#Intrusive thoughts treatment how to#

Treat it as a normal part of your creative mind. So, don’t be surprised when you have a negative, even distressing, intrusive thought. We all have negative thoughts about ourselves, our personal world and our future that pop into our mind. No doubt some people have more spontaneous thought than others, and these “intrusive thinkers” cannot expect all their thoughts to be positive or neutral. In fact, unintended spontaneous thought has been called the brain’s “default mode of operation”. Normalize the Intrusion: Spontaneous thought is a normal part of brain function.There are three key strategies you can use to stem the negative effects of unwanted mental intrusions.

#Intrusive thoughts treatment how to#

If this is happening to you, it’s important to learn how to deal effectively with your negative intrusive thoughts, images or memories. Often distressing intrusive thoughts cause emotional distress because they trigger more persistent forms of negative thinking like worry, rumination or obsessions. A person may conclude that the sudden occurrence of this thought means that it’s best if you take it easy and not push yourself. The same thing with a depressive intrusive thought like “ I don’t want to do anything”. If I suddenly have the thought “ everyone is looking at me” I am more likely to feel anxious because the intrusiveness of the thought makes it more believable. Because of this we tend to pay more attention to them and think they are more meaningful and significant. Yet, spontaneous negative thoughts can be especially troubling for people because they are involuntary, often appearing against our will. Most conventional forms of cognitive behavior therapy focus on more persistent, intentional forms of negative thought. It is these distressing intrusive thoughts, images and memories that can trigger a fresh round of negative emotion like depressed mood, anxiety, frustration and guilt. But in the midst of this hubbub of mental spontaneity, one can also experience negative, even dark thoughts, which pop into the mind and cause considerable personal distress when they grab our attention. At other times, we have positive mental intrusions that bring a momentary sense of encouragement and a feeling of blessing, and then there is a rare occasion when we have a truly creative thought that we consider inspirational. Sometimes these intrusive thoughts can be bizarre and fantastical, causing us to chuckle at their absurdity. Most often our spontaneous thoughts have little purpose or meaning, dealing with things that are benign and trivial. Our mind is a creative space, filled with thoughts and ideas that suddenly appear without will or intention.