Inability to Achieve Cognitive Detachmen

This is a thoughtful and genuinely interesting question. First, let me normalise what you are experiencing: the inability to achieve cognitive detachment or the witness state during mindfulness is not a disorder — it is the universal starting point for virtually all practitioners. The mind being immediately absorbed in incoming thoughts is exactly what the mind does by default. The 'witness state' is not achieved; it emerges gradually with consistent practice, and for many it takes months to years. The very act of noticing that your awareness has been captured by a thought is already the seed of witnessing — you just haven't recognised it as such yet. Regarding sensory gating and stimulus filtering: these are real neurobiological mechanisms (P50 suppression, prepulse inhibition) that filter redundant stimuli from reaching conscious awareness. Deficits in these are clinically associated with ADHD, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and schizophrenia spectrum conditions. If you also experience significant distractibility in daily life, racing or intrusive thoughts outside of meditation, difficulty filtering background noise, or persistent anxiety — then a clinical evaluation for ADHD or an anxiety disorder could be worthwhile, as these conditions genuinely do make the witness state harder to access and respond well to treatment. However, if your only difficulty is during formal mindfulness practice, this is most likely normal — not a gating deficit.

Continue mindfulness practice consistently — try anchoring attention on breath sensations rather than trying to 'achieve' detachment (the goal-oriented trying itself blocks it). If you notice significant attention difficulties, distractibility, or anxiety in daily life beyond meditation, consult a Psychiatrist for a formal evaluation. Please consult me directly on Practo for a detailed evaluation.