Stripped to their essence, all of ACT’s defusion exercises are designed to teach you to notice things—specifically, fleeting thoughts and related cognitive processes of which we’re mostly unaware.
We spend a great deal of time lost in thought.
In the language of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, that’s called “fusion.” A primary goal of ACT is to become aware of being fused as it happens. To help you learn how to do that, there are lots of “defusion” exercises.
You can google “cognitive defusion exercises” if you want to find more of them, and as you get used to the concept, you can even invent your own. But to begin, perhaps the simplest exercise is to just reframe your thoughts in a way that calls attention to them.
Have a thought
Notice it
Say to yourself, “I notice I’m having the thought that…”
You can try this anywhere, any time:
“I wish I was at Disneyland right now”
!!!
“I notice I’m having the thought that I wish I was at Disneyland”
That’s it.
You can say the “I notice” part silently or out loud—it doesn’t matter. The important part is becoming aware of your thoughts as they happen. The important part is the noticing.
Yes, we are using words to notice words, which does sound a little strange and possibly even problematic. But think of this as the ‘training wheels’ phase of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It’s an easy way to get rolling.
I promise, you will soon go on to ride your bicycle freely without training wheels attached. This is just a temporary tool designed to help ease you into a noticing mindset.
With time and practice, this technique may help you build a sense of distance between yourself and your thoughts. You may even notice yourself defusing from unpleasant thoughts and/or rumination, in a way that actually helps you feel better.
Just beware: the goal of the exercise is not to make yourself feel better, nor to try to change or otherwise control your thoughts. Just notice them. That’s all you have to do.