ACT On Life

Empowering purposeful living

Fusion with thoughts

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When I get fused with my thoughts, I see the world through my thoughts, as though they are (the only)reality. My thinking becomes rigid and inflexible. For example, if I have the thought that the world is a terrible place, and I am fused with that thought, this thought becomes my reality. I am not open to another perspective, and I look for evidence to support my thought. I am biased in the kind of information I am willing to entertain or accept.  For example, I may key in on events in the news that supports my thought that the world is a terrible place. This is called a confirmatory bias. On the other hand, I dismiss, overlook, or minimize information that does not support my thought, like random acts of kindness. This is called an overlooking bias. We can generally see this in others, and yet we tend not to see this in ourselves. This inflexibility and rigidity can be psychologically unhealthy, constrict our world, and interfere with our relationships.

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Author: Carolyn L. O'Brien, Ph. D.

After many years of clinical practice as a psychologist in the Mobile Alabama community, I am currently on inactive status.

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