Leaves on the stream

Leaves on the Stream is a mindfulness exercise that teaches cognitive defusion.

It is just part of the human condition to over-identify with our thoughts, to fixate on them and accept them as truth. Our minds are constantly thinking, and although all of our thoughts are real, they are not always true. Believing unhelpful thoughts can lead to a narrowing of focus, anxiety, depression, phobias and can negatively affect our inner lives as well as our relationships.

Cognitive defusion is the art of seeing our thoughts without being taken by them. The skill in mindfulness is called meta-cognition. Developing this skill helps to decrease the inner turmoil that decreases your quality of life. Developing meta-cognition will help you in the process of challenging unhelpful thoughts in order to shift into new, helpful thinking patterns.