I’ve been part of a few conversations in the last year or so that have centred around intrusive thoughts. People have asked me whether I believe it’s a spiritual issue, if I think it’s inner demons that can be eradicated with the right approach, or if these troublesome thoughts are common to us all in differing degrees. As much as it’s not the definitive answer most seek, the truth is that the reason for one person’s intrusive thoughts can be light years away from the next person’s. Everyone’s emotional and mental makeup varies vastly, as does their history, relationship to themselves and ability to truly address issues at their root. It’s common practice in our society to disguise suppression as a solution, or to simply replace one primary problem with another, and so whether people can look beyond secular explanations of their suffering is also a factor in healing.