Research shows that thought suppression doesn't work, so
how can you cast out irritating repetitive thoughts?
It's one of the irritations of having a mind that
sometimes bad thoughts get stuck going around in it.
It could be a mistake at work, money worries or perhaps a
nameless fear. Whatever the anxiety, fear or worry, it can prove very difficult
to control.
The most intuitive method for dealing with it is using
thought suppression: we try to push it out of our minds.
Unfortunately, as many studies have shown, thought
suppression doesn't work. Ironically, trying to push thoughts out of mind only
makes them come back stronger. It's a very frustrating finding, but one that's
been replicated experimentally again and again.
So, what alternatives exist to get rid of thoughts we'd
rather not have going around in our heads?
In an article for American Psychologist, the expert on
thought suppression, Daniel Wegner, explains some potential methods for
tackling persistent unwanted thoughts (Wegner, 2011). Here are my favourite:
1.
Focused distraction
The natural tendency when trying to get your mind off,
say, a social gaff you made, is to try and think about something else: to
distract yourself. The mind wanders around looking for new things to focus on,
hopefully leaving you in peace.
Distraction does work but, oddly enough, studies suggest
it is better to distract yourself with one thing, rather than letting the mind
wander.
That's because aimless mind wandering is associated with
unhappiness; it's better to concentrate on, say, a specific piece of music, a
TV programme or a task.
2.
Avoid stress
Another intuitive method for avoiding persistent thoughts
is to put ourselves under stress. The thinking here is that the rush will leave
little mental energy for the thoughts that are troubling us.
When tested scientifically, this turns out to be a bad
approach. In fact, rather than being a distraction, stress makes the unwanted
thoughts come back stronger, so it certainly should not be used as a way of
avoiding unpleasant thoughts.
3.
Postpone the thought until later
While continuously trying to suppress a thought makes it
come back stronger, postponing it until later can work.
Researchers have tried asking those with persistent
anxious thoughts to postpone their worrying until a designated 30-minute 'worry
period'. Some studies suggest that people find this works as a way of
side-stepping thought suppression.
So save up all your worrying for a designated period and
this may ease your mind the rest of the time.
4.
Paradoxical therapy
What if, instead of trying to suppress a worrying
repetitive thought about, say, death, you head straight for it and concentrate
on it?
It seems paradoxical that focusing in on a thought might
help it go away, but some research suggests this can work. It's based on the
long-established principle of 'exposure therapy': this is where, for example,
arachnophobes are slowly but surely exposed to spiders, until the fear begins
to fade.
This approach is not for the faint-hearted, but research
suggests it can be useful when used by those tackling obsessive thoughts and
compulsive behaviour.
5.
Acceptance
Along similar lines, but not so direct, there's some
evidence that trying to accept unwanted thoughts rather than doing battle with
them can be beneficial. Here are the instructions from one study which found it
decreased participants' distress:
"Struggling with your target thought is like
struggling in quicksand. I want you to watch your thoughts. Imagine that they
are coming out of your ears on little signs held by marching soldiers. I want
you to allow the soldiers to march by in front of you, like a little parade. Do
not argue with the signs, or avoid them, or make them go away. Just watch them
march by." (Marcks & Woods, 2005, p. 440)
6.
Meditate
Similar to acceptance, Buddhist mindfulness meditation
promotes an attitude of compassion and non-judgement towards the thoughts that
flit through the mind. This may also be a helpful approach to unwanted
repetitive thoughts.
7.
Self-affirmation
Self-affirmation is the latest psychological cure-all. It
involves thinking about your positive traits and beliefs and has been found to
increase social confidence and self-control, amongst other benefits.
It may also be helpful for unwanted repetitive thoughts,
although it has only been tested experimentally a few times.
8.
Write about it
In contrast to self-affirmation, expressive
writing—writing about your deepest thoughts and feelings—has been tested extensively
and it does have various health and psychological benefits (although generally
only with a small effect).
Writing emotionally about yourself, then, may help to
reduce recurrent unwanted thoughts.
The
disclaimer
A note on all these techniques from Daniel Wegner:
"The techniques and therapies explored here vary
from the well established to the experimental, but it should be remembered
that, on balance, they lean toward the experimental...these assembled solutions
for unwanted thoughts should be taken as hypotheses and possibilities rather
than as trusty remedies or recommendations."
That said, none of these techniques are likely to do any
harm and all of them are probably an improvement on thought suppression.
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1146989
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1146989
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