Taming and Befriending the Voices in Our Heads
That whispers all day long,
“I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you — just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.” — Shel Silverstein
What’s your relationship to the voices in your head?
Is your inner voice one of encouragement like a best friend or trusted advisor? Or is it a bully who torments and belittles you, making you feel less than? Or maybe it’s squirrel or monkey-like in nature, a source of constant distraction. Or maybe it’s a three-ring-circus with a cast of characters taking turns in the spotlight of your mind.
Well, “I don’t know about your brain, but mine is really bossy.”
I remember hearing those lyrics from Laurie Anderson’s “Baby Doll” from her album Strange Angels” and feeling like she knew me. I suddenly had words for something I’d been experiencing inside my head for as long as I could remember. That my brain was loud and really, really bossy and that I was not alone in feeling this way.
We Can Redefine our Relationship to the Voices in our Heads for Mental Wellness
I’ve been fascinated by human dynamics for as long as I can remember, including those between us and the voices in our heads. I remember reading an article about a Stanford research study which suggested that these voices vary across cultures with Americans experiencing these inner vocalizations as hostile and threatening — like assaults from persons unknown —…
