There are many techniques to block out unwanted thoughts - particularly obsessional thoughts that the young person may be aware are "silly" or "disgusting" or "frightening" but which keep coming back in ways that interfere the rest of their day to day functioning.

The commonest techniques rely on the fact that in general it is very hard to keep two mental activities going in full consciousness simultaneously. So by consciously deciding to do ONE thing (think one kind of thought) it tends to block out another, less welcome, kind of thinking.

Critical steps

1. Help to encourage noticing of unhelpful thought patterns

• See Notice and Name in family work - this is an individual version of exactly the same principle.
• Being able to notice (to think about my own thinking) is of course a feature of Mentalization.

2.Develop a drill in response to this

• This is a kind of harnessing of some of the more helpful aspects of obsessionality/compulsions...
• You are designing a detailed (almost "ritualised") response to an unhelpful experience (thinking an unhelpful thought.)

For example:

• Distraction techniques:
• Watch an episode of your favourite TV show
• Play a game
• Talk to someone you trust
• Take a bath, go for a run, do some sit-ups
• See MP3's are like thoughts - consider preparing a special playlist for these times that you can listen to on your phone/ipod/etc
• Prepare a list of ALTERNATIVE TRUTHS for the young person to say to themselves as an alternative to the unwanted thoughts:
• These are statements that should be created by the young person (often with some help) and selected on the basis that they are unarguably true in the young person's mind.
• But they should also be statements that challenge or contradict the unwanted thoughts. For instance:
• if obsessional thoughts arise about germs and contamination, a young person may repeat a thought such as "I have a normal immune system that learns about germs by meeting them."
• if obsessional thoughts arise about violence or distressing sex, something like: "It is normal to be curious about violence (or sex), but I am also someone who has loving friends and family."

* Sometimes more physical "wake-up!" calls are found to be helpful - using a large rubber band around the wrist, so as to pull it back and flick it on one wrist is mildly painful, but might act as a "WAKE UP!" call to a young person, helping to alert them to the fact that they are starting to think in negative ways (be careful that this is not "framed" as a kind of punishment for thinking in unhelpful ways, though.)