Beware of mis-information about
thought stopping on the net!

How NOT to do thought stopping:

    "Research shows that it isn't enough to 
     simply interrupt a thought chain. There is a 
     lot of advice to think, "STOP!", or to snap a 
     rubber band on your wrist in order to interrupt 
     the "bad thought" habit.

     Without some other behavior or thought to replace 
     it with, it is highly likely that you will go 
                 back to thinking your automatic thoughts 
                 in short order. ...this type of technique 
                 may actually prove HARMFUL to some...the 
                 thoughts they are trying to suppress may 
                 end up occurring more frequently." 
                               (Adapted from mentalhelp.net, 2009)

and Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, (an obsessive-compulsive disorder psychologist who proved that the mind can control the brain's chemistry) says:

     "Remember: You can't make the thought go away, but neither
     do you need to pay attention to it. ...An obsessive thought 
     or compulsive urge is very strong, but also quite stupid. 
     If you stand right in front of it and take the full brunt 
     of its power, trying to drive it from your mind, it will 
     defeat you every time. 

Does any of this apply to you?

• Do thoughts (or music) ever go 'round and round in your head, like a catchy jingle stuck on "repeat"?

• Are you a worrier?

• Is hard to do new things? Do you dislike change, or tend to talk about how you used to do things?

• Is it hard to shift your attention from one thing to another?

• Do you dwell in the past?

• Do you have perfectionist tendencies? Hold onto grudges or hurts? Need things done your way?

• Can you be argumentative? Resistant?

In what ways do you get stuck?

Dr. Daniel G. Amen, M.D., explains that the part of the brain responsible for these types of issues is the cingulate gyrus.

    
   "When it is dysfunctional, we have 
   a tendency to get locked into neg-
   ative thoughts or behaviors; we 
   have trouble seeing the options in 
   situations."  

Is there is any history of compulsive behavior, addiction, or rigid, controlling personalities in your family? If so, your brain may have inherited an over-active cingulate gyrus. It may need extra support with thought stopping techniques.

The good news is...

Dr. Amen goes on to say, "It is important to remember, however, that your day-to-day thoughts and behaviors also have a powerful effect on your brain chemistry."

In Stillness Speaks, Eckart Tolle talks about the benefits of thought stopping from a different point of view:

     "When you lose touch with inner stillness, you 
     lose touch with yourself.  When you lose touch 
     with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.
     True intelligence operates silently. Stillness 
     is where creativity and solutions to problems 
     are found."  

Thought Stopping in Five Simple Steps

1. To begin, skip any labels or explanations about your feelings. Be in the question instead of the answer. Say:

2. Breathe deep and bring your awareness to your heart space. Take a few breaths. (Close your eyes if it helps.) Expand your awareness from your heart space to your whole body. Tune in. Notice body sensations. What is "speaking to you?", what do you notice? Zoom in to the main sensation.

3. Once you have your attention fully with your main sensation, let your mind go blank. Be a listening space... silent, receptive. Let the body sensation show you an image or a color...whatever it is, let it come into clear vision.

4. Ask the image...what is it? What does it mean? Thought-stopping uses pictures instead of words.
[I saw a Mt. Everest of jagged ice in my inner belly/heart/throat area. It "told me" that it was 'my resistance'.]

5. Look at the image you get and let it show you what it needs. Rather than thinking about it, stay with it until the image shifts in some way.

What happened? Did you get an 'Aha~!' ??

(My Mt. Everest of resistance showed my hands on it, rubbing it... smoothing and melting it. Apparently, my resistance needed some touch and warmth...some Tender Loving Care! Apparently, I needed to connect with my resistance and accept it. Who'd a thunk? Not me!)

Here's the thing... Personal growth teachers emphasize letting go of resistance -- and I agree that letting go of resistance is key. Misguided efforts at thought stopping can be one more form of resistance.

But...Here's a BIG BUT

When I have resistance, I have resistance.

Being told to NOT have resistance was helpful, but it didn't do the trick. It left me resisting my resistance! And the more I resisted it, the more it persisted!

NEVER in a million years would I have THOUGHT to offer TLC to my resistance. Heck, I wasn't aware that I HAD resistance. But my 'body' showed me. And now I feel so much better~! AND the area of my life that I was resisting has improved dramatically.

The trick with thought stopping is that thoughts cannot stop thoughts. ...just like resisting resistance is futile!

When I have resistance, I have resistance.

Happy thought stopping!! If you want some deep, personalized help, check out my many affordable services (below.)

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