The spiritual path only truly begins when we no longer identify with our thoughts.
That is not to say that thought stops (though it might for brief periods).
It means that we no longer mistake who we are with our thinking and conditioned self.
We recognise that a thought is essentially created by the survival dynamic of the brain and has no intrinsic truth or reality.
This can easily be seen with negative self talk. It is just a programme like a broken record based upon an erroneous belief we created in early life.
Once this is seen, we have a basis for freedom. We will quickly have an experience of peace of mind and access to our deeper intuitive self.