Originally Posted by soberlicious

I do not think it's possible, nor is it necessary to "control" the thoughts, per se. Recognizing them, not acting on them, letting them pass, is enough. Long before reading about AVRT, I came upon the Buddhist idea that it is not desire itself that causes suffering, but rather our attention or action upon that desire that causes suffering. In Buddhism, the goal is not to rid oneself of desire, since that is seen as impossible. In fact, trying to do simply creates more suffering, but rather not attaching to it in any way. Sitting with it, seeing it for what it is, and letting it pass...before I read AVRT I recognized the AV as desire, so that's what I did. Buddhism also sees desire and or feelings as somewhat separate from oneself (except that there really is no "self"...but that's a different thread LOL) So the idea is not "I am sad", but rather "sadness is passing through me"...stuff like that...anyway, that's what helped me.