Photo Credit: letstalk.mentalhealth
I have mentioned that I use principles of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) when teaching social media safety skills. There are six core principles of ACT- present moment, values, committed action, defusion, self as context and acceptance. This blog post is going to focus on defusion.
- What is fusion?
- Fusion is when you believe/get caught up or give your full attention to a thought/emotion or judgment you have about yourself is true. For instance, if you are fusing with your thoughts, you believe them to be true. Fusion can occur with our thoughts/feelings or other’s judgements of us.
- Why is fusion bad?
- Believing unhelpful thoughts often causes us to act in ways that are not always in our best interest long term. For instance, if we have the thought, “Nobody likes me”, we might engage in actions like isolating. Believing other’s judgements of us can also cause us to act in ways that are not in our best interest long term. For instance, if someone calls you “ugly” and you choose to believe that judgment, you might retaliate and say mean things back, you might internalize that judgement and stop going out or engaging in activities with other people. One way to break this cycle of reacting to our thoughts/feelings/judgements is to engage in defusion.
- What is defusion
- Defusion is when you give less attention/meaning to your thoughts/feelings/other’s judgements of you. When you are defusing you are putting distance between yourself and them. If you are defusing, you are noticing thoughts/feelings/other’s judgements for what they are- just words/phrases/stimulation that doesn’t have to control your actions.
- Why is defusion good:
- When you are able to engage in defusion techniques you are less likely to engage in behaviors that are not in your long term best interest. For instance, if you have the thought “No one likes me” and you are able to recognize that this thought is not true, you are more likely to do things that bring meaning into your life. Additionally, if someone calls you “ugly” and you decide to use defusion techniques, you are more likely to see that one person’s judgment of you does not make it true. This makes it easier to engage in actions that give your life meaning.
- Fusion can increase unsafe behaviors on social media
- Let’s look at this from a social media safety perspective. If I go onto social media and I have already fused with this idea that “no one likes me” I might be more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors as a way to deal with that thought and the feelings it brings up. For instance, I might give out my personal information in attempt to make a connection, I might ignore “red flags” because I want to have a connection with another person. Another example, if I fuse with a negative comment that someone made on my social media profile I might be more likely to believe what that person says. When I fuse with that judgement, it impacts how I act. If I am fused with the negative comment that someone made about my appearance I might say mean things back or find ways to retaliate. I might spend more time filtering pictures or obsessively looking at other people’s pictures on social media.
- Defusion can increase safe behaviors on social media
- If I can defuse with the thought “no one likes me”, I can see it as just some stimuli that my brain is sending out; not factual information. If I can realize this, I may be less likely to reach out for connection in unsafe ways because I can notice that my thought is not a true one. Defusion can decrease the motivation to engage in unsafe behaviors. With regards to the example about fusing with someone’ judgement of us- if I can defuse with the negative judgement and see it for what it is- random letters that form a random word that I don’t have to give meaning to or believe- I can choose to not spend so much time believing how others view me.
References:
- The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT By Russ Harris
- ACT Made Simple by Russ Harris and Steven Hayes
If your are looking for lesson plans on teaching social media safety to neurodivergent individuals, check out my TPT store or contact me directly. 🙂
