The COVID-19 pandemic’s profound global impact on mental health has spurred innovative approaches to address anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression. A recent study challenges conventional wisdom by proposing that training individuals in the suppression of unwanted thoughts may have a positive impact on mental well-being.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significant surge in anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression worldwide. Individuals grappling with these conditions often contend with distressing intrusive thoughts, and conventional therapeutic approaches have traditionally discouraged the suppression of such thoughts. The rationale behind this advice is that attempting to suppress these thoughts might lead to a rebound effect, intensifying both the frequency and intensity of these intrusive thoughts, potentially exacerbating the underlying disorders.
In contrast to this prevailing wisdom, a groundbreaking study embarked on a different path, hypothesizing that training individuals in thought suppression could potentially enhance mental health.
Conducted with the participation of 120 adults hailing from 16 different countries, this study involved a three-day online training program in which participants were tasked with suppressing either fearful or neutral thoughts. Crucially, this training did not lead to any paradoxical increases in fears. Instead, the results revealed that thought suppression led to a reduction in memory retention for suppressed fears, rendering them less vivid and less likely to provoke anxiety.
Furthermore, following the training, participants reported a notable decrease in anxiety levels, reduced negative affect, and a decline in symptoms of depression. Remarkably, the benefits of this approach persisted even three months after the training had concluded.
Notably, individuals with high levels of trait anxiety and those who had experienced pandemic-related posttraumatic stress were found to derive the most substantial and enduring mental health benefits from this innovative approach.
These findings challenge long-standing assumptions dating back centuries, which have held that suppressing thoughts is inherently maladaptive. Instead, this study offers an accessible and novel avenue for enhancing mental well-being, potentially revolutionizing the way we think about mental health interventions.
