How does the subconsious relate to " your inner voice"... The one in your head when read a book?

@AlienBP2 - interesting thread here everyone.

Re reading voices: I love my entire cast of reading voices, its like a theatre production. i do have to be careful to not 'take' on the voice int real life though - as I tend to be very impressionable. So if I am reading a book with say a decided 'scottish accent' through out I must be careful to not let that spill over in my day to day and say to my partner "D' ya ken the letter arrived abou' the insuran's?" 🙂

Re meditation to quieten the mind. Most of the accepted practices chucks me into a trance state - I struggle there. I lose touch with 'reality'. The best practice I have found to quieten my mind, which struggles with obseesive repeatative negative thoughts - is, rather than the formal (or informal) practices of meditation is to come nto the present. Be right here, right now. I do this by concentrating on the sounds around me - ah, ther eis a car going past, there is a magpie calling, there is the refiridgerator just kicked in, there is the sound of a blower vac up the street. And to look at my surroundings, seeing what is in front of me now. There is the flowers, there is the framed pic of my mum, there is the TV, there is the cushion with the embroidery.

Bringing my awareness to the present and all of my concious thought to the sounds, sights and smells around me quietens the 'rabble' and the rumination.

If something comes up from my sub (or un?) concious, these days - i try to keep a light touch and realise (Real Eyes) as soon as possible that this is just something to be held. Hold, with love, not try to 'heal' not try to figure it all out, not try to run away, or run toward. Just hold, like you would hold with love and understanding and care a little frightened rabbit, or a fearful child. This is new for me, onlybeen doing it for a few weeks, I have since starting this - had some horrendous nightmares, with some traumaic memories weaving in to them - and for the first time, I have just 'held them like a hurt' and not tried to do anything with them. And - amazingly, they are receding, these deep and traumtic hurts, they are just 'there' held and loved.

Hi there,

Reading through this discussion has been very interesting. Particularly this bit about only writing positive things down.

This seems a bit contrary to the whole journalling idea. I've tried journalling and the majority of time I'm writing about negative experiences and feelings. And I tend to word it all in a way that beats myself up. I've stopped journalling now because I didn't find it helpful but wasn't sure why. I had been told that 'getting it out' would be a good thing.

From what you've said perhaps it's because all I wrote was negative.

Thanks so much for the insight.

Cherpieus

Re Journalling. I had to give it up. I was obsessive with it and in the end found it just reinforced all of my critical voices, and none of the hope, strength and love. Nowadays if there is something that I need to work out, I write a poem about it, discuss it with friends via a forum of FB (or just 'hold' it with love and understanding).

I know it is common practice in Psycotherapy to suggest journalling or keeping a 'mood diary' or whatever, in my experince this just focusses me on my MI to the exclusion of RL (Real Life) and I end up depressed, dangerously obsessive and in a very dark place.

Lightening up is a life's work!

Journalling has helped me to get clear on events ...or even writing an HSC autobiographical essay ... ie fill in things more and give words to various aspects of events that had not been discussed or admitted ... yet I dont use it regularly as a diary ... just to sort out behaviours with my past or with kids etc.

I dont re-read much ... under pressure all the time ... but one day ...

I also write about values and goals ... I am always jotting down ...phrases of interest .. I go for more things that ring with truth rather than just "inspirational" .... the act of writing does calm me and centre me. I usually do it every few months ...though lately been writing a lot on the forum.

I journalled a lot in my younger days, only occasionally over the past decade. I think there are pros and cons to it as therapy. At earlier times, when my mental and emotional states have felt especially frenzied, it has been cathartic to be able to pour my darker inner experiences onto the page, to vent and be a listening friend to myself via the writing. During one of my worst breakdowns, I virtually wrote my way through it when unable to do anything else much at all. At least it kept the feelings flowing instead of building up so mute and terrible inside me. It may have even been one of the things that kept me alive. But there was something troubling with the process of this writing too and at times it made me feel even more crazy. At that time I didn't know, or couldn't understand, that it might be helpful to try to look at positives and happy endings rather than just pour out darkness. The writing was painful to read back so I threw it all out a couple of years ago. These days I am more respectful with writing. I will still include darker material, because, like @Appleblossom, I think it's important to acknowledge the gamut of our human experience. But I will try to find a reasonably centred place to write from and remember the more life affirming parts of existence.

Your description of feelings that are "mute and terrible" is very powerful @Mazarita because a lot of the time I was busy with small children .. by the time I got to write my hand was frenzied as well and would ache when I was done ...

I think it is interesting to reflect on the expressive aspect of writing compared to the relatively passive experience of reading even if we do hear a voice in our mind as we read.

When reading we are inviting another's story telling to temporarily take over our mind and willingly give our time to the author. Books have often been a major escape for me but also constructive way to gain knowledge and connect with other ... I read less now and try to be more balanced in the give and take ....