🍃 Leaves on a Stream — A Defusion Practice from ACT

In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we often use visual metaphors to help clients create distance from unhelpful thoughts. The technique of reducing the power of thoughts and taking a step away from them, recognising that we are not our thoughts and that thoughts are not hard truths, is called delusion. One such metaphor and practice to teach delusion is a visual exercise called “Leaves on a Stream.”

Imagine sitting beside a gentle stream.

Each thought that comes to mind is placed on a leaf.


The leaf floats by — you watch it come and go, without trying to stop it, struggle with it, change it or hold on.

This practice isn’t about “clearing the mind” or making troubling thoughts disappear. It’s about shifting how we relate to them — recognising that thoughts are just that: thoughts. Not facts. Not instructions. Not emergencies.

With repetition, this can build more psychological flexibility — the ability to stay present and engaged with what matters, even when the mind gets noisy.

Source:
Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K.D., & Wilson, K.G. (2011). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change.

Harris, R. (2019). ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2nd ed.).

Disclaimer: This post is for informational and psychoeducational purposes only and does not replace professional mental health advice or therapy.

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