How to stay present in meditation, even when intrusive thoughts arise in the process

Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward.

– Joseph Campbell ¹

When you notice intrusive thoughts emerging in your practice, the kind that feel like they might consume you if you don't do something about it, there are a few things you can do.

• First, on your next out-breath, let out a big sigh. Physiological sighs calm your stress system.
• Name the thoughts or feelings as they arise to create space between yourself and your thoughts. This also activates the prefrontal cortex giving you a greater sense of control over your thoughts and feelings.
• If it still feels like it is too much, let your awareness float around the room you are in, naming different objects in the room or space you are in: window, bookshelf, leaf, chair, lamp, plant, rock, etc. This grounds you back in the space you are in.

If you are having trouble committing to the practice of mediation because intrusive thoughts continue to emerge, remember:

• Meditation helps to shrink the amygdala, which is the system of your brain associated with fear-processing.
• Meditation also strengthens your prefrontal cortex, allowing you a greater sense of distance from the intrusive thoughts and thus a greater sense of control over those thoughts/feelings.
• Regular exercise and good quality sleep can also support this process.

Importantly, avoiding stillness and meditation does not 'make the intrusive thoughts go away'. Many people are afraid of stillness for this very reason: they think that stillness/meditation seems to increase intrusive thoughts or just thoughts in general. The reality is: physical movement is like camouflage for your thoughts, when you are always moving about, it's more difficult to see the movement of your mind. Yet when you sit still, thoughts seem to suddenly flood the gates. But stillness doesn't increase thinking, it simply makes it visible.

Consider the implications of this: we avoid stillness because we are afraid of stirring up intrusive thoughts, but if we open up to the reality that these intrusive thoughts we are trying to avoid are always swirling about anyway–we just keep ourselves busy and moving to avoid them–then how are these unconscious thoughts informing our habits and actions in the world? How are they limiting our ability to be creative, to love, to be of service to others, to learn and to grow? As with any fears: the way out is through.

References

1: Joseph Campbell, Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor (San Anselmo, Calif.: Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2017).