ABSTRACT
We all have them (Clark and Rhyno, 2005). They are thoughts, images, impulses that seem to emerge suddenly from our own minds, unbidden and unwanted. They are unacceptable, they can be weird and violent or improper, and sometimes they create a bit of hidden perverse pleasure. (How many points for hitting a nun crossing the street? A pregnant woman? A baby stroller?) For most, these experiences are fleeting and unimportant. They can even be funny, especially the bizarre ones. We have all had the thought of suddenly yanking the wheel wildly while driving and causing an accident or death. Nearly everyone has had a sudden weird thought—of jumping, being pushed, or even pushing someone else onto the tracks—while waiting for a subway train. Many have reached for the phone to call a dead relative or “saw” a deceased pet scoot by the periphery of their vision. We have suddenly recalled a dream fragment in the middle of a business meeting. We have had a vivid intrusive image of a social catastrophe—a wardrobe malfunction, or a sudden attack of amnesia, mutism, or imbecility. We have had the completely alien thought of stabbing a child or poking a dog with a pin. We have been “about to” blurt out something rude or mean. For most of us these experiences are short and meaningless; we forget about them almost as they happen and they are over. We don’t care about them because our minds are not sticky and we are not worried about our minds or our behavior.
