The participant first listens to sounds — noticing them as sounds, without naming or evaluating — and then moves to thoughts, applying the same stance: thoughts come and go, like sounds. The technique creates a passage to decentering — the experience of "seeing thoughts as thoughts" instead of fusing with their content. This is a key cognitive skill of MBCT.
Step-by-step guide
- Close the eyes. A few breath cycles for grounding.
- Open awareness to sounds: do not name, do not evaluate — just receive sound as sound.
- Notice: sounds come and go, they are not "yours". You are the space in which they appear.
- Carry the same stance over to thoughts: allow them to appear in awareness.
- Notice: a thought has appeared — it is "there". You are "here". The thought has gone.
- If a thought captures you — do not fight. Notice: "I was thinking" — and return to the observer's stance.
- Close by returning to the breath.
When to use
- Formal practice in the group on week 4
- Introduction to the work on de-automating thinking
- When the client is "captured" by thoughts and does not see the difference between self and thought
Key phrases
You are not your thoughts. You are the one who notices them.
Thoughts come and go, like cars outside the window. You look from the window — you are not on the road.
A thought has appeared. You noticed it. That is enough.
Follow-up questions
How did it feel when you watched the thoughts from the side?
Was there a difference between "I am in the thought" and "I am observing the thought"?
Which thoughts came up most often?
Warnings
- ⚠️ Trying to "chase away" thoughts instead of observing: explain that the fight strengthens the capture
- ⚠️ Confusion: "how is the thought 'there'?" — use a metaphor: sky/clouds, cinema screen/film, river/leaves
- ⚠️ Fusion with the content of painful thoughts: first make sure the client is ready for this practice
Source: Segal, Williams, Teasdale (2013), Chapter 10 "Session Four: Recognizing Aversion"
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.