Imagine that outside the window you hear the annoying screams of hooligans, or the March cry of a cat, or the roar of a car. You will experience a lot of negative emotions, but think briefly: “cat”, “car”, “bullies”. Although if you say your thoughts out loud, they will sound differently. For example, like this: “Again these vile punks with their screams and alcohol, which are already in my throat.” This is how a person’s internal and external speech works. The inner voice is short, it does not express emotions, which is why they remain inside the person and continue to put pressure on him. But this is not all that you need to know about inner speech.
As a symptom of mental illness
A person often talks to himself in some mental illnesses.
Such behavior is regarded as pathological in the following cases:
- The patient was previously diagnosed in the PND, and he is registered with a psychiatrist.
- In addition, there are other symptoms that change behavior and personal qualities.
- People who have recently suffered severe stress and become depressed conduct a monologue with themselves.
Schizophrenia is considered one of the reasons for this behavior. This is a mental illness that occurs with exacerbations.
Also, similar symptoms are disturbing in Alzheimer's and are considered a manifestation of multiple sclerosis.
Attention! But don’t panic, mental disorders are never accompanied by one single symptom.
The total symptoms are assessed, which include:
- hallucinations: can be both auditory and visual in nature;
- excessive irritability and suspicion combined with nervousness;
- sleep problems;
- increased aggressiveness that occurs for no apparent reason;
- auto-aggression, up to attempts to commit suicide;
- inaccuracy when performing ordinary actions or, conversely, excessive pedantry;
- persecution mania, which occurs under certain circumstances or without them;
- uncontrollable outbursts of anger, fear or other emotions.
People with schizophrenia have no value for human life. They can cause harm to others without realizing their actions.
It is difficult to say why schizophrenia occurs. Often such diseases (of a mental nature) have a hereditary predisposition. Associated with personal experiences and the initial emotional instability of a person.
But don’t rush to make diagnoses and “label” things. Psychology is a complex science, and it is impossible to understand “streams of consciousness” on your own.
Schizophrenia requires constant monitoring of the patient's condition. The disease can be “put into remission.” But it is unlikely to completely get rid of it. Like other disorders of psychological origin, this disease is treated by a psychiatrist. The participation of a psychologist is also required in therapy.
Split personality
Split personality is a disease that can manifest itself as a result of mental trauma received in childhood. Physical or sexual stress affects the behavior of an already matured person. It begins to seem to him that two entities live in him, and different ones. By the way, there may be more than two. In this state, he not only feels depressed, but may also attempt to harm himself.
In childhood
If a child is having a dialogue with himself, then you should not disturb him. Children often talk out loud and this is not a pathology, but an element of the game.
For what reasons does this happen:
- This is due to the instability of the child’s psyche, which is characterized by mobility.
- The child has a rich imagination and does not need an interlocutor.
- Often in this way children compensate for the lack of attention, communication, and friends.
Many parents are familiar with the phrase “imaginary friend.” The child invents a friend for himself, calls him by name, communicates with him in the presence of other people, or talks in private when no one is there.
Ivan
film scriptwriter
What I hear mentally is not formalized as a voice, but I recognize this person by the structure of her thoughts: she looks like my mother. And even more precisely: this is an “internal editor” who explains how to make it so that the mother likes it. For me, as a hereditary filmmaker, this is an unflattering name, because in the Soviet years, for a creative person (director, writer, playwright), an editor was a dull henchman of the regime, a not very educated censorship worker, reveling in his own power. It’s unpleasant to realize that this type in you censors thoughts and clips the wings of creativity in all areas.
The “internal editor” gives many of his comments to the point. However, the question is the purpose of this “case”. To summarize, he says: “Be like everyone else and keep your head down.” He feeds the inner coward. “You need to be an excellent student” because it saves you from problems. Everyone likes it. He prevents me from understanding what I want, whispers that comfort is good, and the rest comes later. This editor really doesn't allow me to be an adult in a good way. Not in the sense of dullness and lack of play space, but in the sense of personality maturity.
I hear my inner voice mainly in situations that remind me of childhood, or when direct expression of creativity and imagination is needed. Sometimes I give in to the "editor" and sometimes I don't. The most important thing is to recognize his interference in time. Because he disguises himself well, hiding behind pseudological conclusions that actually make no sense. If I have identified him, then I try to understand what the problem is, what I want and where the truth really is. When this voice, for example, interferes with my creativity, I try to stop and go into the space of “complete emptiness”, starting all over again. The difficulty is that the “editor” can be difficult to distinguish from simple common sense. To do this, you need to listen to your intuition, move away from the meaning of words and concepts. This often helps.
Without pathologies: why is it observed in healthy people
A healthy person may talk to himself for several reasons. And all of them are not associated with any disorders. Rather, they are due to the state of the psyche.
Do you want to know why this happens?
Let's look at the reasons in the table:
| Severe stress | The experienced situation can affect the state of the psyche in this way. But this “influence” is temporary and everything will pass after some time. But only when the body recovers and copes with the consequences of a stressful situation. |
| Low concentration | If you have problems with memory and attention, then you can speak out loud all the time. In this way, the human brain better assimilates information, remembers data, and analyzes it. |
| Feature of thinking | A woman is a special creature, it’s hard to disagree with that, right? A woman's thinking is like a force of nature. It is not linear, it resembles a puzzle that is put together into one picture from many disparate parts. The reasons for this behavior lie in the peculiarities of thinking. In women it does not differ in consistency. In order to “put all the pieces of the puzzle” together, sometimes you have to speak out loud, in the absence of your interlocutor. |
| Loneliness | Every person has a need for communication, and it is irresistible, no matter how hard a person tries to avoid other people, nature cannot be deceived. Lack of communication gives rise to self-doubt, isolation, and irritation. Coping with internal loneliness is difficult, and it can “develop” into depression. |
| The situation | If a person speaks out loud, then the situation in which he finds himself is to blame. When keys or important documents are lost, a monologue begins, it helps to restore the chronology of events. The person begins to speak, pronounces certain points and remembers actions that he performed several hours or days ago. |
| Event Analysis | Imaginary conversations help the psyche analyze the situation that happened, consider it “from several sides” and draw conclusions. This is a normal reaction of the body and you should not attach sacred meanings to such behavior. |
It is difficult to change the current circumstances, but if a person wants to get rid of this habit, considering it indecent or “bad,” then he should consult a psychologist.
Anastasia
prepress specialist
In my case, the inner voice sounds like my own. Basically, he says: “Nastya, stop it,” “Nastya, don’t be stupid,” and “Nastya, you’re a fool!” This voice appears infrequently: when I feel disorganized, when my own actions make me dissatisfied. The voice is not angry - rather irritated.
I never heard my mother’s, my grandmother’s, or anyone else’s voice in my thoughts: only my own. He can scold me, but within certain limits: without humiliation. This voice is more like my coach: it presses buttons that encourage me to act.
Building a dialogue: stop talking without an interlocutor
Conversations in the presence of others are unlikely to impress other strangers. For this reason, let's talk about how to get rid of them.
- Communicate more in real life, don’t be afraid to answer people’s questions, invite friends, visit public places and don’t be embarrassed about yourself.
- Get animals as a companion option. You can talk to a cat or dog. After all, they hear and react to human speech, show reciprocal emotions, and respond to affection.
- Find a hobby, join a gym. You can start attending yoga classes, a swimming pool, and an embroidery class. This will help you make friends with whom you will have something to talk about.
A psychiatrist is not always required and not for everyone. It is worth making a number of changes to your usual way of life in order to establish contact with the outside world.
Do not become isolated, do not close yourself off, reducing communication to a monologue. “Open up to the world,” let other people into your life, you will see that it will “sparkle with new colors.”
Sociable people
Sociable individuals also engage in conversations with themselves. They have been talking to themselves since childhood. Psychologists say that such conversations help endless personal development. They allow you to put your thoughts in order and make the right decisions. During the period of such communication, the functioning of the brain improves, as a result of which the information received is better perceived and processed, and attentiveness and observation increase. People who talk through problems to themselves are more successful.
What does it mean to talk to yourself: the scourge of modern society
Many teenagers build an inner world that includes virtual communication. In this case, there is an absence, complete or almost complete, of real interlocutors.
Due to their personality traits, such people find it difficult to communicate. They prefer privacy, rarely leave the house and avoid noisy companies.
Previously, such people were called “homebodies”; now they are representatives of the Hikki culture. As a rule, talking to oneself completely compensates for the communicative need of such individuals. They usually do not need interlocutors in real life. But in the virial, their presence does not burden.
Lack of need for communication and fear of other people arises:
- due to the presence of speech defects in childhood, which were a reason for ridicule or bullying;
- distrust of people, which often occurs in girls who have suffered physical or sexual violence;
- the parents’ reluctance to communicate with the child, a misunderstanding that forced him to withdraw into himself.
Stress
A person who has experienced a severe stress shock has been completely alone for a long time and is used to thinking out loud. In this case, he will begin to behave strangely. After all, this is precisely why the reasons why people talk to themselves are different. These symptoms are not always a sign of pathology. But it is worth noting that if someone in the family has already suffered from schizophrenia, then this must be taken into account. Since the disease is very often inherited. And at some point it may well happen again.
Adviсe
Finding out why people talk to themselves is not difficult, you just need to contact a specialist. He will determine the cause in each specific case.
Poor nutrition, pessimism, stress, responsibility, lack of rest and joy, increased anxiety can lead to neurotic disorder and depression. This condition negatively affects the functioning of the body and can cause various diseases. It is necessary to contact your doctor who will prescribe the necessary treatment. You cannot take sedatives without a doctor’s prescription, because each type of neurosis has its own treatment technique, and medications have side effects. It is necessary to take care of your nerves, relax, avoid stress, not overexert yourself, and also enjoy life and love it.
Internal dialogue as an enemy: stop, turn off, get rid of
Is it necessary?
Internal dialogue can become an enemy if we are under stress (short-term or long-term), if negative emotions are seething inside us, if there is no plan for life and we are not our own masters. Actually, internal dialogue is not “to blame” for anything. It simply transforms your problems into mental fermentation. And you don’t need to turn it off. You need to get rid of specific problems that your mind speculates on in the process of internal dialogue.
If your life is not structured and you are hanging out like “something in an ice hole” (and your thoughts are also wandering “who is in the forest, who is looking for firewood”), work on goals, on the strategy and tactics of your own life.
If you are afraid of something and scary images appear in your head, work with fear. The same applies to any negative emotions.
If you are under the pressure of difficult circumstances, work with the beliefs that brought you to these circumstances. And with the circumstances themselves, of course,
In general, it would be a mistake to think that the root of all your troubles is a lack of control over your internal dialogue.
Stopping internal dialogue is a rather specific technique. In itself it is part of yogic practices. But yoga as such does not pursue the goal of solving current life problems. Yes, in the end they are usually resolved, but this is rather a side effect.
By the way, if you are still interested in yoga techniques, I recommend “Energy Meditation” by Alexey Deryabin.
Turn off internal dialogue
Despite the above, the technique of stopping internal dialogue can be used as a kind of help, a useful “trick” for relaxation, switching, and awareness. Both this and that, and the third are parts of the very practice of turning off the internal dialogue.
Of course, you won’t be able to shut off your internal dialogue for long. Especially if you are new to this. At first, I don’t recommend chasing timing at all. A few minutes allotted for practice in the middle of the working day will be enough - it will already be great and will give good results. Of course, if you do this regularly - at least once a day.
There are many variations of the technique for turning off internal dialogue. I'll give you the one I sometimes use myself.
The first step is to relax the body
If you are unfamiliar with yoga poses, you can simply lie on a flat, hard surface, stretching your legs, placing your arms along your body with your hands up - the so-called “corpse pose” - savasana.
Set an alarm clock if you are afraid to fall asleep (but only so that at its signal you do not have to jump up as if scalded). You can turn on quiet, calm music in the “new age” style.
Gradually relax your body, starting with your toes and moving higher. Release tension - calmly and persistently, lingering a little on each part of the body.
The second step is observation.
In the achieved relaxed state, turn on your attention and run through the body again - from bottom to top.
Now pay attention to your thoughts. Just watch what happens to them.
Don't get involved in the thought process.
Don't judge.
Don't get emotional.
Don't try to think about something else, about something specific.
Just observe, as if you are looking at thoughts from the outside.
Continue doing this for several minutes. For starters, this is already quite enough. Yes, the goal has not yet been achieved - the dialogue has not stopped. But over time, you will feel that this practice gives you a rest, supplies you with energy and concentration for further activities. This is already very good.
Why control it?
Concentrating on negative thoughts causes the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. It destroys neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories. This is how we get stuck in long-past situations and experience them over and over again.
Negative thoughts are precursors to negative emotions: sadness, anger and anxiety. Scientists have discovered Using executive control training to suppress amygdala reactivity to aversive information that you can switch emotions purposefully. To do this you need to control your thoughts.
Thought control does not guarantee instant and absolute happiness, but it is a huge step towards it.
The power of positive thinking is not just an annoying cliché, it is a description of a real phenomenon. Detachment from negative thoughts reduces activity in the amygdala. This area of the brain is responsible for strong emotions, including sadness and anxiety. Pleasant thoughts increase activity in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for emotional regulation.
Clearing your mind of unnecessary thoughts allows you to choose which emotions to experience. You gain peace of mind. This means courage and a lot of energy for new achievements, fresh solutions for stagnant situations and freedom to act not according to the old template, but according to one’s own will.
