It works by being the actual point of why you meditate. It's hard to explain, but at some point your mind basically splinters into a higher self and lower self. The higher self will just observe the thoughts coming and going, while you just chill. Almost starts feeling like a wild animal in your mind, and your thoughts become just noise of a dying ego. This is why it's sometimes referred to as "taming the tiger/lion".

The essential teaching is "you are not your thoughts, you just think you are. You are your 'being alive'". You get what I mean when you really get into meditation. It's freeing to realize you can just ignore your thoughts and not go with them. And that they can mostly just be noise from your subconsious with no actual reason. "Did I leave the stove on" becomes "meow meow, meow meow meow"