Welcome to this practice.
Intrusive thoughts are part of being human.
They visit everyone.
And they don't mean anything about who you are.
What often makes them distressing is not the thought itself,
But the meaning we attach to it.
The judgment.
The fear that it says something about us.
And the more we try to push them away,
The louder they seem to become.
This practice will help you break that cycle.
And it is inspired by something my dad taught me many years ago.
When I was a child,
I was afraid of the dark.
Some nights I would wake up absolutely certain that monsters were in my room.
I thought that if I covered my head with the sheets or squeezed my eyes shut tight enough,
They would disappear.
But they didn't.
In fact,
The more I tried not to think about them,
The more real they felt.
One of those nights I called for my dad.
He came into my room,
Sat beside me,
And listened carefully to my fears.
Then he said something I will never forget.
Ale,
You know you can make those monsters go away,
Right?
I looked at him confused.
How?
And he said,
Whenever one appears,
Just say pop and it will disappear.
I didn't fully believe him,
But I tried.
A monster appeared in my mind.
Pop.
And just like that,
It was gone.
It felt like magic.
My dad knew those monsters were just intrusive thoughts in my mind.
And he knew that shifting my focus to something as simple as a three-letter word would make them lose their power.
Now that you know the trick,
Let's practice it.
Let's see what happens when you bring a little magic into your own mind.
Sit or lay down comfortably.
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take three slow breaths.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
One more time.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
There's nothing you need to change.
Just be present with your breath.
If a thought appears,
Simply acknowledge it.
You may label it in your mind with the word thought.
And then imagine it floating in front of you,
Light,
Weightless.
And whenever you are ready,
See it dissolve like a bubble disappearing into the air.
Another thought appears.
That's okay.
You know the trick.
No resistance.
No judgment.
Just a gentle release.
Let's stay here for a few moments.
Notice what changes when you stop resisting or pushing away the thoughts and start playing with this simple magic.
Gently bring your awareness back to the space you are in.
Take a slow breath in.
And a slow breath out.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Remember,
You are not your thoughts.
Thoughts are simply mental activity.
And you are the one who can notice them,
Name them,
And gently say,
Pop.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you.
