Is There Control Over Our Thoughts?

We learn in the book pretty early on that gifty abandons her faith or loses it. I think this is one of the really interesting questions, even in the passage you just read there, she's wondering whether and how much control we have over our thoughts. Even though I study memory primarily, I'm also interested in consciousness research. And so a lot of folks, I've just been involved in great conversations on consciousness and the soul then. But it really has challenged my faith, particularly this idea of monism and dualism and is one correct? Is it a central tenet of my faith to believe one versus the other?