed themselves laughing at this. They called me Banana Mum for about 6 months. At first, I was embarrassed, but afterwards, it made the cognitive diffusion work even better. I'm going to start using the bananas reference again. It still makes me laugh to think of the kids giggling and chanting 'I'm a banana' whenever any one of us said something stupid. I believe this is going to work. I quite liked being banana mum and maybe 20 years on, I can feel that light-hearted again.
Similar tracks you might love
View All