Train Your Mind Against Negativity with Thought Defusion

Life’s daily struggles can sometimes cause negative thoughts to take over our minds. When negativity consumes you, it can be hard to return to a positive mindset. If you are easily triggered or feeling stressed out more than you are calm, you may be fused by your thoughts. Psychotherapist and self-care coach Lakiah Bankston says practicing thought defusion can train your brain to abandon those negative ideas. This practice requires using your imagination.

What is Thought Defusion?

Bankston describes thought defusion as a technique to separate yourself from your negative thoughts.

“The whole purpose is to give yourself a chance to step back from whatever is causing you so much stress,” Bankston told 21Ninety.

When asked why people have more negative than positive thoughts, Bankston says it’s just simply our brains are trying to protect us.

“Our emotional brain is much faster than our logical thinking brain,” Bankston said. “The part of our brain where we weigh the pros and cons of things and think things through.”

Bankston teaches her clients to recognize the thought, regulate themselves to remain calm, and then reframe what’s on their mind.

Screen Your Thoughts

The first way to practice thought defusion is to visualize what you are thinking of.

“Imagine your thoughts [are] projected on this movie screen and you see yourself as a spectator of it, like you would at a movie,” Bankston explained.

She said you can also imagine looking at the ending credits of a movie. There are many people who are involved in making a film. Usually, you don’t focus on watching every name that rolls across the screen. The goal is to be an observer of those negative thoughts instead of giving attention to them.

Zoom Out

With this tactic, you need to see yourself rising above your problems. Bankston relates it to looking through a telescope.

“If you’re zooming in on something, that’s all you can see,” Bankston said. “But if you zoom out of it, imagine yourself backing away from it.”

Using this method helps when you are feeling triggered by something or if your thoughts are one-sided.

“You notice how tiny the worrying thought is once you zoom out,” Bankston said.

Leaf on a Stream

The next type of thought defusion asks you to visualize whatever you are struggling with simply floating away.

“Place the worry or thought on a leaf, put the leaf on a stream, and it goes down the stream away from you,” Bankston said.

This can apply to happy, sad or those in-between thoughts. The goal is to avoid getting caught up in them.

Click the X Button

This is a technology-based approach to thought defusion. Thousands of thoughts run across our minds every day. It can be a bit overwhelming, similar to having too many tabs open on your computer. Imagine closing the windows, and your problems, by clicking the x button.

“[You say], ‘I don’t have time for this and I don’t feel like giving my attention to this,’” Bankston explained. “I’m just going to click the x on it and close that tab out.”

Watch the negative thoughts disappear as you close each metaphorical tab.

“I’m Having the Thought That…”

Talk yourself out of a negative space with this approach. When you have an upsetting thought, add it to the phrase, “I’m having the thought that.” This loosens the grip you have on whatever you are struggling with.

“I always teach people how to challenge the negative thoughts because most of the ones that we have aren’t true anyway,” Bankston explained. “They are based on a fear that we have of something happening.”

The work doesn’t stop with trying these techniques. Bankston teaches that being mindful and practicing thought defusion also requires noticing the stressful stuff coming up.

“Get rid of the thought, but after that there is work to do to help you have less of the negative thoughts,” Bankston said. “It’s the self-reflection part.”

You can find more of Bankston’s free self-care resources here .

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