As we welcome 2025, many are reflecting on 2024. Some may start a new year with the determination not to repeat the events and challenges of the previous year. Others are setting goals for the new year to meet challenges head-on, starting something new, or prioritizing connecting with others. Many may just be focused on getting through each day. Like it or not, we cannot always change our circumstances. How can we look forward to a new year when nothing has changed? What we do have the option to change is how we choose to view our circumstances. There is a technique called cognitive defusion, a principle of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) that can be very useful for actively observing our thinking rather than getting tangled up in our thoughts and allowing them to control us and our moods. This technique can lead to understanding our thoughts as guides rather than as domineering entities that take over our lives. The opposite of defusion is fusion. Fusion with thoughts is when we think the following about our thoughts: they are reality, truth, importance, orders, wise, and threats (Harris, Russ. The Happiness Trap). When we exercise defusion, we consider that the opposite is true. Our thoughts do not represent actual threats. However, thoughts can be the reason we believe the threat is real. When these thoughts creep into your mind, consider trying to break the cycle of fusing with them by trying the following:
- State to yourself: “I am having the thought that…”
- Name your story: “Here is my ‘I can’t do this’ story” or my ‘I am incompetent’ story.”
- Ask yourself: “Do I gain anything useful from this thought?”; “Does this thought help me to be the person I want to be?”; “Does this thought help me to connect with the values that are important to me?”; “Is this thought helpful in the long term?”
Defusion is not as natural for any of us as fusion is, so it takes practice to get better at defusing unhelpful thoughts. They come and go just like feelings come and go. It is part of being human. Taking a moment to notice them, assess their helpfulness, and consider that they might not be helpful to us is a step in the right direction.
For more information about defusion and ACT, check out the following resources.
- The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
- https://www.actmindfully.com.au/
Joy Koeppen, LCSW, CBIS
Manager, Mental Health Counseling Department
