How to Stop Intrusive Thoughts: 8 Tips From an Expert

What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts often happen in mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with certain mental health conditions may experience more frequent or intense intrusive thoughts than others. For example, OCD is characterized by the presence of intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that plague the person with OCD, often on a daily basis.

Almost everyone experiences intrusive thoughts or images at some point in their life. One study estimated that almost 94% of the general population experiences intrusive thoughts.¹ The difference is that people with mental disorders are more likely to ruminate on the meaning behind the thought. Understanding if a person is experiencing intrusive thoughts as a symptom of a disorder can help provide guidance for the proper treatment.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder & Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are a hallmark symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is characterized by intrusive thoughts that encourage the person to perform mental or physical compulsive behaviors.² Intrusive thoughts in OCD are incredibly distressing and often occur on a daily basis for the person.

OCD intrusive thoughts can come in the form of images, such as seeing a scary event play out, or urges, such as feeling like you suddenly need to do something you might normally consider taboo. Intrusive thoughts in OCD are often attached to themes such as contamination, harm, relationships, symmetry, or religion.

Examples of OCD intrusive thoughts include:

• Picturing germs on a doorknob that will cause you to become sick
• Visions of harming a loved one with a sharp object that is in the room with you
• A sudden urge to crash your car when driving
• Visions of shootings, stabbings, or other violent unwanted imagery
• Thoughts that you may have said something embarrassing at a social event
• Feeling as if certain colors or numbers mean something

Anxiety Disorders & Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts can also occur in anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or specific phobias. The way these thoughts show up can vary based on the specific diagnosis or person. Often, intrusive thoughts in anxiety disorders center around doubts and “what if” scenarios.

For example, individuals with GAD often struggle with how to stop intrusive thoughts about typical everyday worries like finances, relationships, or careers. People with specific phobias may experience intrusive thoughts or images around their feared situation. Those with panic disorder often have frequent intrusive thoughts of experiencing another panic attack.

Examples of anxiety-induced intrusive thoughts include:

• Is my partner still interested in me, and how will I know for sure?
• What if I have another panic attack?
• What if I say or do something stupid at this social event?
• Did I pick the right profession, and what if this isn’t the right one for me?
• What if I pass out again as soon as I go to donate blood?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are a common symptom in individuals who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD intrusive thoughts happen as a part of re-experiencing the trauma. PTSD intrusive thoughts typically show up as memories of traumatic experiences, which can cause a person to feel as if they are reliving the trauma. Sometimes, environmental triggers can cause intrusive thoughts to happen more frequently or intensely for a period of time.³

Examples of PTSD intrusive thoughts include:

• I know I won’t be able to handle this situation, just like when [traumatic experience] happened.
• I’m a bad person because of my trauma.
• I will never be whole again because of my trauma.
• What if I go out to this event and (traumatic experience) happens again?
• What if I never feel the same as I did before the trauma?

Do Intrusive Thoughts Mean Anything?

Intrusive thoughts do not have to “mean” anything, but many people who experience intrusive thoughts often assign their thoughts meaning, which is what causes the distress. For example, someone might think, “If I had that horrible thought, what does that mean about me as a person?” or “If I could think something like that, does that mean I will do it?”

Sometimes, people really want to know how to stop intrusive thoughts about violence because they are worried that the thought means they will hurt themselves or loved ones. There is no replicable evidence that supports intrusive thoughts as being predictive of violent or harmful behaviors.⁸ Instead, assigning meaning to the intrusive thoughts often causes them to last longer and become more distressing.

How to Stop Intrusive Thoughts

Managing and reducing the frequency and impact of intrusive thoughts can be accomplished through a variety of strategies. Certain strategies for how to stop intrusive thoughts, like cognitive or exposure therapies, are best done under the guidance of a trained mental health professional. Other strategies, like mindfulness or stress reduction techniques, can be used for healthy coping outside therapy.

It is important to note that it is not healthy to become overly invested in stopping your intrusive thoughts. Sometimes, this can actually draw more attention to them and cause them to happen more frequently or intensely. Instead, these strategies are ways to manage thoughts, which may or may not lead to the thoughts stopping over time.

Here are eight ways to stop intrusive thoughts:

1. Practice Mindfulness Techniques

Mindfulness can be a powerful tool for how to stop intrusive thoughts. Studies support mindfulness as helpful for reducing rumination and worry, increasing self-compassion, and stabilizing thoughts and emotions.⁴ Learning to notice when the thoughts “pop in” is helpful because you can begin to understand triggers (if there are any) at that moment. Sometimes, it is equally as powerful to realize there is no trigger and the thought “just happened”. You don’t need to know why.

For individuals whose intrusive thoughts cause compulsions, mindfulness techniques act as a “pause button” and help put space between intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions. Techniques might include mindful breathing, walking meditation, or a body scan.

One simple mindfulness strategy for how to stop intrusive thoughts is noting. You can note when an intrusive thought is happening without doing anything to change it. You might identify how your body feels, noticing sensory input while breathing through the discomfort of the intrusive thought until it passes.

2. Implement Cognitive Behavioral Techniques

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques are often used by therapists to stop intrusive thoughts. A CBT strategy called thought-stopping is particularly effective for individuals who have OCD to help control obsessive thinking.⁵ It can be helpful to use thought-stopping in combination with breathing exercises or meditation.

One thought-stopping technique is to visualize a stop sign or say the word “Stop” when you notice an intrusive thought. You can then replace it with a more neutral thought. It is important to note that you should never try to suppress your thoughts but rather acknowledge the distress before attempting to “replace” with an alternative.

3. Try Exposure & Response Prevention

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an evidence-based treatment for how to stop intrusive thoughts, especially for OCD.⁶ Through ERP, someone is gradually exposed to the distressing content of their intrusive thoughts. Through therapy, the person learns to interpret their feared situations as neutral stimuli. The “prevention” piece of ERP is that the person is prevented from using compulsions when exposed to their triggers.

Strategies commonly used in ERP might include placing sticky notes around the home that exposes the person to their feared obsessions, imagining being in their feared situation, or looking at pictures or listening to audio that exposes you to your triggers. It is important to note that ERP is a specialized treatment that can be harmful when approached without a mental health professional as your guide.

4. Use Stress Reduction & Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, can help manage underlying tension, anxiety, and physiological stress responses from intrusive thinking.⁷ Studies indicate relaxation techniques reduce cortisol levels, which decreases perceived stress levels as the body feels more relaxed.⁷ Common relaxation techniques include box breathing, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation. Stress reduction and relaxation techniques are most effective for intrusive thoughts when they are practiced regularly.⁷

5. Stop Fighting the Intrusive Thoughts

Since intrusive thoughts can be scary, people often fight them. They may push the thoughts away or develop compulsive behaviors to “do” something that neutralizes the thought. Learning to recognize, acknowledge, and ride out the distress helps habituate your brain to see the thought as neutral instead of a threat. Over time, learning to “be” with the thought rather than push it away strengthens the neutral interpretation.

6. Externalize Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts often cause the most distress when they are “stuck” internally. Externalizing intrusive thoughts can be as simple as journaling, writing the thoughts out in a list, or speaking the thoughts aloud. When intrusive thoughts are externalized, it forces your brain to recognize them as separate from the negative emotions they cause. Over time, externalizing the intrusive thoughts can help put a divide between thought and feeling.

7. Identify Your Core Values & Priorities

Identifying core values and priorities can help you understand where some of your intrusive thoughts might “stick.” Intrusive thoughts often attack the things a person cares about the most. So, if someone cares about finances, they may notice more intrusive thoughts about money. Or if someone cares most about their job, thoughts may latch onto their career performance. Expecting them to occur in themes can help you plan how to stop intrusive thoughts.

8. Strengthen Self-Care Strategies

Intrusive thoughts have an easier time coming around when your self-care strategies are lacking. Explore all the different types of self-care, including physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual self-care strategies. Then, making a plan to implement them can provide some stability for your well-being. This may not stop intrusive thoughts completely, but it puts you in a better position to handle them when they decide to visit.

When to Seek Professional Support

If intrusive thoughts are happening daily and preventing you from being able to complete personal and professional tasks or interfering with relationships, it may be time to seek professional support. An online therapist directory or online therapy platform is a resource to help you locate a therapist who knows how to treat intrusive thinking patterns. Especially if intrusive thoughts are centered on suicidal ideation, it can be helpful to have a therapist assess for any risk.

Sometimes, intrusive thoughts are so frequent that medication might be needed. You might seek information on medication management from online psychiatrist options. Your psychiatrist can help diagnose and prescribe medications to treat the frequency and impact of your intrusive thoughts.