Distancing And Decentering

An overview of effective strategies that support distancing, which involves understanding that thoughts are interpretations of events, and decentering, which means stepping back from immediate experiences and examining appraisals from different viewpoints.

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Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Overview

One issue with negative automatic thoughts is that individuals often accept them as facts or truths about a situation, rather than viewing them as potentially biased opinions or interpretations. These interpretations can lead to distressing feelings and unhelpful behaviors.

Distancing and decentering are fundamental concepts in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and related approaches, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Distancing involves recognizing that our thoughts are subjective interpretations. Decentering, on the other hand, entails stepping back from our immediate experiences and examining our thoughts from different perspectives. Both processes can help individuals develop metacognitive awareness, disidentify from their thoughts, and experience less distress in response to their thought content. This handout introduces clients to ten key strategies that promote distancing and decentering.

Why Use This Resource?

Distancing and decentering are key mechanisms of therapeutic change across a range of psychological treatments. By helping clients shiftDistancing and decentering can assist clients in disidentifying from internal experiences and becoming less reactive to thought content, while also enhancing their metacognitive awareness.

Test

 

  • Introduces important CBT concepts in an accessible and engaging format.
  • Provides a flexible set of tools suitable for diverse client needs.
  • Encourages clients to experiment with different strategies for gaining distance from distressing or unhelpful thoughts.

Key Benefits

Insight

Helps clients recognize that thoughts are not facts, but mental events.

Variety

Describes a wide range of strategies that appeal to different clients.

Engaging

Presents creative techniques including metaphors, imagery, and labelling.

Who is this for?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Difficulty with excessive worry.

Depression

Persistent negative automatic thoughts contributing to low mood.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Fearful thoughts about negative social evaluation.

Perfectionism

Dichotomous and self-critical thoughts about performance.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Educate

Introduce clients to the concept of distancing and decentring.

02

Select

Choose one or two techniques to experiment with.

03

Practice

Encourage ruse of selected strategies when problematic thoughts arise.

04

Reflect

Discuss the client’s experience of using the strategies.

05

Vary

Introduce new techniques, if needed.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

The terms "distancing" and "decentering" in CBT literature are often used interchangeably but have important distinctions:

Distancing is an active, metacognitive process that involves recognizing thoughts as subjective interpretations rather than objective reality (Alford & Beck, 1997). This distinction helps differentiate between beliefs, which can be validated, and irrefutable facts (Beck, 1976).

Decentering allows individuals to view their immediate experiences from different perspectives, facilitating the re-evaluation of thoughts (Beck, 1999). It encourages the idea that thoughts are testable concepts (Harvey et al., 2004).

The effectiveness of both processes involves three key mechanisms (Bernstein et al., 2015):

  1. Metacognitive awareness: Individuals recognize their subjective experiences (e.g., shifting from “I am stupid” to “I am having a self-critical thought”).
  2. Disidentification: Individuals perceive internal states as separate from themselves (e.g., changing from “I feel sad” to “it created a feeling of sadness”).
  3. Reduced reactivity: Thoughts have less impact on emotions and motivation, diminishing their triggering effects (e.g., seeing one’s reflection may not lead to self-criticism).

Therapists should encourage clients to experiment with using a variety strategies that promote distancing and decentring to determine which are most useful and effective.

What's inside

  • A theoretical overview of the distancing and decentring.
  • Illustrated strategies that support distancing and decentering.
  • Guidance for clinicians on how to introduce and apply strategies.
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FAQs

Distancing involves recognizing thoughts as mental events rather than facts. Decentering goes further, encouraging individuals to adopt alternative perspectives on their thoughts.
No, clients should be encouraged to try one or two strategies at a time and practice them consistently. Over time, additional strategies can be introduced based on client needs.
Normalize that it takes time to develop these skills. Start with simpler techniques like labelling and practice with clients during sessions.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

Using this resource can enhance therapy in several ways:

  • Presents a variety of effective techniques for dealing with problematic thoughts.
  • Enhances client engagement through creative and relatable strategies.
  • Supports the use of flexible, individualized interventions for clients.

Clinicians Who Use This Resource Also Use

References And Further Reading

  • Alford, B. A., & Beck, A. T. (1997). The integrative power of cognitive therapy. Guilford Press.
  • Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. Meridian.
  • Beck, A. T. (1999). Prisoners of hate: The cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence. Perennial.
  • Beck, A. T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R. L. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. Basic Books.
  • Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  • Bernstein, A., Hadash, Y., Lichtash, Y., Tanay, G., Shepherd, K., & Fresco, D. M. (2015). Decentering and related constructs: A critical review and metacognitive processes model. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 599–617. DOI: 10.1177/1745691615594577.
  • Harvey, A. G., Watkins, E., Mansell, W., & Shafran, R. (2004). Cognitive behavioural processes across psychological disorders: A transdiagnostic approach to research and treatment. Oxford University Press.
  • Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. Guilford Press.
  • Hayes-Skelton, S., & Graham, J. (2013). Decentering as a common link among mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and social anxiety. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 41, 317–328. DOI: 10.1017/S1352465812000902.
  • Hayes-Skelton, S. A., & Lee, C. S. (2018). Changes in decentering across cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder. Behavior Therapy, 49, 809–822. DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2018.01.005.
  • Hollon, S. D., & Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. In P. C. Kendall & S. D. Barlow (Eds.), Cognitive-behavioral intervention: Theory, research, and procedures (pp. 153–203). Academic Press.
  • Ingram, R. E., & Hollon, S. D. (1986). Cognitive therapy for depression from an information processing perspective. In R. E. Ingram (Ed.), Information processing approaches to clinical psychology (pp. 259–281). Academic Press.
  • Kross, E., & Ayduk, O. (2017). Self-distancing: Theory, research, and current directions. In J. M. Olson (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 81–136). Elsevier.
  • Kuehlwein, K. T. (2002). The cognitive treatment of depression. In G. Simos (Ed.), Cognitive behaviour therapy: A guide for the practising clinician (pp. 3–48). Routledge.
  • Leahy, R. L. (2017). Cognitive therapy techniques: A practitioner’s guide (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  • Mennin, D. S., Fresco, D. M., O’Toole, M. S., & Heimberg, R. G. (2018). A randomized controlled trial of emotion regulation therapy for generalized anxiety disorder with and without co-occurring depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86, 268–281. DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000289.
  • Naragon-Gainey, K., & DeMarree, K. G. (2017). Structure and validity of measures of decentering and defusion. Psychological Assessment, 29, 935–954. DOI: 10.1037/pas0000405.
  • Safran, J. D., & Segal, Z. V. (1990). Interpersonal process in cognitive therapy. Jason Aronson.
  • Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  •  Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., & Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 373–386. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20237.
  • Stott, R., Mansell, W., Salkovskis, P., Lavender, A., & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2010). Oxford guide to metaphors in CBT: Building cognitive bridges. Oxford University Press.
  • Teasdale, J. D., Scott, J., Moore, R. G., Hayhurst, H., Pope, M., & Paykel, E. S. (2001). How does cognitive therapy prevent relapse in residual depression? Evidence from a controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 347–357. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.69.3.347.
  • Waltman, S. H., Codd III, R. T., McFarr, L. M., & Moore, B. A. (2021). Socratic questioning for therapists and counsellors: Learn how to think like a cognitive behavior therapist. Routledge.
  • Wills, F. (2022). Beck’s cognitive therapy: Distinctive features (2nd ed.). Routledge.

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