If you have anxious thoughts, you know that thoughts can be habitual. Taken to the extreme, this becomes OCD. The same thoughts, over and over and over, come unbidden, and you can't seem to turn them off. The train is on its tracks, full steam ahead. How to derail it?
Have you ever seen The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, working with a dog that barks uncontrollably? He does this thing where he makes a little karate-chop like move with his hand, and make this little hissing or shushing sort of sound. When the dog barks, he does this. The dog stops barking, for a moment, then starts again. Cesar does his little thing again. The dog stops again. This time, maybe for a little longer. Then if the dog barks again, Cesar again does his little shushing, chopping deal. Maybe he has to do that 3 or 4 times before the dog can't seem to get the "barking train" back on its rails. And this is how he trains a dog to stop barking in certain situations.
In NLP terms, what Cesar has done is called a pattern interrupt. The dog's brain is used to a certain pattern (bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and....well, dogs are pretty simple that way). Cesar's method uses multiple sensory inputs to interrupt the pattern. Basically, he derails the train by breaking the pattern and confusing the dog's brain. Pattern interrupts are very powerful with people as well.
How can you use this to stop obsessive thoughts? I like a pattern interrupt technique I call "stop and replace." It begins by noticing the obsessive thoughts, to bring them out of the subconscious mind and into the conscious mind. Remember, all change begins with awareness. So, start becoming aware of when you're thinking those unwanted, negative thoughts, then interrupt them. Literally say to yourself "STOP!" If you're alone, say it out loud, and loudly. Snap your fingers or clap your hands for emphasis. If you're not alone, say it in your mind, but say it like you mean it! Then replace that unwanted thought with a positive, opposite thought: either one you come up with on the spot, or a favorite affirmation. ("Every day, in every way, I am growing calmer and calmer," etc.).
What you will find is that, for a time you'll feel like you're stopping and replacing a lot. That's because this is new, and you're noticing the thoughts more. Then over a few weeks, you'll find you're stopping & replacing less and less; not because you're no longer noticing the thoughts, but because they're no longer happening. You've derailed the train!
Just like a well trained dog is a happy dog, a well-trained mind is a happy mind. The pattern interrupt technique is just one way to train your mind. Remember, you're the captain of your ship! Be in charge!
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