Hypothetical Versus Practical Part 2

The good news is the God's weapons warfare are mighty (meaning: able, powerful, equipped to bear the trial and virtue to overcome it) for destroying even the most powerful strongholds.

So, when bad thoughts/temptations come. Understand they come to all of us (even Jesus). Having a thought is not a failure, it is totally normal. However, the way we combat it is to take it captive. Captives are not free to roam wherever they like, they are locked in a cell and cannot come out without permission. When bad thoughts come, put them in their place lock them up and throw away the key. I'm not talking about burying your feelings, that's not good. I'm talking about putting them out of your mind and not giving them freedom to wander around your head.

What about when we miss it and they become imaginations? Pull them down, imaginations here means they have become more real to you than what God has said. Pull them down by making God's word higher. How? Find what God says in His word about the situation and declare the opposite. As often as you need to, until God's word begins to rise up higher.

Got a stronghold? You're going to have to pull it down. That implies a bit more time & effort. Identify the walls you've built and pull them down by forgiving those caused you to put up the wall by hurting you. Look at the barriers in your life and repent (ask God for forgiveness) for where you've missed it. Then cut yourself some slack and forgive yourself. Above all seek God in the process. Ask Him to reveal the origin of the walls in your life and He will help you pull them down.

How do you know if you are fighting a thought, an imagination or a stronghold? The harder it is to face, the further along it probably is. But don't be discouraged. This is exactly why Jesus came (Luke 4:18) and He wants to see you set free even more than you do!

Ok

2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

First note that our enemy isn't people, it's the devil. And our battlefield is the mind. He is always trying to make us angry, worried, fearful and the like because things like that pull us away from God and His ways.

There is a hierarchy to fighting the enemy in this scripture that I like to look at in reverse: thoughts, imaginations, and strongholds.

Thoughts come to all of us all the time, good and bad, thoughts are normal. But what we do with it is what is important. If we let a bad thought take hold it can become an imagination, this is exactly what you described, imagining the worst, even though nothing has happened yet. Going through all the negative scenarios in your mind. The next step is a stronghold when the imaginations take hold the enemy builds a wall of fear, or anxiety or bitterness, ect... around us designed to keep the pain in and God out.

An example of someone with a stronghold might be someone who is always negative, always finding fault no matter what. We've probably all known people like this, no matter how perfect and beautiful the day is, they say things like, "yeah, it'll probably rain and ruin the picnic" or something. They may have been disappointed so much in their past that they simply cannot see the positive, it is walled out from them.

So, I have scriptural advice that backs up what your therapist was saying, but I'm not sure if you are looking for a discussion like that or just sharing your experience. Let me know if you'd like to hear it. God bless.