What Is Cognitive Defusion?
The fourth ACT process to be presented is cognitive defusion. The word defusion is an accepted word now, but it wasn’t a “real” word before ACT was developed. It was invented to demonstrate this concept. When things are fused together, they’re stuck. When you defuse from thoughts, you get more wiggle room from them, you get unstuck from them.
With cognitive defusion, we’re not necessarily changing or reframing thoughts. We’re just observing them, getting space from them, helping your client to realize that they are not their thoughts. Clients often believe their thoughts to be True, with a capital T, and follow them.