You Are More Than Your Thoughts: The Use of Cognitive Defusion with Old Towne Counseling
Picture this: You're trying to get some sleep before a big day at work or school, and a
thought pops into your head: "what if my presentation goes terribly tomorrow?" Before
you know it, the “what if” turns into certainty, and few other thoughts join in: "Everyone
is going to notice how nervous I am," or "I'm just incompetent."
Now, these thoughts have taken over your entire brain– and your physical body follows
with a racing heart, shallow breath, maybe tension in the jaw or shoulders...
This happens because we "fuse" with our thoughts, holding onto them as absolute truths
rather than observing the thought and allowing it to pass. Cognitive defusion isn't about
stopping or changing your thoughts. Actually, trying to fight the thought can make
them come back even stronger. It's about creating a much needed space between you
and your mind for observation, so those thoughts hold less power over you.
Shifting to noticing and observing our thoughts instead of trying to fight them, or overly
identify with them, is key to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an
evidence-based form of psychotherapy. ACT suggests that trying to control, fight, or
eliminate uncomfortable thoughts often creates more suffering than the thoughts
themselves.
Re-wiring how you relate to your mind isn't something that happens overnight. If you’ve
had years of practicing cognitive fusion, remember to give yourself grace when you catch yourself getting swept up in a thought again.
Next time you find yourself ruminating or over identifying with negative thoughts,
remember: You are the sky; your thoughts and feelings are just the clouds passing
through.
Sources:
1. Assaz, D. A., Roche, B., Kanter, J. W., & Oshiro, C. K. B. (2018). Cognitive
defusion in acceptance and commitment therapy: What are the basic processes of
change? The Psychological Record, 68(4), 405–418.
2. Kte'pi, B. (2021). Linguistic relativity (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). EBSCO
Research Starters.
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