As a student, I have always had a strong affinity towards understanding the what and why, rather than the facts. This made me a not-so-great fit for a career in chemistry and a great candidate for the field of philosophy. One regret I have in my schooling is not taking time, when I had more of it available, to read and study different philosophical ideas. It has been a later in life deep dive of mine and something I am still cultivating significantly. Of course, the intersectionality of philosophy and psychology is a strong one with a lot of similarities. A favorite philosopher of mine, Friedrich Nietzsche, stands out to me in particular. With his depressive leanings and paradoxical thoughts, I have been captivated by a lot of his ideas. For those who are looking for a not-so-complex review of his works, check out the book: If Nietzsche were a Narwal… great read!

For those who know a little about the life of Nietzsche, it was filled with pain, disease, and (in my opinion) utter genius. I find the genius of Nietzsche compelling- not because I agree with his theories and perspectives, but more so because of the implications for psychotherapy and counseling decades later, really, the next century- 2000’s. One famous quote in particular coincides significantly with therapy. “A thought comes when it will, not when I will”. Most of us know the feeling of coping with intrusive thoughts, the voice in our head that is not so kind. Intrusive thoughts can look like many things:

  1. Internal or external judgement. This can be towards others or ourselves and most of the time greatly effects self esteem.
  2. They can distract us away from the present moment and cause us to miss out on new opportunities and relationships. Intrusive thoughts can be repetitive and emotionally draining. The energy that it takes to manage them can lessen the time and energy we have towards other endeavors.
  3. They can also cause isolation behaviors, which was significantly seen in the life of Nietzsche during his final decade of life. Mixing both 1 & 2, intrusive thoughts that are left unmanaged can cause withdrawal from community. Those voices build up in our head and can become the dominant narrative.

Sounds pretty awful, right? It certainly can be. A thought is very powerful and can influence mood greatly. A lot of individuals who struggle with thoughts, thought disorders, or intrusive thoughts know the battle of managing the symptoms. In therapy, our goal is to do that, and more. We want to identify those negative thought patterns and separate them from the self. How can we do this?

  1. Externalize the thought. No matter what the thought is, particularly ones about the self, externalize that junk. “Undoing” the thought from yourself and keeping it separate can help in the coping process. Sometimes I even have clients give it a name and we refer to that as representation of the challenging thought.
  2. Talk, talk, talk. That is the nature of psychotherapy, right? Talk about how that thought makes you feel, what it does for you, when it started, when it can be triggered, etc. Putting words to describe your experience with intrusive thoughts can build up confidence and insight when learning to cope.
  3. Introduce a new voice and new ways of thinking. This is the positive side of thought insertion! In therapy, we certainly want the negative thoughts to decrease and for symptoms to go down; and we also want to increase wellbeing, wellness, and create a life we love. This means the nitty gritty work of thought deconstruction and positive self-talk. This can look different on an individual basis. I encourage clients to identify a version of positive self-talk that works for them and feel authentic. We can figure that out together in sessions and hold each other accountable towards that.

Intrusive thoughts, as Nietzsche describes, can oftentimes be out of our control. Indeed, it is part of their nature to be intrusive, unpleasant, and invasive. However, no matter how significant or need rooted they may be, there is always opportunity to heal from them and give yourself a chance for a new way of thinking, being, and living.