How do I deal with intrusive thoughts I'm ashamed of?

Question

MyRoshi · Accepted Answer

The thought is not the problem; the shame is what feeds it. Thoughts arise uninvited; that is simply what a mind does, like weather over a field. You did not choose them, and fighting them tells the mind they matter, so they return louder. Let them come. Let them go. Do not argue, do not confess, do not push. Next time one arrives, silently say "thinking," feel one full breath in your belly, and return to whatever your hands were doing.