A Dreamweaving for Feeling Unsafe in Your Own Thoughts

On Anxiety, Fear & Inner Turmoil

Sometimes the threat is not outside but inside. Your own mind becomes the unsafe place — thoughts arrive that frighten you, disturb you, or make you wonder about yourself. This dreamweaving is for those who feel unsafe in their own thoughts, for whom the mind has become territory to fear rather than trust.

Feeling unsafe in your own thoughts is more common than you might think. The brain generates all kinds of content — some of it strange, disturbing, or unwelcome. Having a thought does not mean you chose it, wanted it, or will act on it. Thoughts are not always reflections of who you are.

This meditation offers a gentle sanctuary — a way of relating to your thoughts that does not require trusting all of them, but also does not require fearing them.

What Does This Feel Like?

Feeling unsafe in your own thoughts can manifest in several ways:

• Intrusive thoughts that disturb or frighten you
• Fear of what your thoughts might mean about you
• Anxiety about "going crazy" or losing control
• Trying to avoid certain thoughts (which often makes them stronger)
• Feeling like you can't trust your own mind
• Hypervigilance about mental content

If this describes your experience, you are not alone, and having disturbing thoughts does not make you a bad person or mean you will act on them.

Understanding Intrusive Thoughts

The brain is a thought-generating machine. It produces thousands of thoughts daily, and not all of them are meaningful or representative of who you are. Intrusive thoughts — unwanted, often disturbing thoughts that pop up without invitation — are a normal part of how the brain works.

Research shows that almost everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. The difference is not having them, but how much distress they cause. When we fear our thoughts, we give them more attention, which makes them stronger. Acceptance often reduces their power.

You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness that notices them. This distinction is crucial and liberating.

A Meditation for Mental Safety

This meditation does not try to control your thoughts. It invites you to find a safe place to stand while thoughts pass through — like standing on a riverbank watching the water flow, rather than swimming in it.

Lord, my own mind has become a frightening place. Thoughts arrive that I did not invite, that disturb me, that make me wonder about myself. I bring this fear to You. I am not my thoughts. I am the one who notices them. Help me stand back from the stream of thinking and watch it pass without being swept away. The thoughts that frighten me do not define me. They are weather passing through, not the sky itself. Create a safe place within me — a shelter where I can rest even when the thoughts are stormy. Let me know that I am held, that I am known, that I am more than what my mind produces.

You can observe your thoughts without believing them all. You can have a disturbing thought without being a disturbing person.

A Practice for Creating Distance

When thoughts feel threatening, these practices can help create helpful distance:

• Label the thought: "There's a scary thought" — naming creates distance
• Thank your brain: "Thanks for trying to protect me" — reduces the fight
• Defuse the thought: Add "I notice I'm having the thought that..." before it
• Let it pass: Imagine the thought as a leaf floating down a stream
• Return to anchor: Focus on breath, body, or a simple prayer word

These practices are not about suppressing thoughts — suppression often backfires. They are about changing your relationship with thoughts, so they have less power over you.