How to deal with intrusive thoughts

Once, while standing on top of the white cliffs of Dover, I had a sudden, very strong mental picture of what it would be like to throw myself off. Now, to be very clear, I am not suicidal and never have been. That’s why the unwanted thought of doing so was so startling. It really bothered me. I wondered what had gone wrong in my brain. Why had the impulse come on so suddenly? Was something secretly wrong with me? I think, if I were scrupulous, I would have been additionally anxious to know if the impulse was sinful, perhaps even a mortal sin.

Intrusive thoughts are not sinful, but the thought that made its way into my brain that day without my consent played all sorts of mental havoc. I’ve since learned that the cliff-jumping phenomenon is widespread. L’appel du vide, or “the call of the void” is common and harmless. An estimated half of the population has experienced it, so it wasn’t a sign that something was deeply wrong with me but, still, the haunting feeling was hard to shake.

Intrusive thoughts seem to arrive at the worst possible times -- on top of a cliff, during prayer, on spiritual retreat, during Holy Mass. I’ve had the strangest thoughts during distribution of Communion at church. My mind has wandered to my grocery list while praying a psalm. It’s embarrassing to admit to much of what flits through my mind. It makes me wonder if my love for God is defective. Why can’t I just focus and pay attention? Why do evil, strange ideas have free reign in my mind?

Again, these unbidden thoughts are highly disturbing but are quite common. People often come to me seeking advice for this exact problem. They cannot get away from intrusive thoughts, which can range from simple distraction to absolutely horrible, gut-wrenching mental images and temptations. They can be so bad that people worry something is wrong, as if their thoughts spring up from a secret reservoir of evil within. For some, intrusive thoughts derail them entirely, convincing them they have a mental illness or deep-rooted sinfulness impossible to overcome. The thoughts keep coming and they are powerless to stop them.

The good news is that intrusive thoughts affect all of us and they aren’t a sign of entrenched evil. For instance, many of the saints complain about this exact battle. St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Ignatius of Loyola described it as a life-long struggle. St. Ambrose wrote a prayer to use before Holy Mass in which he asks God to protect the priest from “unguarded thoughts,” indicating that priests (and I can confirm this from personal experience) are often tempted in the middle of Holy Mass. There’s no escaping these experiences, no matter how far we remove ourselves from exterior temptations. St. Anthony of the Desert experienced them while in prayer after he’d been a hermit for many years. This tells me that we should always be prepared to battle unbidden thoughts.

St. Alphonsus Liguori speaks about this issue at great length, teaching that it’s an error to label each and every thought as sinful. The only sin we commit is if we consent to the thought and dwell on it with what he calls “the malice of the sin.” St. Augustine agrees, writing that where there is no consent there can be no sin. St. Bernard says the same, writing, “Ubi non est consensus.”

Based on the fact the saints experience intense, unbidden thoughts, I think we can even theorize that mental temptations actually increase when we’re in a state of grace. The reason is because, if a person is already in mortal sin, already lukewarm, or fallen away, Satan has no reason to increase the temptations. We’re already exactly where he wants us. It’s only when our faith is strong and our spiritual disciplines are consistent that he gets desperate and tries to get us off track. Knowing this, we should expect temptations to increase when we’re doing well. St. Ignatius teaches this principle in his Exercises and St. Alphonsus concurs, writing, “The devil labors harder to make the saints fall than to make the wicked sin.”

Intrusive thoughts are always going to be with us, so how do we handle them?

Immediately acknowledge an intrusive thought, emphasizing clarity on the “intrusive” part. Note that Satan is tempting you, remind yourself you aren’t sinning, and move on.

Focusing on the thought and trying to battle it directly is a losing proposition. Doing this only makes the thought stronger and more distracting, which is exactly what Satan wants. Instead, rededicate yourself to what positive endeavor it was you were focusing on.

If the thought is a lie or a rehash of a past hurt and it’s prompting an emotional reaction, be sure to dismiss it with rationality. Sin is irrational and emotionalized, so when we remind ourselves of the truth it helps us move on.

Even if we know the thought comes from Satan and we dismiss it, a secondary temptation is to then focus on fighting against Satan directly. We don’t need to do that. Satan is already defeated, so we ought not fixate on him. He has no influence unless we allow it. Move on quickly from intrusive thoughts by turning to positive thoughts – the love of Christ, beauty, truth, virtue, and hope.

Above all be patient and prepared. If we know that intrusive thoughts are simply part of life, they won’t throw us so far off kilter. The bad news is that the thoughts are always with us. The good news is they have no power over us and, if we lift our minds to heaven, the victory is already within reach.