“It Just Popped in There…” What to do About Intrusive and Automatic Thoughts

One of my favorite movies of all time is the original Ghostbusters. In the final scene, the villain asks the Ghostbusters to “make your choice” regarding the form of the foe they will have to fight. Bill Murray’s character urges the others to clear their minds and not think of anything. Next, we see a giant “Stay Puft” marshmallow man appear, and Dan Akroid’s character confesses, “it just popped in there.”, Thoughts often “just pop in” our heads without our choosing or knowledge of where they came from. They can range from helpful to horrifying, making it hard to predict when they might happen. This is often unsettling and overwhelming for many people. Ideally, these automatic thoughts are of the helpful sort, like recalling a task that had been forgotten or to grab milk from the grocery store. However, when they are unhelpful or troubling, here are some ways to manage the thoughts that seemingly appear out of nowhere. A warning: If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or hurting others, please consult with a mental health provider or your doctor immediately, and do not dismiss these thoughts. You can’t control the rain, but you can grab an umbrella: We cannot control when a thought will appear in our heads. The only thing we can control is how we react to it once it does. We can decide how we want to address the thought (or if it’s even necessary to address the thought) and what steps we want to take moving forward. Hit your mental pause button: Breathe, take a second, and ask yourself, “Is there any evidence for or against this thought?” “Is it true?” or “Is this something that is helpful for me?” or “What is this thought trying to tell me?”

Your brain is just trying to survive: I recently worked with a group of new moms who were hesitant to confess that they often had intrusive thoughts of bad things happening to their babies (a common phenomenon). Our brains are wired for the survival of ourselves and our species. Sometimes, our brains conjure up scenarios so we can be prepared or potentially avoid negative situations. Our brains are constantly scanning our environment without our knowledge to keep us safe. Reassuring ourselves that we are safe and everything is okay, can help to stop the thoughts in that moment. Say thank you and move on: Often, our intrusive or automatic thoughts are attempting to send a message. They want to keep us out of trouble, either physically or emotionally. One technique is to acknowledge how hard our brains are working, but that we do not need that sort of help in the current moment. Then consciously attempt to shift from the thought to your next task or implement a coping tool to help calm and ground yourself. Be curious and don’t blame or shame: We cannot control what will trigger a thought in our minds. It could be a smell, a song, a picture, or a location. If we find ourselves having similar thoughts during similar situations, be curious about the thought. For example, if you are thinking of an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, ask yourself what about the situation may have triggered the thought. Be mindful of not getting upset with yourself for the thought appearing. If we are able to make the connections, we can gain insight into the triggers for the thoughts. Then we will be more aware when it happens again, perhaps we will not be caught “off guard.”Practice being present: When we are able to practice clearing our minds, as Bill Murray’s character emphasizes, we can learn how to focus on what is happening in the moment rather than getting trapped in our thoughts. Daily, try to attend to sensations, experiences, and the world around you. One quick technique is to slow down and attempt to actually taste each bite of food, or plant your feet on the ground and notice the sensation of feeling your feet planted and strong on the floor. 

Intrusive and automatic thoughts can range from being a burden to a small annoyance. With effort and practice, the power those thoughts have over you can diminish, allowing them to feel as overwhelming or invasive. As the late, great Harold Ramis said, “Life has all of these contradictory feelings and contradictory results. People spend their whole lives struggling to get what they think they want, and even if they get it, they find that it's either not what they wanted, or it comes with so many unwanted consequences. We're always shut off from pure joy.