Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, involuntary ideas or images that come spontaneously to the mind. They can be pleasant (harmless) or unpleasant (frightening, obsessive or disturbing). At a clinical level, they are considered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), postpartum depression, excessive guilt, depression, among others. In fact, some of these mental health problems can be triggered by negative intrusive thoughts. This thought or idea may become obsessive, distressing or upsetting, and may feel difficult to manage or eliminate. Those who experience them fear that they may commit the acts they imagine in their minds. They also fear that these thoughts mean something terrible about them. Unwanted intrusive thoughts can be very explicit, and many people feel ashamed and worried about them, and therefore keep them secret (Winston & Seif, 2017). Researchers have found that.
How we deal with distressing mental intruders will determine their control over us. Many studies have shown that, to deal with this issue, the . However, several have been raised.
Brain Default Mode: Spontaneous Thinking
Neuroscientists claim that more than 50% of our thinking is spontaneous and independent of stimuli: mind wandering, daydreaming, intrusive thoughts, and the like (Christoff, K. 2012). The brain regions responsible for spontaneous thinking, called the brain’s default mode network, are well known from neuroimaging studies.
We cannot help but have spontaneous thoughts. We can’t direct our brain to think only about things we want to think about. Our brains are always generating spontaneous thoughts. These are useful: they help us adapt to our environment, and are important for creativity and problem solving. Spontaneous thinking has also been linked to positive mental health, or what has been called “flourishing.” And some people are likely to have a much higher rate of spontaneous thinking than others. So, if you have a wild and imaginative mind, you can consider it a gift to take advantage of.
The dark side of intrusive thoughts
Not every spontaneous thought will be positive, useful or simply mundane. Sometimes they can be very negative, disturbing, strange or disturbing. Certain types of unwanted intrusions are especially distressing: thoughts about causing harm to yourself or others by doing something morally repugnant; commit a crime, or remember a past mistake or shame, an experience of shame or humiliation, a threat to your personal safety, a personal loss or trauma, etc. Virtually any negative experience or imagined threat could become a negative intrusive thought.
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Many things influence intrusive thinking. You are more likely to have negative mental intrusions if you are under a lot of stress; depressed, anxious, angry or guilty, if you are an emotional person with fluctuations in how you feel, if you are prone to overthinking, if you face significant losses or threats in your life, or if you have experienced trauma, are tired or sleep deprived.
What to do with negative intrusions
In addition to the psychological treatment required, you can consider two steps to develop a different attitude toward negative intrusions.
- Accept that intrusive thinking, whether positive or negative, is a normal and natural way of thinking. You can’t help but have intrusive thoughts. This is how our brains work.
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If you have frequent and persistent distressing intrusive thoughts, consider whether any of the factors listed above may be increasing them. If some of these factors are relevant, you can make the necessary changes to your lifestyle and/or seek professional help.
Learning a better way to deal with your mind is an important part of recovery from emotional distress.
References:
Christoff, K. (2012). “Undirected Thought: Neural Determinants and Correlates.” Brain Research 1428:51-59.
Winston, S. M., & Seif, M. N. (2017). Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts. Recovered from
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