REFRESH THE SOUL MEDITATIONS
Leaves on a Stream Mindfulness Exercise
To help you let go of thoughts that cause emotional suffering
Sometimes, we are so bogged down with our thoughts that they gradually appear true—it’s like we convinced ourselves they were real. This is also referred to as cognitive fusion. It can build up to such an extent that it prevents us from living our lives and interferes with our routines.
Cognitive fusion keeps us stuck in this miserable pattern of thinking and eventually causes emotional suffering. How can we get out of this? How can we let go of that emotional trauma and recover and move on with our lives?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers various tools to practice cognitive defusion, a mindful practice where we learn to step back from thoughts. It is about:
- looking at thoughts rather than running away from them
- noticing thoughts instead of getting caught up with them
- believing in these thoughts
- allowing thoughts to come and go rather than hanging on to them
Cognitive defusion lets us become aware of the actual thought process so we can reflect objectively and solve problems before we take any action.
