Cognitive distancing

Cognitive distancing is a psychological technique aimed at creating space between a person and their thoughts, thereby reducing the tendency to treat these thoughts as absolute truths. When individuals experience distressing or intrusive thoughts, it is common for them to become entangled in these mental events, reacting as if the content of the thoughts were definitively real or commanding. Cognitive distancing helps break this pattern by encouraging people to observe their thoughts as temporary, subjective phenomena that arise in the mind.

Rather than engaging directly with negative thoughts—an approach that often reinforces them—cognitive distancing teaches individuals to label or describe thoughts in a detached way. For example, instead of “I am a failure,” a person might learn to rephrase this as “I am having a thought that I am a failure.” This shift in perspective highlights the thought as one mental event among many, rather than a statement of fact about the self. By applying this approach, individuals cultivate a more objective stance toward their inner experiences, thereby easing the intensity of unhelpful thoughts and emotions. Cognitive distancing is frequently used in therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), where it serves as a cornerstone for developing psychological flexibility and resilience.