Getting Rid of Intrusive Thoughts. A Guide to Overcoming Stress and Anxiety

Have you ever been visited by frightening, intrusive, or anxious thoughts? Petting a kitten and suddenly thinking, 'I could easily smash its head.' Comforting a friend who has suffered a setback in their personal life and secretly savoring the humiliating details of their story. Traveling with family in a car and vividly imagining how you lose control and veer into oncoming traffic. Ashamed, scared, unwilling to believe that all this comes to your mind? Do you strive to forget them quickly?

The bad news: the more persistently you try to get rid of such dark thoughts, the more they 'get stuck' in your head, and the worse you feel. But there is good news: these shameful thoughts occur in everyone, including rational and decent people. Good news number two: there is a great way to get rid of these torments.

In front of you is a valuable guide that describes an approach based on the practice of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The essence is to master a new way of dealing with thoughts, where you are no longer afraid of or ashamed of them (it turns out that pushing away thoughts or trying to dispute them only exacerbates your anxiety). Gradually, you will learn to tame these bulls in your head, reduce your anxiety level, stop endlessly judging yourself, and be able to focus on what is important.