We are More Than Our Thoughts

What is Self-as-Context?

We are going to get a bit abstract for a second:

“Self as context” refers to the idea that you are more than your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In other words, you have thoughts but you are not your thoughts.

Recognising this helps you create a stable perspective from which to observe your thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed by them. 

You gain the ability to step back and respond more flexibly to life’s challenges. This broader perspective reduces the power of negative thoughts and emotions, allowing you to focus on actions that align with your values, even when faced with difficult situations

Chessboard Metaphor

Imagine your mind as a chessboard, with your thoughts and emotions as the chess pieces. Some pieces are black, representing difficult thoughts or feelings, and others are white, representing positive ones. As the chessboard, you hold all the pieces, but you are not any one of them. This means that no matter how intense a thought or feeling is, it’s just a piece on the board—you are the board itself, stable and constant, not defined by any single thought or emotion. This perspective helps you observe your thoughts and feelings without getting overly caught up in them.

Clouds in the Sky Metaphor

It’s like being the sky, with your thoughts and emotions being the weather. The sky doesn’t change because of a storm or sunny day; it’s always there, steady and unchanging. This concept helps you observe your thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, which can give you a sense of stability and perspective, especially during challenging times.

This perspective forms the basis for cognitive defusion strategies, which can help you ‘take a step back’ from your emotions and thoughts, and reduce how intense they feel.

‘The Mountain’ Meditation

You visualise yourself as a strong, stable mountain, regardless of the changing weather around you, like storms, sunshine, or fog. As you sit quietly, you imagine yourself as the mountain, grounded and unmovable, with all the changing weather representing your thoughts, emotions, and life experiences.

This meditation helps you experience yourself as the steady mountain, rather than the passing weather. It reinforces the idea that you are not your thoughts or emotions; instead, you are the unchanging presence that observes them. This practice builds a sense of stability and calm, allowing you to engage with your thoughts and feelings from a broader, more grounded perspective, reducing their power to overwhelm you.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is available from our Geelong Psychologist. Contact us for more details or to make a referral.