The effects of repeated thought suppression attempts on thought occurrence.

In the thought suppression literature the completion of one suppression and one expression phase is called an indulgence cycle. The current study aimed to determine the effects on thought frequency of entering multiple indulgence cycles. Participants were assigned to one of two groups. The repeated suppression group was required to complete 3 suppression and 3 think free phases in alternating fashion. The suppress think free group was required to complete 1 suppression phase before entering 5 think free phases. Participants pressed a spacebar to report each unwanted target thought occurrence. Participants in the repeated suppression group experienced maintenance of the number of unwanted thought intrusions in both suppression and think free phases, whereas those in the suppress think free group experienced a significant decline in target thought occurrence. The maintenance effect of engaging in repeated suppression attempts is discussed.