The ever-dangerous thought bombs. You have an addiction. Or a compulsion. You’re trying to eliminate it. You don’t want to experience your addiction or compulsion any longer. You’re doing well. Making progress.
Then, something reminds you of your addiction or compulsion. You have your guard down. You’re not fully aware. You start imagining the addiction or compulsion and the enjoyment you’ll get from partaking. You’re caught in a reverie, feeling joyful, a sense of relief that you’re enjoying yourself and your addiction instead of that boring self control. Then, awareness kicks in. What was that? You wonder. You were off in some land of the mind and the real you, you’re higher self, the one who wants the best for you, was gone! How many minutes just passed by? You realize what has happened, but by now you’re so keyed up, the battle is practically lost.
Now, you might consciously begin to partake in the indulgent thoughts. Oh, well, I’ve already come this far, might as well imagine some more, you say to yourself.
You might succumb to your addiction or compulsion right then and there, or take the steps to succumb later on if it is not convenient at the moment.
You’ve just experienced a thought bomb. Your consciousness was calm, serene, and then before you knew it, you’re all keyed up over some habit that you’ve developed that you want to get rid of. It’s very difficult to get back on track at this point.
Maybe you’ll enact your addiction or compulsion, whatever it is. Maybe you’ll experience a surge of willpower and suppress it. Ideally, you can overcome it and not enact it—the battle might have been lost on the mental plane, but you don’t have to lose it on the physical plane, too.
Whether you succumb to or overcome the thought bomb, the next step is to identify the trigger. What triggered the onslaught of the thought bomb? Was it a picture? Was it a conversation? Is it fatigue? What was the first thought that led to the chain of thoughts?
Now, what are your higher thoughts regarding the matter? Say your addiction is alcohol. You have an alcohol thought bomb and all you can think about is pouring your favorite drink down your throat. What kind of person does that activity make you become? If you engage that habit, and multiply it by time, where do you end up? How does that road compare with your higher road, the one you really want to travel but your addictions and compulsions are getting in the way? Think about that ideal road. Compare the two roads and allow negative emotions to dominate while thinking of the lower road and allow positive emotions to dominate while thinking of the higher road. Then, think exclusively of the higher road, assert that this is the road you want to travel and then let the matter drop. If you can’t drop it that easy do a set of push ups and do something that will otherwise engage your mind.
Personally, when I experience thought bombs, I imagine myself seated in a chair, with other people around, totally at ease, totally calm, peaceful, and serene. Nothing can affect my serenity because I’ve conquered myself and can call myself self-governed. I think of the Zen master who had his house broken in to and who looked at the assailant and calmly inquired, “For which have you come, my money or my life?” An impenetrable consciousness that nothing can disturb. Totally centered.
When you’re changing habits, you have to flood your mind with your higher desires that will replace the lower desires. Getting drunk, eating too much food, smoking, etc. are all lower desires. These activities, when habitual and multiplied by time, bring you lower and lower. They make you animal-like in some respects. But you have things you want to accomplish, things you want to do! Anything that brings you lower, that lowers your vitality, your energy, your luster, will make it harder to do accomplish those things. Worse, certain drugs are value-changing drugs—these will make it all the harder to identify your true desires.
The thought bomb is a dangerous landmine on your path to self-control. By identifying the triggers, and then engineering the proper response, you can stop the thought bomb in its tracks.
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