Re: Where do thoughts come from?
I do believe that the right prayer, sincerity and trying to self heal the mind through exercises can treat the diseases of the mind … but my caveat is that all of these things are (asbab) “means” entirely unnecessary because God is in Control of everything … If we take medicine then we do not claim the medicine has cured us, but rather God cured us through the medicine and allowed the curing affects of the medicine to work as not all medicines work all the time on all people … Likewise, meditation is an exercise - people who do exercise are less likely to get heart disease - but this is due to the patterns/trends God has allowed to develop in this world of “asbab” … we do not put faith in the exercise - we put faith in God and do the exercise as a means of purification of intent … So it is like an exchange we surrender by trying to conform to our natural design and since God has nested our best interests in our natural design He rewards us by curing, or other way … so the in the case of prayer … even if we are not cured - we are still blessed for being able to turn to God and seek His blessing … For seeking the blessing of God is the answer as it puts us at the doorstep of the Throne as such … whereas other people are absorbed in other things, as when they are needless or have their requested granted they leave and get on with their own lives, whereas the one who is still there asking waiting for his wish or prayer to be granted realises that his prayer is not being answered - but it means he can stay facing his Lord and being nearer his Lord for longer … and that in reality is the greater of the gifts.
I do believe in the past people were given regular incantations, as medicines from the pious sages - in various Attributes of God to recite as medicine for their psychological conditions.