Quieting the Inner Critic

I’m On My Own Side

What would have to change for this to be more true?

• Know who I am
• Nurture a connected, empathetic relationship with my mind, body and breath
• Stop shaming and criticizing myself so I can
• Respect, accept, and honor myself

If all of this was in place, I would still need to

• Build a stronger, more resilient nervous system
• Have accurate neuroception to increase clarity and reduce hypervigilance
• Practice somatic mindfulness to head off inner critic attacks
• Develop stability and reliable emotional regulation
• Cultivate a loving, kind relationship with myself

Our relationship with ourself is complicated, many faceted, and one that is possible to heal. This is our focus over the next several weeks as we move through the beginning of the new year. We bring this into awareness so we can deepen an authentic and honoring connection within.

Knowing who we are is a risky business. We come face to face with what was previously overwhelming and unworkable. We see how we diminish ourselves and how persistent our nervous system is, AND we turn the corner into authentic real connection and kindness.

We would never talk to our friends the way we talk to ourselves.

The inner critic can be a persistent debilitating voice that continues to traumatize us through our lifetime. It does not have to be that way, and yet it can be one of the most difficult and persistent trauma responses that we have to deal with.

We feel harassed and intimidated and shamed by the voice in our own head. It creates a toxic stew inside of us. We might have had decades of listening to this judgmental, harsh, condemning voice in our head and now we can bring it up into awareness. We can better afford to see it clearly.

We notice that it’s here through somatic mindfulness — awareness of the sensations of shame in our body and thoughts in our head. We practice coming back into regulation. Like any thought, we can work with it once we’re aware of it.

Second, we analyze the content. Is what it is saying true? What is the purpose? Sometimes our inner critic wants us to play small so that we’re not hurt. This could be fear passed on from our parents. People who were belittled as children might have internalized this voice long after they grew up.

We need to bring kindness and compassion to ourselves whenever we’re working with survival strategies from childhood. We can honor the intention of protection without falling into the trap of believing what the inner critic says.

Join our kind connected group of people that meet every week in our Sunday free community class 10AM Eastern. We go inside and work with our trauma. We share with others. We heal together.