All very good, but I'm surprised you don't put mindfulness front and center.
You mentioned "mindful techniques" but it's not really the same thing.
There are countless ‘techniques” (awareness of breath, words, sensations, sounds, etc) but the essence of being mindful is recognizing there is ALWAYS a calm, inner “place” – no matter what is going on in the body, mind/emotions or environment – from which it is possible to observe without reacting or judging.
Dan Siegel wrote a book that came up just a few years ago, “Aware,” in which he compiled the rapidly increasing research showing that shifting attention to this quiet, inner awareness is possibly at the root of ALL successful therapy, and in fact, all successful inner change.
By the way, it actually is possible (though often considered very advanced….. it’s not) to be so centered in that inner quiet that the intrusive thoughts (really, just passing thoughts, not really intruders) simply die away all together.I’ll even tell you how to do it, though it does take some discipline (this is from “The Attention Revolution” by Alan Wallace, based on texts over 1000 years old, but verified in several scientific laboratories):
STAGE 1: Begin to calmly observe your breath. You will find, like 10s of millions around the world and through the centuries, that – if you’ve never done this before – your mind is like a crazy chaotic festival
STAGE 2: You will be able to follow the breath briefly, but over say, 20 minutes, you’ll have long periods of getting absorbed in, caught up in the various stories your mind is weaving.
STAGE 3: You will be present with the breath, feeling it flow in and out, for most of the 20 minutes, with only a few occasions of getting so lost in thought you’ve forgotten to note the breath.
STAGE 4: you stay with the breath the whole time, no matter how many thoughts you have
STAGES 4 to 10: You can simply continue with the breath. At some point the breath will be so quiet and so gentle you will barely notice it any more.
At that point your thoughts will be far fewer, and all you have to do is just notice when thoughts start linking together into a story, and then very very very gently, as gently as you can, with almost no effort, release the links and allow the thoughts to come and go as they please.
As you get toward Stage 10, you’ll find there are long periods of little or no thoughts, yet you will be more vividly aware than ever before in your life. You’ll find a gentle happiness and a very pleasant feeling of energy flowing through your body.
By Stage10 this condition will continue through most of your day, and ultimately through your dreams and sleep as well.
The traditional texts say a dedicated practitioner can reach Stage 10 in a few months, a less dedicated one in a few years.Try it! It does work, if you work it! (this may sound like self involvement but it has potentially profound effects on others and the world as well)