Thought stopping technique

This technique is used with clients who have persisting thoughts that are unwanted. The counselor must teach them to interrupt these thoughts while they are occurring, which will then lead to fewer occurrences. This process also allows the client to gain control what their thoughts. There are four steps that take place in this process: (1) deciding which thoughts are going to be stopped; (2) the clients closes his eyes and imagines a situation in which this thought is likely to take place; (3) once the thought comes to the client's mind, the client uses the command "stop"; (4) the client replaces the unwanted thought with a more positive thought. A variation of this technique is used when the command "stop" does not work for the client. In this case, the client can use another form that will help deter the thought, such as a loud buzzer or pinching themselves. This technique can be applied in cases dealing with obsession, phobias, or fears.  I think this technique could be helpful, but it most be practiced repeatedly before seeing significant results.