I often hear from people who have difficulties meditating. They sometimes ask for help, because they say they are experiencing intrusive thoughts. I tell them that there is no such thing as an “intrusive” thought. It is the wrong label. Random thoughts can happen at any time. How you handle them is up to you. The first simple rule is – don’t fight them. Accept them. Welcome them. Then, simply let them pass. Like any thought in life it ends on its own. Once it is complete, it’s gone. If you fight it, the thought will expand, sprout new branches, and linger in your mind.
There is a reason thoughts appear in the first place. When you are meditating, the neurons in your brain don’t stop firing. The most you can do is calm their activity. Your practice dampens that activity. Yet, some thoughts get through. The best way to think about them is to imagine that they are bubbles rising to the surface. Once they reach the surface of your consciousness let them pop. They will disappear into the ether without any effort, leaving you to continue your meditation. 1
