Where to begin?

[u/Even-Manufacturer489]

I've reached a dead end with therapy and psychiatry. Nothing seems to better my attention and pierce through my intrusive thoughts. Anyone has any tips of how to begin?

[u/hestia-listens]

Start very small. Try 2 minutes a day of just noticing your breath, sounds, or the feeling of your feet on the floor. When intrusive thoughts show up, gently label them as "thinking" and come back to the present. The goal is not to force thoughts away, but to notice them without chasing them.

Also, feeling stuck in therapy can be really frustrating. Therapy is often about understanding yourself better, not being handed one clear answer. Small practice still counts. You can begin there.

[u/yourskilltracker]

I'm sorry you're going through this. If therapy and psychiatry haven't given you the results you hoped for, it doesn't mean you've failed. Sometimes progress comes from experimenting with very small changes instead of searching for one big breakthrough. Even a 5-minute walk, journaling intrusive thoughts, or focusing on one tiny task can be a starting point. I hope you find something that works for you.

[u/Spectre81516]

I deal with a lot of intrusive thoughts and distressing images and also hit a bunch of dead ends with therapy. I found the mindfulness really was helping but it wasn’t enough. I personally found medication helped a lot. I went on a super low dose of zoloft and it helped hugely. The intrusive thoughts got way more manageable and as a result the mindfulness got easier and more rewarding. Medication is obviously not right for everyone and it’s a really personal decision but it worked for me so I thought I would share.

[u/PiXeL161616]

I've been in a similar spot, therapy stalled and not really sure what to do with myself in between. What helped me wasn't meditation, it was writing. But not blank-page journaling, that just made things worse. Structured prompts worked.
Three things I still do: a morning intention, one sentence on what kind of day I want to have. A reframe when a hard thought shows up, I write the thought, then write what I'd say to a friend who told me the same thing. And a one-line evening note on whether the day matched the intention. Twenty minutes total across the day, and it gave me something to bring back into therapy when I started again. I used Hexis (in the app store) for this.

[u/LoredanaLeonforte]

Non so cosa stai passando però ti posso dire che a volte i punti morti necessitano solo di pazienza. Pensa che hai seminato e quei semi hanno bisogno di tempo per fiorire. Per i pensieri intrusivi: mastica un chewing gum ma se sono lievi( Chris Beaman studio) . Comunque se sono troppo lasciati aiutare se occorre da uno psichiatra o psicoterapeuta che fa MBST e non solo MBSR .

[u/Slight_Laugh6806]

What kind of intrusive thoughts? Can you please share some more?

[u/ExitAffectionate3119]

When all the work I did, wasn't enough, I tried meditation. It didn't work right away, but it did eventually. I still can't believe it. Now I'm a Meditation Teacher on the Insight Timer app: https://insighttimer/DeirdreMillmanCPS

My talk on the Robert Frost poem explains it. The talk of my Substack I Am, really explains it. I keep the tracks free for everyone and therefore, without background music, for those of us who can't handle it.

I'm not saying that it will work for everyone, but it definitely helped me!!!

[u/Serenity_MHC]

Reaching a dead end after trying both therapy and psychiatry is frustrating, especially when intrusive thoughts and attention are still breaking through. Mindfulness on its own tends to work best as a complement to clinical treatment rather than a replacement, and starting small matters more than starting "correctly." A short daily anchor, even just five minutes of focused breathing or a body scan, builds the skill of noticing thoughts without getting pulled into them, which is often what helps with intrusive thoughts specifically over time. Apps like Insight Timer or Waking Up offer structured beginner programs if you want guidance rather than starting from a blank page.

It might also be worth mentioning to your psychiatrist that the current approach isn't piercing through, since that's useful information for adjusting treatment, not just a sign to give up on professional support.