Thought Defusion
This Exercise will help you focus on your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Thought Defusion is a technique borrowed from acceptance and commitment therapy, which has proven to be a very successful treatment for emotional distress.
When distressing thoughts keep happening, it’s easy to let them go on auto-pilot. in contrast, Thought Defusion will help you mindfully observe your thoughts without getting stuck in the thought.
Thought Defusion requires the use of your imagination. The object of this skill is to visualise your thoughts, either as pictures or words, harmlessly floating away from you without obsessing about them or analysing them. Whichever way you choose to do this is okay. Here are some suggestions that other people have found helpful:
Imagine sitting in a field watching your thoughts float away on clouds
Picture yourself sitting near a stream watching your thoughts float past on leaves, watch them flow down stream.
See your thoughts written in sand, or pictures drawn in the sand, and watch as the sea washes them away
Visualise yourself driving a car and see your thoughts pass by on billboards
See your thoughts leave your head and watch them sizzle in the flame of a candle
Imagine sitting beside a tree and watch your thoughts float down on leaves
Picture yourself standing in a room with two doors; one door where the thought enters and then they leave the room through another door.
Activity:
Step 1. To begin, find a comfortable place to sit in a room where you won’t be disturbed for as long as you’ve set your timer for a couple minutes. Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb, turn off any distracting sounds. Take a breathe slow deep breathe. Relax and close your eyes.
Step 2. Now, in your imagination, picture yourself in a place you choose, watch you thoughts come and go, whether it’s by the beach or in the mountains, or a safe space.
Step 3. Sit with yourself and start to become aware of the thoughts that come and go, don’t try to stop your thoughts, do your best not to criticise yourself for any thoughts. Whatever the thought is, positive or negative, big or small, important or unimportant, watch the thought arise in your mind and then let it float away or disappear.
Step 4. Use one of the methods above: such as
Imagine sitting in a field watching your thoughts float away on clouds or Picture yourself sitting near a stream watching your thoughts float past on leaves, watch them flow down stream.
If the thoughts come quickly, do your best to watch them all disappear without getting hooked on to any of them, you have the power and control to let go of a thought.
Step 5. When you have finished, take a few more slow, long deep breathes and then slowly open your eyes and refocus on the room.
Although this exercise may seem unimportant or silly, this exercise gives you perspective on how much control you have over thoughts and what you can let go of and not let them run your life.
Heres some worksheets and activities you can use:
