Distraction
Distraction is a helpful psychological technique and ‘life skill.’ Used in the right amount and with the right motivation it an incredibly adaptive coping strategy. Think of the last time you visited the dentist for a filling—was it helpful to distract yourself from the procedure? And if it was, then why can’t distraction be helpful for your patients too? Conceptually, grounding techniques are a form of distraction, and other techniques such as worry postponement require distraction from intrusive worries. There is evidence that distraction is an effective strategy for tackling depressive rumination (Fennell & Teasdale, 1984) and that it is as effective as cognitive restructuring for tolerating pain (Kohl, Rief, & Glombiewski, 2013).
15 of 15 resources
Attention Training Practice Record
Exercises
Attention Training Practice Record
application/pdf
•
222.88 KB
Grounding Techniques Menu
Information handouts
Grounding Techniques Menu
application/pdf
•
258.56 KB
Sensory Grounding Using Your Five Senses (Audio)
Audio
Sensory Grounding Using Your Five Senses (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
4.85 MB
Sensory Grounding Using Smells (Audio)
Audio
Sensory Grounding Using Smells (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
5.53 MB
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 4 (Audio)
Audio
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 4 (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
8.42 MB
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 3 (Audio)
Audio
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 3 (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
8.05 MB
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 2 (Audio)
Audio
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 2 (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
9.25 MB
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 1 (Audio)
Audio
Relaxed Breathing Exercise 1 (Audio)
audio/mpeg
•
8.42 MB
Thought Suppression And Intrusive Thoughts
Information handouts
Thought Suppression And Intrusive Thoughts
application/pdf
•
561.54 KB
Links to external resources
Psychology Tools makes every effort to check external links and review their content. However, we are not responsible for the quality or content of external links and cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.
Information (Professional)
- Distraction and grounding strategies (OCTC practical guides) | Helen Kennerley | 2016
References
Fennell, M. J. V., & Teasdale, J. D. (1984). Effects of distraction on thinking and affect in depressed patients. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 23(1), 65–66.
Kohl, A., Rief, W., & Glombiewski, J. A. (2013). Acceptance, cognitive restructuring, and distraction as coping strategies for acute pain. The Journal of Pain, 14(3), 305–315.