Stopping Automatic Negative Thoughts

[flow]

"I'm feeling anxious/scared/sad...what do I need right now?" That's from the article on the Facebook post the other day, and helps me to lift out of the ruminating slog to some helpful activity. In my case it was a drink of water and some moving around. Very powerful strategy.

Thanks for the post, and, as always, thanks for this blog, Gareth.

[Enigma]

Automatic thinking, particularly of the negative variety, has received a lot of attention in the field of neuropsychology (both clinical and research-based). Stopping these thoughts is a major aim of a number of therapeutic approaches, the most effective of which, I would argue, is mindfulness.

The more we engage in a certain type of thinking, the easier it becomes to think those thoughts, plain and simple. As everyone knows, those thoughts occur with increasing automaticity as we train the brain, intentionally or unintentionally, to think them. Habits become harder to break as the neural pathways underlying them grow stronger through repeated activation. Soon enough, the feeling of falling into a spiraling abyss of negative thoughts becomes a regular occurrence.

Unfortunately for many of us, the brain is evolutionarily adapted to hone in on the negative as a survival mechanism; considering all negative outcomes used to be to our advantage insofar as it allowed us to weigh our options quickly when faced with immediate danger (a predator, for instance). Now, however, automatic negative thinking appears to do more harm than good.

Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) have a way of sneaking up on us. As their name suggests, ANTs can be major pests. However, thanks to the brain's remarkable plasticity, our brains can be re-trained through simple exercises in mindfulness to exterminate ANTs as they are in the process of invading - a proactive, preventative measure. Even by the time the mind becomes fully infested with ANTs, the most reliable exterminator is mindfulness: simply noting, non-judgmentally, our habits of thought and letting them go. Too often, we become swept away in negative rumination as the ANTs take over. Yet the simple act of noticing, with neither attachment nor aversion, when this happens can decrease the frequency and intensity of these thoughts over time. And as flow mentions, pausing to take note of what we need in the present moment is an immensely helpful strategy for warding off ANTs before they get out of control.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool.

[Gareth]

Can we ever stop them completely? I'm not sure. I've been practising virtually every day for two and a half years now, and I certainly haven't eliminated them. These days though, negative thoughts come with flashing alarms attached, enabling me to avoid getting entangled in them. I would say that there are a lot less of them too, but I can't imagine ever getting rid of them completely. I guess we would need to ask Thich Nhat Hahn or Jon Kabat-Zinn if this is ever possible.

[piedwagtail91]

i'm not sure it's good practice to even consider stopping them, they'll always come up for some reason or other.
learning to 'see' them is probably a better way.
mindfulness allows you to notice them more easily and let them go.
i agree with gareth that i feel i get less negative thoughts now, but maybe that's because i'm more mindful, maybe more positive in my outlook and definitely less depressed

[JonW]

"I guess we would need to ask Thich Nhat Hahn or Jon Kabat-Zinn if this is ever possible."

Not sure about TNH but JKZ makes clear in his writings that he continues to be swept away by the thought stream even after decades of meditating. That's to say he makes no claims to "enlightenment" or anything similar. And so, like the rest of us, he continues to practice.

[flow]

It's the practice of mindfulness that helps me develop awareness of the negative thoughts. Otherwise, my brain would ascribe the uneasiness/nervousness to Event A in an automatic way, and perhaps lead me to avoid, or worry about a situation or a person needlessly. I'm not looking to stop these feelings. I find it helpful to have strategies to not let them "take over" when they occur. I really like the image of the "flashing alarms", helping me to notice more often the feelings when they occur.

[Enigma]

Good insight.

[BioSattva]

What if we stopped automatic thoughts about getting food? What about automatic thoughts about needing to go to the toilet?

It seems thoughts bubble up because they have a root in protecting us and keeping our biology alive. Negative thoughts are just warning us that last time we went along that mountain path, a sabre-tooth tiger attacked us, so we'd better be careful - so this "I'm feeling anxious/scared/sad" is just an alarm signal.

Just as for thoughts like "I am hungry", or "I need a pee", detaching and distancing ourselves can mean our impulsiveness lessens and we can choose to follow these thoughts or not - amplify them by 'indulging' in their story, or let them drift on by by saying "False alarm - sabre tooth tigers aren't in this region, or don't exist anymore, or it is just a domestic cat, actually". The 'radar' as to whether there is some unhealthy component to our realtionship with the thought is the amount of any tension in the body associated with the thought - the often impulsive reaction to unhealthy thoughts as if they are facts. Lowering tension in the body in all situations and activities allows one to keep on top of things much more. This is what I am mostly concerned with in my life - I live in a huge crazy city in China. Tension lurks around every corner! That's OK because I have mindfulness practice.

[larorra]

isn't mindfulness what it says,, being mindful of your thoughts not trying to get rid of them, be they negative or otherwise?

[Gordo]

isn't mindfulness what it says,, being mindful of your thoughts not trying to get rid of them, be they negative or otherwise?

I think you have hit the nail on the head!