Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Managing Distressing Thoughts In Adults With And Without Autism: The Role Of Cognitive Fusion And The Effectiveness Of A Brief Defusion Intervention, Max Emanuel Maisel

Theses and Dissertations

In the tradition of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive fusion is a transdiagnostic risk factor and occurs when one becomes overly attached to or "caught up" in their thoughts, leading to a more narrowed behavioral repertoire and difficulty taking effective action in response to life's demands. Cognitive defusion is ACT's curative answer to fusion, and denotes the process of taking a step back, seeing thoughts as "simply thoughts," thereby reducing the negative impact of distressing or anxiety-provoking thoughts. While these components have been widely studied in neurotypical (NT) samples, the purpose of this study was to extend findings to …