Posted by Larry Hoover on June 8, 2003, at 9:59:58
In reply to Re: Another CBT question. Very specific. » Dinah, posted by mattdds on June 7, 2003, at 21:49:02
> The goal is *NOT* to get rid of the intrusive thoughts! The goal is to change the beliefs about the meaning of the obsessive thoughts. In other words, freely let the thought intrusions enter. You might have heard about thought suppression experiments; they don't work! E.g. try hard for 30 seconds NOT to think of vomit....................................what just passed through your mind? Of course, vomit!
I snipped everything else because I want to absolutely emphasize how much I agree with this concept. If you can learn to ignore the intrusive thoughts (in other words, not react emotionally too them), they no longer stand out from all the other thoughts that you might have.
When you react to the thought, you "lock it in". It doesn't pass by and fade away, like all the other thoughts do.
Everybody has unusual thoughts that pass through their brain. Some are quite bizarre. If you don't react to them, they have no significance.
The problem is the reaction, not the thought itself.
There are a number of different techniques you can learn, to desensitize your reaction. That's a matter of personal preference. One I like is "I don't own that thought. It doesn't spring from my spirit."
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:230572
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030529/msgs/232352.html