This syndrome refers to a thought process in which attempts to suppress certain thoughts increases the likelihood of its reminiscence.
It is called as white bear syndrome in accordance with the statement written by Fyodor Dostoevsky as follows “Try to pose for yourself this task : not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute”.
This syndrome is often created or worsened by stress and is found to be responsible for the intrusive thoughts felt by individuals in extreme cases.
It is overcome by:
Meditation and mindfulness
Reducing mental stress load has been found to be effective in suppressing the unwanted thoughts
Postponing the thoughts to a later time or day is also found to be beneficial
Distracting oneself with some other thoughts helps to keep the mind engaged with the newer thought and thereby aids in avoiding unwanted white bears.
Admin_NHT Staff asked 5 years ago