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People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

theguardian.com

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Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#251

Post by HKH2 »

0xdeadb00f wrote: post #171

My inner monologue is almost crippling. I can't fall asleep at night, I think of all the stupid shit I've done and said in the past, and I call myself names because of it. It's gotten to the point where sometimes when I'm alone I'll vocalise these names I call msyelf out loud. It sort of helps to relieve the stress of reliving cringey memories... But I'm not sure anymore.

I used to be a bit like that. Now I write out the things that were physically true about whatever a disconcerting memory is pointing to, avoiding sentences/grammar/style/references to emotions etc.

I think any emotion held long-term is definitely distorted, if not stigmatic.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#252

Post by HKH2 »

0xdeadb00f wrote: post #224
illwrks wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to dwell on things like that also. Everyone has done or said things throughout their life that are embarrassing, make you cringe or are stupid. Thats part of you growing as a person, and being able to acknowledge them shows that you have grown! It sounds harsh but the best advice I've ever received is that "people don't care about you". The context in which it was said was that people engage with you when you'…

You're so right about that! In fact I've had similar thoughts about it. Still, i find myself wondering if maybe by chance people do remember and do judge me for things I've said and done. But that can't be true all the time, and yet, I still dwell on these things... Nevertheless thanks for your comment.

Well if you have come to terms with what led you to those actions, it shouldn't be a problem to revisit them. You'll reflect the attitude in your demeanor.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#253

Post by HKH2 »

Lochleg wrote: post #225
pseudalopex wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people in the middle think people who describe stronger sensations just exaggerate. And people who describe weaker sensations are just confused by the exaggerations.

I never looked into it, but some scientists supposedly lent credence to the existence of lucid dreaming. That's a similar concept where you assume that, with training, some people have tapped into a wellspring of vivid imagination. Or, they just have more natural DMT in their system and start hallucinating in their mind's eye. I can only get a taste of that experience when deeply engaged in reading books. I am hoping…

If you wake yourself up a bit earlier than usual and then fall asleep again, you'll have a much higher chance of dreaming with the feeling of being in control.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#255

Post by HKH2 »

sammalloy wrote: post #145
titusjohnson wrote: post #19

The broadcaster Jenni Murray lives in author Hannah Begbie’s brain. Well, not Murray exactly, but a facsimile of Murray, with the same kind but quizzical voice, and a scarf flung loosely over her shoulder. “My inner voice is a duologue, like I am in a constant state of interviewing myself,” says Begbie, who is 44 and lives in London. “The interviewing always happens in a plush radio studio,” she says. “There’s nice r…

> The very first thing I think of when reading this article is that everyone interviewed except Hopkins is having near-constant auditory hallucinations. Agreed. The closest I’ve come to this kind of thing is when I take more than 400 mg of caffeine in a single day (I’m genetically sensitive to caffeine). If I do that, then yes, my inner voice will become quite strange.

400mg seems like a lot to me. Most energy drinks have less than 200mg and come with a recommendation that you only have 1 or 2 a day.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#256

Post by 0xdeadb00f »

HKH2 wrote: post #252
0xdeadb00f wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're so right about that! In fact I've had similar thoughts about it. Still, i find myself wondering if maybe by chance people do remember and do judge me for things I've said and done. But that can't be true all the time, and yet, I still dwell on these things... Nevertheless thanks for your comment.

Well if you have come to terms with what led you to those actions, it shouldn't be a problem to revisit them. You'll reflect the attitude in your demeanor.

It's more about me not thinking before saying things.

I have learnt my lesson in all these cases but I often feel anxious, paranoid, that people don't know that, and assume I am the way I was before when I said those things.

In a way I have come to terms because I have learnt my lesson but it the thought of me doing that almost torments me still.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#257

Post by josephg »

smeej wrote: post #176
josephg wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That reminds me of a saying I heard a few years ago: "Be careful how you talk to your children. In their darker moments, thats the voice they'll use to talk to themselves".

I started going by a nickname as an adult and that was what made me realize the voice in my head that constantly told me I wasn't good enough wasn't mine, but my narcissistic father's. It still called me by the name he gave me, not the name I call myself. So now it's under the same restrictions he is. It doesn't have my permission to speak to me anymore.

Does that work? When you tell that voice to shut up, does it fall silent?

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#258

Post by sammalloy »

HKH2 wrote: post #255
sammalloy wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The very first thing I think of when reading this article is that everyone interviewed except Hopkins is having near-constant auditory hallucinations. Agreed. The closest I’ve come to this kind of thing is when I take more than 400 mg of caffeine in a single day (I’m genetically sensitive to caffeine). If I do that, then yes, my inner voice will become quite strange.

400mg seems like a lot to me. Most energy drinks have less than 200mg and come with a recommendation that you only have 1 or 2 a day.

Agreed, I was just using it as an example of “hacking” the inner voice.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#259

Post by HKH2 »

0xdeadb00f wrote: post #256
HKH2 wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well if you have come to terms with what led you to those actions, it shouldn't be a problem to revisit them. You'll reflect the attitude in your demeanor.

It's more about me not thinking before saying things. I have learnt my lesson in all these cases but I often feel anxious, paranoid, that people don't know that, and assume I am the way I was before when I said those things. In a way I have come to terms because I have learnt my lesson but it the thought of me doing that almost torments me still.

I read somewhere that the human brain doesn't fully mature until around the age of 25 and the last place to fully mature is the front part of the brain that deals with inhibitory control. Teenagers are impulsive by nature.

Re: People who have unusual, or non-existent, inner voices

#260

Post by drcongo »

I'm one of these people. I have constant chatter from around six distinct voices in my head if I'm not concentrating on something. It makes getting to sleep extremely difficult (I have to listen to the radio, take melatonin etc). Possibly even more annoying is that I'm unable to meditate - it is impossible for me to empty my mind of thoughts, as soon as I get anywhere near doing so, I find myself listening in to the conversations of strangers and thinking about what they're saying. This is all entirely distinct from what I would consider my own, inner voice, which becomes the only prominent one when I'm concentrating.
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