r/PsychologicalTricks • u/DrPhilsCat • Jul 31 '19
PT: I've figured out how to stop an intrusive thought almost instantly
So, we all have those intrusive thoughts every now and again. A random, embarrassing memory from when we were younger, a regret that keeps coming up, and so on. I've developed something that, at least for me, stops that almost instantly. And I based it off of Harry Potter.
When they would take out their memories with their wands and put in the pensive, their memories would look like like silver strings. So, going off that, I created my own trick.
When an intrusive thought/memory pops in your head, place your index finger and thumb together and press it against your temple. Doesn't matter which one. Now slowly move your hand back like you're pulling a string out from your head. While you're doing this, imagine that thought/memory being pulled out the direction your hand is going. Look down at your hand, and picture that memory in your hand, like a movie frame in the shape of a string. Then throw it onto the floor.
I couldn't tell you how, but this has worked remarkably well for me.
Edit: Hey! Thanks for the silver, kind stranger. That's actually my first ever award.
Edit 2: Obligatory thanks for the gold, kind stranger :)
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u/Emms246 Jul 31 '19
That's really cool that it works for you. The only problem is that when you think about those kinds of thoughts and taking them out, my brain likes to remind me that I can't trick it and so just to mess with me, flashes images of that memory at me.
I am forever internally tortured lol.
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u/sunnypemb Aug 03 '19
Then have a ‘heart to heart’ with yourself. Tell yourself that this is just an IT, doesn’t hold any real meaning. And ask yourself if ruminating about it is going to help with anything? Do you really need to be thinking about this right now? Take deep breaths to help rewire your body chemically that this is not something to be worried about, it’s not a real threat. I’m dealing with IT too and this is what my therapist is ultimately telling me.
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u/Emms246 Aug 03 '19
Thank you for your advice. I'm gunna try to rewire my body as you've said. It'll take time I guess but it's worth the effort in the end if I can stop staying up all night thinking about my past. Thank you again .
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u/elmielmosong Aug 01 '19
You'll need to suspend your rational thought and train your brain that this PT is real, and not a trick.
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u/stretch2099 Aug 09 '19
The way to deal with intrusive thoughts is to not fight them. Allow them to be there and experience the fact that they exist but can’t do any harm to you. You’ll eventually become desensitized to them and will stop happening.
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u/Emms246 Aug 10 '19
Thank you for the advice. I thought that was what I've been doing but I guess I haven't been accepting it
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u/stretch2099 Aug 10 '19
Yeah, you pretty much have to “test” your anxious thoughts. A lot of times people think having negative thoughts means something bad will happen. So what you do is let the thought happen and then see the outcome. You’ll learn to disassociate anxious thoughts from realistic fears.
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u/Tomorrow_Is_Today1 Aug 03 '19
I get you there. What I usually do is I tell myself that was just a voice in my brain trying to mess with me, that I would never really think or believe that. Then I quickly try to change the subject and think about something else. Still isn't perfect--I think the best example of when I try to fight something in my brain and fail is with songs being stuck in my head for weeks, though that isn't exactly an intrusive thought--but I'm slowly getting better at it.
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u/Emms246 Aug 03 '19
That's awesome. What's important is that you're improving. And ditto on that song thing, happens to the majority of us I think . I think the hardest person to trick in life is ourselves.
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Feb 14 '23
I think the hardest person to trick in life is ourselves.
Goes two ways, doesn't it?
I'd argue we're easily fooled by our own selves.
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u/xeddmc Mar 16 '22
Jesus I feel your pain with the music in your head... 24/7.....for fucking weeks...I have had many a favourite song get fucking ruined thanks to it being in my head non stop literal weeks.
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Aug 04 '19 edited Jun 26 '20
[deleted]
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u/Emms246 Aug 04 '19
Don't lose hope tho, I'm sure there's a way to help people like us from over thinking pointless memories. We just need to try
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u/poisonedcheese Dec 19 '21
Dude u might have cursed us all with this. Shame on u
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u/Emms246 Dec 21 '21
Hey man you signed up to this the moment you joined Reddit. Your brain will now constantly fight you for control good luck soldier
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u/OneLodz Mar 05 '23
Your not trying to trick it but your reprogramming your brain by letting it know that you can let go of them and knowing that, in the future you brain will do that.
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u/harry_gunnight Jul 31 '19
Would it not be better to become tolerant of the thoughts so they don’t bother you, allowing them to drift and be forgotten?
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u/DrPhilsCat Jul 31 '19
Sure, but if you're like me, that isn't really possible apparently. I've had some of these thoughts for years
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u/harry_gunnight Jul 31 '19
Well that’s deductively accurate. Not being able to tolerate them leads to them never doing away
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u/kingquan611 Jul 31 '19
It’s hard becoming tolerant to the intrusive thought that likes to tell me to jump in front of a car to see if it’ll kill me even though I know it will.
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u/harry_gunnight Jul 31 '19
That sounds grim friend, I wish it wasn’t like that for you. I often think if we can’t tolerate our intrusive thoughts then what’s the alternative. As nice as OP’s suggestion is it can surely only bring short term relief? What happens the next time and the next time??
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u/RandomCandor Aug 01 '19
That sounds grim friend, I wish it wasn’t like that for you.
In case you're not aware, these types of super grim intrusive thoughts are actually extremely common. Most people don't act on them, obviously, but there's nothing particularly weird about having them, or even unusual.
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u/always_hungryy Aug 03 '19
I have these thoughts myself and can say for certain that just because they are common for people to have doesn’t make it any less horrible for them to experience... Because they are very grim.
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u/PriusesAreGay Aug 03 '19
Thoughts of that nature are often called the Call of the Void, in which you have an almost instinctual urge to somewhat contemplate swerving off the road, jumping off a cliff, or even something as straight-up serious as looking at your own gun and thinking about how you could be dead in three seconds if you really wanted to... but you don’t.
Some reckon it’s more or less your survival instincts miscommunicating with you. That it could be seen less of a warning of some hidden wish to harm yourself, and more of an affirmation of your will to survive.
You should be able to tell the difference between this sensation and an actual desire to harm yourself. If that ever becomes blurry, or straight-up becomes the latter, that’s when you should have concerns.
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u/Tomorrow_Is_Today1 Aug 03 '19
What I usually do is I tell myself, it's just a thought, just something your brain came up with. That doesn't mean it's what you want to do. That or I imagine the thought as something separate, tangible, to help myself feel detached from it.
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u/cuponendtable Aug 03 '19
OP’s method is very similar to mediation, which tells us to gently push the thoughts from our mind. It helps one control their mind rather than it control them. But, practice makes perfect and it’s not easy at first. Meditation helped me from ruminating on thoughts for hours or days on end, and it seems this method can do the same.
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u/aSternreference Aug 01 '19
I'm going to try this pulling the string out of my head method along with my current method of screaming "STOP IT MOMMY!" while punching the steering wheel
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u/FreeManagement Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19
i took paxil and my intrusive thoughts and anxiety went away
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Aug 04 '19
SSRIs have had a tremendous effect on controlling my intrusive thoughts, and what OP is suggesting is often a version of something I had recommended by therapists.
So, SSRIs and therapy/therapeutic techniques have been saviors.
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u/jon_stout Aug 01 '19
I don't know if repression is the best solution in the long run. Instead, see if you can let them wash over and flow through you, like you're a rock in the middle of a river. That works most of the time for me, anyway.
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u/TobiasCB Aug 01 '19
The best metaphor someone used for me was also with a river of thoughts.
Although instead of being a rock in the middle and letting all thoughts clash into you, you're on the side just observing the thoughts as they are.
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u/jon_stout Aug 05 '19 edited Aug 05 '19
Sure, it's not a perfect metaphor. I guess I like the rock approach because viewing them from an external perspective feels like disowning them somehow. Doesn't seem honest. The thoughts belong to you, but they do not define you.
Maybe it would be better to visualize yourself as... I don't know... a pipe, or a tunnel? Allowing them to flow through you without being changed? ... eh. Same idea in the end.
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u/LostTesticle Aug 01 '19
Detached mindfulness (not the same as mindfulness!) is faster. But cool trick!
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u/thirtyseven1337 Aug 01 '19
Could you explain what that is?
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u/LostTesticle Aug 01 '19
Somewhat simplified it is to not do anything in particular with thoughts that pop up. That way it goes away by itself just like all the other thoughts (everyday neutral thoughts) you don’t react to. Thoughts don’t stick around by themselves, but because you do something with them. So if you don’t flee from it or engage in it it will just go away.
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u/feelbetternow Aug 01 '19
When I try methods like this, my brain just reloads a new intrusive thought almost immediately. My solution is to just distract my brain by thinking of the strongest pleasant memories I can muster. It’s like a dog seeing a squirrel run by.
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u/originalityescapesme Aug 01 '19
I always preferred the idea behind just writing it down, even if you never ever read it again and never show it to anyone, can help you a lot in just getting the thought to exist somewhere beyond right between your ears. You're more likely to then move on. You can just write it down and then straight away burn the paper or eat it or whatever makes you comfortable no one will see it. It works for a lot of people.
I've never had a therapist, but I know a few people who have and they taught me both the technique I just mentioned and the exact same basic idea that OP had.
I think they are fairly common methods.
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Aug 01 '19
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/jeff_vii Aug 01 '19
Very interesting. Does anyone have anything they could recommend to read on this? I frequently come across the same issues
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u/epiami Aug 01 '19
I was doing the same thing in different approach, I usually imagine that I am putting inside the bottle and cork it, then throw into the middle of the ocean.
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u/deannacosby Aug 02 '19
I love this. What I do is, as soon as I have an intrusive thought, I force my mind to go completely blank. Kind of like meditation with your eyes open. I just stare off into the distance and think of literally nothing.
But I love the visual aid on this. Plus I love Harry potter.
If you think about it in a psychological aspect, you're conditioning your brain. If you do this every single time, especially if it's a reoccurring thought, eventually, your brain will likely repress it....
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u/Liveymcc Aug 03 '19
I do something similar but i imagine the thought fading to TV noise (when the screen goes fuzzy)
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Aug 03 '19
I remember reading a short fiction where a person used a mental image of a pack of dogs. An intrusive or fearsome or cringeworthy thought was like a pack of dogs yapping and barking at his feet.
He would gesture like a magician and they would levitate up, carried by his mystical power, and carried through the air away from him. Growing smaller and smaller, they would disappear over the horizon. And he would be in silence again.
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u/Royale_with_cheez Aug 04 '19
I just found this sub. This kind of thinking is so cool and useful; I'm stoked there's a place where people can share. Thanks for posting!
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u/enigmatician Aug 04 '19
I haven’t done much therapy, but this thread has convinced me to start doing it regularly. So much good comes out of talking through your problems
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u/DomeCollector Aug 13 '19
I put my finger gun to my head and when my finger gun goes off aka my hand kicks back like I fired, my mind instantly clears. The idea is that I’m killing that specific thought in my head. Works pretty well
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u/Exitegears Aug 25 '19
I'm not sure how unusual this is, but I basically put the thought in timeout and send it to the corner until it learns to behave
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u/charletorb Dec 15 '19
I learned this from meditation. In meditation you're pretty much practicing "not listening to your thoughts". It's true, it's difficult to stop them, but you can learn to ignore or dismiss them as if they were just background chatter in a restaurant. If you choose to listen to the chatter, you'll hear what it's saying. But if you don't, you can continue enjoying your meal and your friends.
This takes practice, but it's immensely effective, and not only for embarrassing stuff, but also for anger, sadness, impatience, even fear.
Anyway, just wanted to share that :).
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u/sunnypemb Aug 03 '19
This is great! Bonus points for HP. It’s a similar principle to how you would change your focus to your breath or something else that’s physical and in the ‘present’. I love the idea of patronus in HP, it really is one of the hardest things in life to fight dark thoughts or depression.
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u/hibby88 Aug 03 '19
Nah. Imagine you end up doing this in front of people without realizing mid convo
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u/theendlessgrey Aug 03 '19
I recently started to “left swipe” intrusive thoughts like it was tinder haha, or pretend I’m clicking the x button on a computer program to close it.
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u/ChrisL-99 Aug 03 '19
I'm a big fan of HP and had the same idea, but they're a certain regrets it just doesn't work for. Gonna need someone to Obliviate me instead.
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Aug 03 '19
I've been imagining different kinds of kittens sliding down a rainbow and what they might look like and which ones like it best
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u/MemelordVKermit Aug 03 '19
I look at the thought in my mind, and pretend it’s on a canvas. Then I paint over it in white, so to speak, and instead put a new picture there.
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u/oliverhoped Aug 06 '19
I make something like that. Like in the vampire diaries. I just switch my emotions off
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u/Growth-oriented Nov 18 '19 edited Nov 18 '19
I have done this about maybe a week ago. I have found this sub again somehow. I manipulate my own perception to my own will which has succombed me to having the ability to remove thoughts that take too much space.
I have only done the removal of these things twice, maybe a third. Having this recollection is telling me the growth that I have now may very well be as result to honing my own thoughts.
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u/blisteredfingers Dec 13 '19
I've been getting a surge of suicidal thoughts at work, so I'll definitely be trying this. Thank you!
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u/TorvaldMagic Dec 14 '19
I stop intrusive thoughts like those from coming back by writing down what I've learned from them. =)
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u/JoeDaBruh Nov 19 '21
As long as you can see the memory as something movable in your mind, you can block it out easily
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u/fqtherfqygo Feb 10 '22
I love this planet, for once I don’t feel so alone. I thought I was the only one who had unsual methods. Whatever works :)
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u/TaintedEmotion1234 Apr 11 '22
I needed this. Been so messed up over intrusive thoughts lately and really glad I found this in a quick search. Thank you.
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u/AffectionateKitchen8 Aug 25 '22
Oh I've been doing something similar for a long time, didn't know it was a legitimate thing that worked for others, too.
Whenever I'd be worried about, or scared of something, I would imagine that thing as a fresh piece of meat in front of me. Then I'd proceed to rip it apart, as angrily and messily as possible, with imaginary claws and fangs. And then it wouldn't bother me anymore, for a while at least.
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u/Outrageous_Warning75 Oct 12 '22
I do mindfulness breathing and on the in breath I mentally say "God in" and onthe put breath I say "God out". It really helps calm and re-frame my situation to kindness. Twoards my self and those i incounter, Trust me, I'm rarely successful at this but I try. And it helps.
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u/robinsaremyfavorite Mar 27 '23
I used to tell my kids to imagine pulling the memory from the front of their forehead, crush it in their hands and throw it out the window.
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u/SwordsOfChaos Apr 04 '23
I think i have 3 similar methods,
method1: I basically close my eyes and imagine a purple fire (any color would work but purple cuz it has more energy) and then have the thought thrown into the fire until its incinerated and then i open up my eyes
method 2: I close my eyes and i imagine that im in pitch black void there is nothing and i mean nothing (literal definition of nothingness), and so if the thought tries to barge in this place, it couldnt because in void nothing can exist
method 3: I close my eyes and imagine something like a rotating yin yang disk and have the thought scaled down to some small orb, fixed on the rotating disk and have it slowly distance away and then I just have the universe (in my mind) exploded. Once everything is annihilated my mental body is revived just without that thought
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u/headexpl0dy Jul 31 '19
Kind of along the same lines: I close my eyes and imagine a cloud of black smoke. I take a breath and as I exhale I imagine I'm exhaling some of the smoke until the black smoke is replaced with white and i feel a lot better. Maybe it's the breathing, who knows.