UM Center for Contextual Psychology

dedicated to

World Domination through Peace, Love, and Understanding

Defusion as a core ACT process: Conceptual definitions,

current empirical literature, and future directions for exploration

Stephanie L. Nassar, M.A.Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D.K. Kate Kellum, Ph.D.

Six Core Processes

Acceptance

Committed Action

Values

Defusion

Self-as-Context

Present Moment Awareness

Psychological Flexibility

Six Core Processes

Acceptance

Committed Action

Values

Defusion

Self-as-Context

Present Moment Awareness

Psychological Flexibility

Acceptance and Mindfulness Processes

Six Core Processes

Defusion

Psychological Flexibility

VALUED ACTION

Language is the Context

Avoidance of public

speaking

“I am crazy”

Behavioral tasks

Word repetition

Mindfulness meditation

Metaphor

Grant, 2009

Self-report measures

Cognitive fusion

Automatic thoughts

Believability of anxiety

CFQ

ATQ-F&B

BAFT

Pain PIPS

Masuda et al, 2010: Cognitive defusion vs. thought distraction: A clinical rationale, training, and experiential exercise in altering psychological impacts of negative self-referential thoughts

Varra et al., 2008: A RCT examining the effect of ACT on clinician willingness to use EBP pharmacotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 449-458.

Other studies• Zettle, Rains, & Hayes (2011)

Reexamined a treatment study comparing ACT and CT intervention for depression and found that defusion mediated changes in depressive symptoms in the ACT condition

• Gaudiano, Herbert, & Hayes (2010) Reanalysis of treatment study comparing TAU and TAU+ACT for

individuals with psychosis and found ACT group reported less distress post-treatment than TAU, which was mediated by defusion. ACT group more defused, and those defused tended to report lower levels of post-treatment distress. 

• Hinton & Gaynor (2010) Three sessions of cognitive defusion (CD) compared to a waitlist (WL)

condition for university students reporting elevated distress, dysphoria, and low self-esteem. Large changes in distress, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, defused awareness of thoughts, psychological flexibility, and automatic thoughts favoring CD over WL. Maintained at 1-month follow-up.

Studies cont’d• Hesser et al. (2009)

Levels of acceptance and defusion behavior during ACT therapy sessions can later predict reduction in symptoms at 6 month follow up.

• Healy et al. (2008) Defusion works for coping with negative self-statements

• Marcks & Woods (2005, 2007) “Soldiers on parade” mindfulness exercise reduces subjective

distress from an intrusive thought provoking task and willingness to engage in the task again

UM Center for Contextual Psychology

dedicated to

World Domination through Peace, Love, and Understanding

Questions & Comments

Contact:stephanie.l.nassar@gmail.com

Relational Frame TheoryDefining Properties of Relational Frames

Betrangsoursalivation

citrus

bumpy

lemonade yellow

Limoo

Betrang

1. Mutual 1. Mutual EntailmentEntailment

2. Combinatorial 2. Combinatorial EntailmentEntailment

3. Transformation3. Transformationof Functionsof Functions

soursalivation

citrus

bumpy

lemonade yellow

Entailment is controlled by

the relational

context or “Crel” e.g., the

phrase “is a” in “a betrang is

a limoo”

Transformation is

controlled by the

functional context or

“Cfunc” e.g., the word

“taste” in “what does a

betrang taste like?”