A continuous stream of thoughts is constantly occurring in our consciousness. Sometimes we try to stop this flow by telling ourselves to simply not think. But is this actually possible?
In fact, it all depends on how you define the process of thinking. Thoughts can be both conscious and unconscious. If we are talking about the words and images that constantly arise in our consciousness, they can be silenced using special meditative practices.
It is partially possible to reduce the flow of conscious thoughts, but checking whether you continue to think is practically impossible. Moreover, assessing this state is also difficult, as you will be thinking at least about how to stop your thoughts.
Even meditation, during which you “observe” your thoughts until they disappear, has its limitations. At some point, you start to realize that you are observing your thoughts and trying not to think about anything.
However, even if it seems to you that you are not thinking, this is not entirely true. You may simply be unaware of it. If we consider thinking as an activity of the entire brain, then this organ never stops working. Most of these thoughts occur in the background, and we do not notice their flow. It is impossible to “turn them off.”
Although you may not be aware of these “background” thoughts, sometimes you see their results: for example, you may see a familiar face in a crowd but not recognize it. Soon, you unexpectedly recall this moment and remember the name of that person and who they are. This is the result of the brain's work that we are not aware of.
