Inner voice. Certain elements emerge within my mind and coalesce into a voice that speaks to me almost constantly. This voice has enormous power and influence. For it defines the image I have of myself and shapes my view of reality—for better or for worse.
Within the stream of thoughts in my mind, certain elements emerge and besome concentrated into a voice that speaks to me almost constantly. Most of the time, it remains below the threshold of consciousness and thus eludes my control. This is also referred to as the inner monologue or the inner dialogue.
This inner voice is essential and possesses enormous power and influence.
For it defines the image I have of myself and shapes my view of reality—for better or for worse.
A bold thesis:
Because it creates heaven and earth, the inner voice attains a godlike status.
For:
This voice creates what I perceive as reality.
By influencing the voice, I have a tool to intervene in this process of creation.
The inner voice creates my reality
I do not experience the world directly. What I perceive is doubly filtered—through my senses and through the interpretation of the inner voice.
My perception is not merely colored by this voice; the explanations it provides become my perception, shaping the worldview I know and trust, and confirming and reinforcing it through constant repetition.
I do not experience reality itself, but live within a continuously generated mental model that is merely an interpretation of the actual world.
What exactly does the voice do?
The inner voice creates awareness, generates my ego, and judges and defines me through my characteristics, roles, the expectations I have of myself, and of my life goals; it compares me to others, releases pent-up emotions, and justifies my actions.
It’s as if someone is constantly observing and monitoring me. The inner voice comments on every experience and everything I do, explains what it means to me, evaluates it, categorizes it, and tells me how I should behave.
The voice gives me orientation, the feeling of understanding what’s going on. It helps me find my way in this world and survive.
The constantly repeated narrative affirms me. It gives me the stable feeling of “I am the same person as yesterday.” It profoundly shapes how I experience myself and how I go through life.
Because I identify with this self, I must protect it by any means. I see myself as the center of the world and beg for significance and recognition.
I only think I am deciding and acting freely and autonomously. In reality, an inner dialogue dictates my actions through a pattern of thought that always follows the same tracks, triggering predictable emotional reactions and fears.
Where does this inner dialogue come from?
The voice within me arises from an interplay of experiences, influences, adopted beliefs, learned patterns, expectations of myself and others, and current life circumstances, which have condensed over the course of my life into a whole network of beliefs, concepts, and ideas.
These always have a history that regularly reaches deep into my personal history and at some point in the past proved to be important and right for me.
While they served as a guide for action back then—they may no longer be appropriate today.
The fact that my teacher in first grade is said to have remarked about me, “This boy can and knows everything!” still inspires me today.
What follows from this?
– The world I consider real is an illusion. It is an interpretation that helps me survive here.
– The inner voice has set in motion a process that is not fixed and can therefore be actively changed by me.
When I see and understand the forces behind it, I have a tool with which I can actively change and reshape my world according to my needs and wishes.
Change is particularly advisable when the voice repeats and reinforces views that harm me and send me in the wrong direction.
– There are states of mind in which the voice and the inner dialogue have come to a standstill and I can experience reality directly. Then we are at the highest levels of meditation. And free!
How to change my inner voice?
Change begins with awareness. Only what is recognized can be changed.
I learn to observe the voice and the dialogue. Meditation is a good way to do this. I observe from a distance, without interfering, without adding or subtracting anything, without suppressing, denying, or encouraging. Where do these thoughts come from? Do they support me? Or do they harm me?
I find new ways of phrasing things that are more realistic, kinder, and more constructive.
Silence
Silence is simply the momentary quieting of the voice of the inner dialogue, which goes hand in hand with less “I”.
A state can arise that makes the mind so transparent that what defines me disappears and the infinity behind it becomes visible.
This is subtle. Inner silence does not arise through an effort of will or concentration. As in the higher stages of meditation, it is about letting go and allowing. Perception without labeling. Silence arises.
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