Techniques for Defusing Automatic Thoughts
This article presents several additional techniques for defusing automatic thoughts and developing mindfulness.
Right Now
- Notice: What am I focused on right now?
- Observe: What am I doing right now? Tell yourself: “I am walking,” “I am sitting,” “I am breathing,” then notice the sensations in your body.
- Wise Mind: What’s happening now? How should I proceed? Act or let it go?
Mindfulness for Busy People
- Choose an activity you can do mindfully for one, two, or five minutes throughout the day. For example: drink a cup of tea, take a walk, wash the dishes.
- Whatever you do, be present in the moment, right now. Look, listen, feel, touch, breathe.
- Simply notice every time other thoughts or sensations arise in your mind, then gently return your focus to the mindful activity you chose.
- Be patient and treat yourself with compassion.
- Describe, don’t judge-avoid labeling things as “good or bad,” “pleasant or unpleasant.”
- Everything goes as it goes.
- This too shall pass.
Defusing Techniques
Defusing means seeing thoughts and feelings for what they really are (a stream of words, passing sensations), not for what they say (danger or facts).
- Pause, step back, and explore (your thoughts and feelings, what’s happening with or for other people).
- Notice what’s happening-your thoughts, physical sensations, emotions, images, memories. Notice how you interpret and give meaning to them, and how they affect you.
- Identify unhelpful thoughts. What am I reacting to? For example: say these thoughts very slowly or very quickly, in a squeaky or funny voice, or write them down on paper.
Identify the Emotions You Feel and Name Unhelpful Thoughts:
- Exaggeration
- Predicting the future
- Feelings or sensations
- Memories
- Unhelpful thinking habits: mind reading (believing we know what others think), mental filter (noticing only the bad), emotional reasoning (I feel bad, so something bad must be happening), catastrophizing (imagining the worst), self-criticism, etc.
Practice and Study Mindfulness
Learn to notice where you are right now instead of getting stuck in the past or future. Notice what you usually overlook-images, sounds, feelings, thoughts, tactile sensations, and more.
Use Metaphors
Try to look at the situation from different perspectives. For example:
- Passengers on a Bus
You are driving, while all the passengers (your thoughts) are shouting their comments at you. You can let them shout and still focus on the road ahead. - The Playground Bully (our thoughts can be our own inner bully)
- Victim 1 – believes the bully, gets upset, and reacts automatically (the bully continues the harassment)
- Victim 2 – argues with the bully (the bully eventually leaves them alone)
- Victim 3 – studies and then ignores the bully, shifting their focus elsewhere
- The River
Objects float down the river-these can be leaves or debris (thoughts, feelings, images). Instead of resisting the flow, you can stand on the bank and watch everything drift by. - The Inflatable Ball
Trying to stop thoughts is like trying to hold a ball underwater-it keeps popping up (thoughts). You can let the ball float near you, just let it go. - The Thought Train
You can sit in the train and watch the scenery (thoughts, images, sensations) pass by. Or you can stand on the platform and watch the thought train go by-you don’t have to jump on. - The Tunnel
When you start to worry while moving through a tunnel, the best solution is to keep going, not to try to escape. The feeling will pass-the tunnel will end eventually. - The Mountain
No matter the weather or what happens on the mountain’s surface, the mountain remains solid, strong, grounded, and unchanged. You can identify with the mountain-explore your thoughts, feelings, and sensations while remaining calm inside.