Hopko’s 13th maxim is ‘Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.’
This is not an order to ‘think like a neurotypical’! Autistic Orthodox Christians should not feel pressured into suppressing every intense emotion or special-interest thought, or blaming oneself for sensory overwhelm. Rather, for neurodivergents, it means learning to notice when a thought or feeling is pulling you away from trust in Christ – especially shame scripts, catastrophic ‘what if’ spirals, replaying social interactions, or harsh self-criticism – and choosing not to feed them with endless analysis. You can acknowledge, ‘This is an intrusive thought, not the voice of God’, and then gently return to a short prayer, a psalm verse, or a grounding task, without expecting the thought to vanish instantly.
However, because autistic cognition often tends towards looping, rumination, and very detailed analysis, ‘cutting off’ intrusive thoughts may need to be concrete and embodied, rather than purely mental. Helpful practices can include setting a time limit for reviewing a distressing event, using a timer; writing down the worry once and then placing it before an icon; shifting attention to a sensory-safe task (walking, knitting, simple chores); or using a script like, ‘Lord, this thought is noisy; You are still here’, whenever the loop restarts. Intrusive feelings can also be intensified by sensory overload, low blood sugar, or exhaustion, so part of obeying this maxim is caring for your nervous system – reducing noise or light, eating, resting – so that your brain is less likely to grab onto every passing fear as absolute truth.
It is also important not to confuse clinical anxiety, OCD, depression, or trauma responses with deliberate spiritual failure. If intrusive thoughts become constant, blasphemous, or terrifying, or if cutting them off feels impossible, this maxim quietly points towards the later maxims about getting help without fear or shame: talk with a trusted priest, therapist, or doctor about what you are experiencing. In some cases, using medication, therapy, or structured coping tools will actually make this maxim more keepable, because your brain will have enough stability to notice and redirect thoughts instead of being dragged down by them.
Lived in this way, Hopko’s 13th maxim becomes an invitation to let Christ stand guard at the edge of your vivid, detail-rich inner world, so that not every passing image or feeling has the right to rule your heart.
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