Yes, slag, what you say is true, and you used a good example of "thought stopping techniques".
People who are adept at controlling others (con-men, cult leaders, etc.) design thought stopping techniques into their followers so that there is a "self-checking" barrier that exists in a follower's mind. The phrase "don't go there" applies. Some people will go to their deaths and take their children with them while they blindly follow an ideal. I've seen it happen. We see people taking the lives of others while they blindly follow their ideals.