ACT · Defusion2 minutes
Naming the Story
When you can't stop the thoughts
For the thought you've had a thousand times and still believe every time.
- Notice the thought. Something like I'm going to be alone forever.
- Give the whole pattern a title, like a book: the Nobody-Will-Stay story.
- Next time it shows up, say: Ah — the Nobody-Will-Stay story is here again.
- Don't argue with it. Don't reassure yourself. Just name it and carry on with what you were doing.
Why it works: Naming turns the thought from something you're inside of into something you're looking at. You're not trying to make it false — you're changing how much it gets to run you.
Longer version: The World Before the Story guided meditation