Cognitive defusion—an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) skill—helps us relate to thoughts as thoughts rather than as literal truths. By loosening the grip of inner commentary, we regain room to act in line with our values instead of being pushed around by worry, self-criticism, or rigid rules (Hayes et al., 2006; Hayes, 2011). Buddhist sources anticipate this shift through instructions that de-fuel papañca (mental proliferation) and train a direct, non-appropriative way of knowing: the Satipaṭṭhāna’s steady observation of body, feeling-tone, mind states, and mental qualities (MN 10); the Madhupiṇḍika’s analysis of how contact cascades into proliferation (MN 18); and Bāhiya’s radical cue to remain with “only the seen, only the heard, only the sensed, only the cognized” (Ud 1.10) (Access to Insight, n.d.; Ānandajoti, n.d.; Sujato, n.d.; Thanissaro, 2013). This article explains defusion, maps it to those Buddhist insights, summarizes the modern evidence base, and offers step-by-step practices and a one-week plan to help you integrate the skill in everyday life (Beygi et al., 2023).