ironic-process

Trying hard not to think about something keeps it on your mind.

Wegner's explanation: suppression sets up a watchman whose only job is to check whether the unwanted thought is gone — and checking is thinking it. Under stress or load the watchman outruns the suppressor and the thought rebounds, stronger than if left alone; a 2020 meta-analysis confirms the rebound is real. For the castle it marks the lever that does not work: willing a name silent (choosing-not-to-name), willing a worry away. The working levers are structural — fill the channel, change the task, build the trace.