Have you ever struggled with intrusive thoughts taking hold of your day? It’s often difficult to find relief from intrusive thoughts, but this shouldn’t have to be the case. Luckily, learning how to stop intrusive thoughts is actually relatively simple. Still, you’ll need to make a few simple lifestyle changes first to ensure you’re getting the most from your efforts.

And don’t forget: intrusive thoughts treatment with EMDR can really help. However, you’ll need to really stick with it to see the best results! If you do, you should notice several amazing changes in your lifestyle:

• Feel more self-confident and self-assured in your own skin
• Be more open and honest with your friends and loved ones without feeling guilty / ashamed
• Re-discover old passions and hobbies that you may have lost over time
• Leave behind old fears and worries and embrace the day ahead

What are Intrusive Thoughts?

Understanding intrusive thoughts is one of the most important steps in understanding the right treatment approach to take. Intrusive thoughts, at their simplest, are thoughts that seem to come out of nowhere and interrupt your normal activities. While intrusive thoughts may be relatively mild, some can be incredibly distressing. This is especially true if they involve past traumas.

The Different Types of Intrusive Thoughts

You should always consider the different types of intrusive thoughts before looking at the different ways to stop them. Indeed, this can help you understand the cause of how you’ve been feeling a little more easily. As explained by WebMD, some of the most common types of intrusive thoughts include:

Negative intrusive thoughts: These most often result from poor self-esteem and self-worth. Negative intrusive thoughts can also often be common symptoms of anxiety.

Violent intrusive thoughts: If you have violent intrusive thoughts (against yourself or other people), this could also be a sign that you are struggling significantly with your mental health. Usually, these will go away with time, but if they are recurring, you may need further support to help you get back to living a happy, fear-free life. These may also be the result of PTSD and traumatic experiences.

Sexual intrusive thoughts: Let’s face it – we all have sexual thoughts from time to time! However, if they begin to feel inappropriate, overly frequent, or distressing, they may relate to past traumas that you have experienced, such as relationship trauma.

Sometimes, it’s worth noting that intrusive thoughts can also be random. You might consider them to be like “junk mail” for your mind – they may often seem weird or bizarre and have no real semblance on what you’re doing or your life in general.

How Hormonal Changes Can Trigger Intrusive Thoughts

If you don’t think your intrusive thoughts are triggered by anxiety, you might instead be looking at hormonal causes. Indeed, hormone imbalances can increase your likelihood of experiencing intrusive thoughts. As such, this is especially common for women (who regularly experience hormone fluctuations throughout the month).

How EMDR Therapy Therapy Can Help Stop Intrusive Thoughts

There are numerous ways that EMDR therapy can help stop intrusive thoughts. As such, if you have been struggling, this could be just the solution you need to begin processing and moving on.

EMDR therapy uses rapid eye movements to help reprocess past traumas you may have experienced. This process offers a simple way for individuals who have suffered in the past to heal and recover. Thereby, it may help with reducing the incidence of intrusive thoughts accordingly.

So, what happens during an EMDR session to help stop intrusive thoughts from taking hold of your life? Well, there are several key steps we’ll look at during your session to help you find peace. This could prevent these thoughts from dominating your life.

Firstly, you’ll be asked to recall the events in your past that have been causing you distress. This may be a little difficult to do the first time, but don’t worry; your therapist will be there to help guide you through the process and support you during this difficult first step. Then, once you’ve firmly got the memories in your mind, your therapist will begin guiding you through a series of rapid eye movements. These are designed based on the eye movements that we commonly make during sleep, helping engage the brain’s cognitive processing abilities and allowing you to reprocess and heal from past trauma.

How Does This Help with Intrusive Thoughts?

Since many people experience intrusive thoughts as a result of past traumas, knowing the different options available to help overcome these can be difficult. However, EMDR can help with intrusive thoughts in several ways. This is important to remember as part of your decision.

EMDR can help individuals reprocess and move on from past traumas that may be inhibiting their ability to heal. Often, this process can also help prevent secondary trauma complications from taking a grip over your life. As just one example, this can also include intrusive thoughts.

In any scenario, EMDR can be highly effective in helping to prevent the root cause of your intrusive thoughts. And, while it may take a little while for these to stop completely, it can no doubt make a big difference to your recovery overall.

So, while intrusive thoughts can often feel overwhelming, this truly doesn’t have to be the case – and with the right approach, you can begin healing and moving on from this pain.

Find Out More About How to Stop Intrusive Thoughts with EMDR

EMDR is just one simple option on how to stop intrusive thoughts, but it’s also one of the most effective. Indeed, while everyone’s ideal intrusive thoughts treatment may vary, considering the options available is highly important to help you find the perfect way forwards.

EMDR works by targeting past memories and helping you process them, which can provide a myriad of benefits in its own right. Some of the great features of EMDR include:

• Quicker than some other forms of therapy, providing support when you need it most
• Can help individuals access and process past memories that can be painful to discuss
• Potential to support numerous different trauma-related challenges and concerns
• Allows you to move on from difficulties holding you back, not just forget about them
• Effective alongside other intrusive thoughts treatment programs you may be undertaking

If you’re ready to learn more about how EMDR can help you overcome intrusive thoughts and lead a happier life, please don’t hesitate to contact me! As your local EMDR therapist in Leeds, I’m proud to help with numerous different challenges, including grief, PTSD, anxiety, and depression .