Thought stopping

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Thought stopping is a cognitive self-control skill that can be used to counter dysfunctional or distressing thoughts, by interrupting sequences or chains of problem responses. [1] When used with cognitive behavioral therapy, it can act as a distraction, preventing an individual from focusing on their negative thought. Patients can replace a problematic thought with a positive one in order to reduce anxiety and worry. [2] The procedure uses learning principles, such as counterconditioning and punishment. [3] Thought stopping can be prescribed to address depression, panic, anxiety and addiction, among other afflictions that involve obsessive thought.

Contents

Technique

The client is asked to list problematic thoughts, worries or obsessions they believe they cannot properly control. Each thought is then translated into a statement in the client's vocabulary. A thought-stopping survey schedule can also be used, through which the client rates the frequency of occurrence of 51 negative statements. The client and a trained therapist then discuss which thoughts to target and the rationale for eliminating them, as well as understanding that thought stopping can be useful in the future once learned. The therapist then instructs the client to think of the target statement and signal when the thought begins, to which the therapist then shouts, "stop!." This procedure is repeated at different intervals, all of which should cause the client to feel startled or shocked. The client is then told to try to imagine themselves yelling "stop" instead. Through practice, the negative thought should eventually disappear. Clients receive weekly checks on their technique and to ensure that thought stopping is used appropriately and effectively. [3] Other methods include wearing a rubber band on the wrist and snapping it as punishment when the negative thought occurs. The client also replaces their problematic thought with a more positive or productive thought. The aim is for clients to be able to carry out this technique on their own, using thought stopping to reduce their problematic thoughts even after their therapy sessions have ended.

Evidence

There has been much empirical evidence of the success of thought stopping in treating various cognitive problems.

Anxiety problems

Thought stopping has been found to be successful in reducing negative thinking. Participants were low-income, single mothers with children aged from 2 to 6 years, all screened and found to be at risk of depression. They underwent a cognitive-behavioral group intervention where they learnt to use thought stopping to interrupt negative thinking and replace it with a positive thought. At the end of the experiment, participants had shown a decrease in negative thinking, even 6 months after the intervention, thus improving their mental health. [4]

In another study, two clients with preoccupying thoughts were treated with the use of thought stopping by engaging in neutral thoughts and signaling to the therapist as soon as any disturbing thought occurs. Both clients reported an improvement towards controlling their thoughts, allowing them to better engage in their regular activities. [5]

Depression

Patients with history of depression usually have depressive ruminations which are repetitive but passive thinking about current depression symptoms, their causes, meanings and consequences. Thought stopping is believed to work to reduce such depressive thoughts. In a study on college women at high risk of depression, participants underwent group interventions for 6 weeks and were assessed for aspects of depression before and after using Beck's Depression Inventory. The intervention included thought stopping and positive affirmations, as well as relaxation techniques in order to reduce their negative thinking. Participants were found to have fewer depressive symptoms with lower scores on the inventory, even up to 18 months after the intervention. [6]

Phobias

In the treatment of phobias, thought stopping is used to distract patients by reducing occurrence of negative thoughts towards phobic stimulus. Participants with a phobia of spiders underwent either of two conditions: having a stimulus-relevant focused conversation or a stimulus-irrelevant distracting conversation with the experimenter while looking at a live spider in a glass tray. Those in distracting conversations showed reduced fear and performed better on a Behavioural Avoidance Test than participants in the other condition. [7]

Additionally, in a case study of two agoraphobic clients, thought stopping was used to try to reduce anxiety. Clients used an alternative method of thought stopping which aimed to induce anger or other feelings apart from anxiety. This resulted in a successful reduction of obsessional thoughts and the interruption of anxiety-producing cognition. Researchers found that it is important to address misconceptions of counterconditioning and ensure verbal reinforcement of progress throughout the procedure. [8]  

Misconceptions

A big misconception of thought stopping is mistaking it for a form of thought suppression. Thought suppression just refers to trying not to think of something; this is not to be confused with thought stopping, which involves interrupting one's own cognitive patterns. Thought suppression has mainly been studied using arbitrary thoughts (such as that of a white bear [9] ) making it unrepresentative of real problematic thoughts that involve emotion, which could actually be harder to suppress. Meanwhile, studies on thought stopping have proven it to be effective against problematic cognition, showing a difference in both phenomena.[ citation needed ]

With thought suppression mainly being tested with novel thoughts and being used as an avoidance technique, the root source of problematic thoughts is not addressed and individuals are usually left to deal with the aftereffects on their own. It was also found that thought suppression creates greater anxiety and depression in individuals due to thought rebounding where the problematic thought persists more after being suppressed. [10] This counterproductive consequence of thought suppression has made it a questionable technique that is less commonly found in therapy today.[ as of? ] Associating thought stopping with thought suppression creates the impression that thought stopping would similarly be ineffective, which is not the case.  

Related Research Articles

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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions and their associated behaviors to improve emotional regulation and develop personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Though it was originally designed as an approach to treat depression, CBT is often prescribed for the evidence-informed treatment of many mental health and other conditions, including anxiety, substance use disorders, marital problems, ADHD, and eating disorders. CBT includes a number of cognitive or behavioral psychotherapies that treat defined psychopathologies using evidence-based techniques and strategies.

A cognitive distortion is a thought that causes a person to perceive reality inaccurately due to being exaggerated or irrational. Cognitive distortions are involved in the onset or perpetuation of psychopathological states, such as depression and anxiety.

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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an approach to psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods in conjunction with mindfulness meditative practices and similar psychological strategies. The origins to its conception and creation can be traced back to the traditional approaches from East Asian formative and functional medicine, philosophy and spirituality, birthed from the basic underlying tenets from classical Taoist, Buddhist and Traditional Chinese medical texts, doctrine and teachings.

Thought suppression is a psychoanalytical defense mechanism. It is a type of motivated forgetting in which an individual consciously attempts to stop thinking about a particular thought. It is often associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is when a person will repeatedly attempt to prevent or "neutralize" intrusive distressing thoughts centered on one or more obsessions. It is also thought to be a cause of memory inhibition, as shown by research using the think/no think paradigm. Thought suppression is relevant to both mental and behavioral levels, possibly leading to ironic effects that are contrary to intention. Ironic process theory is one cognitive model that can explain the paradoxical effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychological intervention</span>

In applied psychology, interventions are actions performed to bring about change in people. A wide range of intervention strategies exist and they are directed towards various types of issues. Most generally, it means any activities used to modify behavior, emotional state, or feelings. Psychological interventions have many different applications and the most common use is for the treatment of mental disorders, most commonly using psychotherapy. The ultimate goal behind these interventions is not only to alleviate symptoms but also to target the root cause of mental disorders.

Cognitive therapy (CT) is a type of psychotherapy developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. CT is one therapeutic approach within the larger group of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) and was first expounded by Beck in the 1960s. Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model, which states that thoughts, feelings and behavior are all connected, and that individuals can move toward overcoming difficulties and meeting their goals by identifying and changing unhelpful or inaccurate thinking, problematic behavior, and distressing emotional responses. This involves the individual working with the therapist to develop skills for testing and changing beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors. A cognitive case conceptualization is developed by the cognitive therapist as a guide to understand the individual's internal reality, select appropriate interventions and identify areas of distress.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumination (psychology)</span> Focused attention on ones mental distress

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References

  1. ↑ Bakker, Gary Maria (2009-06-16). "In defence of thought stopping". Clinical Psychologist. 13 (2): 59–68. doi:10.1080/13284200902810452. ISSN   1328-4207.
  2. ↑ Eagleson, Claire; Hayes, Sarra; Mathews, Andrew; Perman, Gemma; Hirsch, Colette R. (March 2016). "The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in Generalized Anxiety Disorder". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 78: 13–18. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017 . ISSN   0005-7967. PMC   4760272 . PMID   26802793.
  3. 1 2 Cautela, Joseph R.; Wisocki, Patricia A. (1977). "The Thought Stopping Procedure: Description, Application, and Learning Theory Interpretations". The Psychological Record. 27: 255–264. doi:10.1007/BF03394444. S2CID   148810984.
  4. ↑ Peden, Ann R.; Rayens, Mary Kay; Hall, Lynne A.; Grant, Elizabeth (September 2005). "Testing an Intervention to Reduce Negative Thinking, Depressive Symptoms, and Chronic Stressors in Low-Income Single Mothers". Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 37 (3): 268–274. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2005.00046.x. ISSN   1527-6546. PMID   16235869.
  5. ↑ Leger, Lawrence A. (November 1978). "Spurious and actual improvement in the treatment of preoccupying thoughts by thought-stopping". British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 17 (4): 373–377. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1978.tb00295.x. ISSN   0007-1293. PMID   698506.
  6. ↑ Peden, Ann R.; Rayens, Mary Kay; Hall, Lynne A.; Beebe, Lora H. (May 2001). "Preventing Depression in High-Risk College Women: A Report of an 18-month Follow-up". Journal of American College Health. 49 (6): 299–306. doi:10.1080/07448480109596316. ISSN   0744-8481. PMID   11413947. S2CID   42655969.
  7. ↑ Johnstone, Kristy A; Page, Andrew C (March 2004). "Attention to phobic stimuli during exposure: the effect of distraction on anxiety reduction, self-efficacy and perceived control". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 42 (3): 249–275. doi:10.1016/S0005-7967(03)00137-2. PMID   14975769.
  8. ↑ O'Brien, John S. (June 1979). "A modified thought stopping procedure for the treatment of agoraphobia". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 10 (2): 121–124. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(79)90086-7. ISSN   0005-7916.
  9. ↑ Wegner, Daniel M.; Schneider, David J.; Carter, Samuel R.; White, Teri L. (1987). "Paradoxical effects of thought suppression". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 53 (1): 5–13. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.1.5. PMID   3612492.
  10. ↑ Wenzlaff, Richard M.; Wegner, Daniel M. (2000). "Thought Suppression". Annual Review of Psychology. 51 (published February 2000): 59–91. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.51.1.59. PMID   10751965.
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