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MCT's Spatial Attention Control Exercise (SpACE)
Discover a More Focused Way to Ease Worry
The Spatial Attention Control Exercise (SpACE) for Low Mood
Learn how intentionally focusing on sounds in your environment can reduce self-focus and rumination often associated with low mood.
The Spatial Attention Control Exercise (SpACE) is a refined technique within Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) designed to help you gain greater control over where your attention goes. Instead of getting caught up in excessive self-focus and rumination, which can be prominent in low mood, SpACE trains your ability to intentionally direct your attention to specific sounds in your external surroundings.
Unlike trying to suppress thoughts or emotions, SpACE enhances your capacity to choose where you place your mental focus. With regular practice, you can develop increased flexibility in your attention, leading to reduced distress and improved mental clarity.
Why Use the Spatial Attention Control?
Psychological research highlights that persistent rumination and excessive self-focus are key elements of what's known as the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS). This CAS plays a significant role in maintaining low mood by reinforcing unhelpful cycles of thought.
SpACE is specifically designed to:
Help interrupt the cycle of excessive self-focus and rumination.Strengthen your ability to intentionally control your attention.Support emotional regulation by intentionally directing your focus outward to sounds. By practicing SpACE, you can regain more control over where your mind directs its focus, which can ease the distress caused by rumination and low mood.
How the Spatial Attention Control Exercise Works
Think of SpACE as a focused exercise to train your attention. It strengthens your ability to intentionally focus on and shift your attention between different sounds in your environment in a deliberate way. The exercise involves intentionally directing your attention to specific sounds and observing their characteristics without judgment or analysis. No sound is fine, too - just study the silence. This intentional and structured approach gradually improves your ability to disengage from unhelpful patterns of thinking and build greater mental flexibility in directing your auditory attention.
Key Benefits of SpACE:
Regain greater control over where you direct your attention.Reduce excessive self-focus and rumination.Interrupt patterns of rumination that contribute to low mood. SpACE can be a helpful tool on its own, but for the best outcomes, it’s most effective when integrated into a comprehensive Metacognitive Therapy approach tailored to your individual needs.
Guidance in Sessions:
During our sessions, I can guide you through SpACE and help you refine your technique to ensure you are practicing it effectively.
Practicing SpACE with this intentional and structured approach to the sounds around you can help you develop a greater sense of control over your attention and ease the grip of unhelpful thinking associated with low mood.