How to stop the internal dialogue in your head: exercises

Stopping internal dialogue helps a person maintain a resourceful state and protect himself from exhaustion. Internal dialogue is a person’s communication with himself. Without control, this turns into chaos, sometimes turning into self-digging and self-flagellation. Therefore, it is important to be able to direct and stop the process of communicating with yourself.

Why do you need to turn off internal dialogue?

Why stop the internal dialogue? It takes a lot of energy. If this process is not controlled, then everything can end in exhaustion and illness. But first the psyche will go into economical mode. What does it mean? A person’s performance and productivity will decrease. The internal dialogue will not stop, but the psyche will try to replenish the energy balance through other activities.

For example, a person will become absent-minded in work and everyday matters, and drowsiness will begin to bother him. And every day the work of the economy mode will be more and more noticeable. As a result, a person will be a hostage to his thoughts and he will no longer have the strength to do anything. Therefore, it is important and necessary to turn off the internal dialogue in your head. But sometimes this can be difficult to do.

Note! You need to stop the background dialogue to save energy for more important things. And turn it on in those moments when you need to make a difficult decision, get rid of internal contradiction.

For what reasons is this difficult to do?

Why it can be difficult to stop internal dialogue:

1. Automatic thoughts (AM). This is a concept from cognitive behavioral therapy. AM means a stream of chaotic thoughts that arise against the will of the subject one after another as an assessment of some situation. That is, any event, even some story with random passers-by on the street, is subjected to careful analysis and assessment in a manner characteristic of a particular person.
2. Increased level of anxiety. Some people don’t even realize that an endless stream of thoughts compensates for the anxiety that does not leave them for a minute. Moreover, in this case, the internal dialogue can be fully or partially conscious, that is, it is no longer a background. A person always keeps himself busy with something, thinking about something, so that experiences, fears, and anxiety do not remind him of himself.
3. Lack of self-confidence and self-doubt. A person doubts the correctness of his actions. And even stopping the internal dialogue can be difficult for him to decide: “What if I’m missing something important?”

In addition, problems with stopping internal dialogue arise in people in a state of stress and neurosis.

PsyAndNeuro.ru

In 1913, Karl Jaspers wrote in “General Psychopathology”: “...psychopathologists deal with extensive material for which psychology has not yet described “normal” correspondences.” Little can be added to this phrase today: sometimes psychiatry and psychology do not seem to notice each other, colliding on the same territory. One of the complex issues that interests both psychiatrists and psychologists is inner speech (IS), an almost every minute phenomenon in our lives, which we are not used to thinking about. But when you try to describe it, it begins to look strange and alien: what do you call what is happening in our head? Inner voice? I tell them - to myself? Or can I hear it? And if I imagine a conversation with someone, does that mean there is someone else’s voice in my head? The phrases that inevitably come to mind are those that describe the distorted, disturbed thinking of psychiatric patients; but if they are appropriate for everyone, then what is the “disorder”? Let's try to figure out what psychologists managed to find out about the norm and how it turns into pathology.

Something as obvious to everyone as inner speech still needs to be seen. To be fair, it is considered a difficult subject to study due to extreme variability and subjectivity; internal speech is practically inaccessible to an external observer. With one exception: the so-called private speech, what Jean Piaget called “egocentric speech” in children. Many people speak when alone, and this often alarms others, but for specialists it has never been considered a pathological sign in itself [1]. In fact, “thinking out loud” performs a regulatory function: it helps to cope with emotions [2] and perform complex tasks [3]. Moreover, the more difficult the task, the more a person is inclined to pronounce his actions out loud: at this moment, internal speech seems to become external, therefore it is believed that private speech is directly related to VR and is sometimes called one of its forms.

An intuitive solution to the problem is self-reports in which people describe their inner speech. Various studies have tried to use diaries and structured interviews, but one of the most developed instruments to date is the VISQ (Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire), which has been studied by a team of psychologists led by Alderson-Day for many years [4]. The latest version consists of 35 questions that reveal the following characteristics of VR, quite recognizable from personal experience:

– dialogical or monologue character, “participation” of other people in internal dialogue

– connection with motivation, evaluative activity and self-esteem

– VR condensation - a tendency in the process to shorten sentences, omit endings, approaching the fastest possible transfer of meaning

– literal and metaphorical use of language

– peculiarities of perception of one’s own thoughts, tendency to refer to oneself, “talk about oneself” (in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd person)

In addition to retrospective self-reports, in which the subject is asked to characterize his or her VR as a whole, there are methods that involve reporting on momentary experience. The participant in the experiment is asked to wear a device in laboratory or natural conditions that emits signals (for example, sound), and describe his feelings at the moment of the signal [5].

Both retrospective and in-the-moment accounts have many methodological limitations; their main meaning is that most people are unaccustomed to self-reflection, are far from terminological precision (for example, they call completely different experiences in one word), face insurmountable difficulties when trying to determine at what moment and in what sequence certain thoughts appeared, and generally have serious biases about their own thought processes [6]. In the same way as scientists do regarding their own theories: accompanying experiments with numerous instructions and consultations, and simply formulating questions, they inevitably put into them their understanding of the problem. The quality of research also leaves much to be desired; Here is a quote from one of the recognized phenomenologists on the problem of VR:

…our studies have never been designed to study subjects who were a representative sample of some larger population (we never tried to select a representative sample of a larger population).

The study of VR can be made a little more objective by experiments where scientists try to “disturb” the course of VR and see how this affects the performance of various tasks. A typical example of such an experiment is a dual task. The subject is offered a task that needs to be solved “in his head,” perhaps using inner speech, but at the same time he is asked, for example, to pronounce a certain sound. This setup of the experiment takes into account the fact that we already know that tasks are completed more easily when we pronounce them, because internal speech contains the “rudiments” of external speech, and is easily transformed into it due to its connection with the articulatory system. Thus, if task performance deteriorates when articulation is suppressed, we can consider that we have “caught” inner speech [7]. You can do without the second task if it is possible to conduct electromyography: when a person is “ready” to speak, his muscles involved in articulation tense, even if in the end he does not do so [8].

In addition, tasks involving VR can be accompanied by various types of neuroimaging and encephalography [9], but they face the same problems as self-reports. It is difficult to understand which processes the recorded brain activity relates to: reading a task, completing it, or reacting to a sound signal.

There is no single definition of inner speech that would cover all its manifestations. A conversation with a friend in which you had to answer differently, reading a book to yourself and the process of choosing between ice cream and cake are obviously distinguished by a greater number of characteristics than are currently introduced into scientific use. Trying to classify VR, scientists rather identify features that are easier to describe and link to the results of research in related fields (in psychiatry and neuropsychology). Nevertheless, we were able to find out the following about what VR is like in different people and even in one person:

1) Expanded and reduced VR [10]

Developed internal speech is more similar to external speech, has more characteristics of a “real” text, and we can more easily imagine how it sounds: for example, we “see” rhyme when reading a poem. The same pattern applies to it as to egocentric speech: in a state of psycho-emotional stress and when solving a complex problem, a person tends to move from condensed to expanded VR [11].

In his classic works, Vygotsky called the abbreviated or “condensed” VR “thinking in pure meanings” [12]: it is devoid of most of the characteristics of oral speech, due to which it becomes less “clear” but more “fast.” Here doubts arise whether speech is necessary for thinking at all. In philosophy, this issue has always been problematized, while natural science unconditionally accepted that speech, language and thinking based on them are the key difference between humans and animals. This confidence is illustrated by a famous passage from Engels, where he ridicules Dühring’s “idealism”:

Let us quote only the following: “Whoever is able to think only through speech has not yet experienced what abstract and genuine thinking means.” If so, then animals turn out to be the most abstract and genuine thinkers, since their thinking is never obscured by the intrusive interference of speech [13].

Now we know much more about the behavior of animals and can no longer categorically state that they are incapable of forming concepts, planning activities and assimilating symbols [14].

Some phenomenologists insist on recognizing the phenomenon of “non-symbolized thinking,” when a certain idea is realized directly, without the participation of words: for example, a person notices an acquaintance on the street and thinks whether he will come up to say hello [15]. For this “question” or “expectation”, internal reasoning is not needed; it is easy to imagine that animals do this.

Rather, it would be correct to imagine the forms of VR from expanded to “pure thinking” as a continuum, a spectrum: described, for example, VR with partial omission of words, with meaningless words, or without words at all, but with preservation of the feeling of VR, in the form of, for example, internal speech rhythm [16]. Therefore, the disagreements between Engels and Dühring may not be so fundamental; perhaps they just have a different subjective experience of inner speech.

2) Active and passive VR, verbal imagination [16]

On the same continuum, different types of VR appear to be located depending on how passively they are experienced. Just as users of social networks are from time to time fascinated by the question: “Is the voice you think is male or female?”, not everyone can immediately answer, hear

he is his inner voice or
tells
them.

The most common feeling among respondents is that VR is an active phenomenon, that is, they are completely in control of it. But we often encounter a type of experience in which VR seems to happen on its own, “comes to mind,” although the person recognizes himself as its only possible source. Another option is inner hearing, when a person “hears” inner speech and perceives it passively, as if his own or someone else’s voice is replaying in his head. In this case, the sensation of the sound of this voice may be absent or may be as pronounced as for active VR. In the same way, the respondent calls himself, his own thinking, the only possible source of such experience, that is, with all the alarming turns in the description, inner hearing is not a clear phenomenon of influence or passivity in schizophrenia. However, studies have assessed it as a rather rare [15] and alarming [7] phenomenon. It has been suggested that a tendency to experience inner hearing may predispose to verbal hallucinosis [7]. But even here we have not yet moved into the field of psychiatry: a small percentage of the population has subclinical verbal hallucinosis of an inpatient course and does not need help [16]. That is, it should be recognized that there is a situation where the characteristics of the nervous organization and/or subjective perception of VR fit the definition of hallucinosis, but not the criteria of a mental disorder.

As an example of inner hearing, Hurlburt [17] cites a situation familiar to many, when a familiar song “sticks” in the head: its sound characteristics are clearly remembered, but at the same time they are not felt like sound; It cannot be said that the one who has a song “stuck” in his head sings it himself - the performer sings it. This description already evokes other associations: often this form takes what a psychiatrist could call obsessive, and a psychotherapist could call intrusive, but rare works comment on this phenomenological similarity.

Another form that may explain the appearance of VR fragments, the content of which is less controlled than usual, is the so-called verbal memory and verbal imagination. Many properties identified in psychological experiments make verbal imagination similar to the concept of VR: it is also amenable to interference in dual-task experiments and involves the same neuroanatomical areas [18]. In this regard, a hypothesis is put forward that, in its origin and essence, VR is verbal imagination [19], but there are many arguments against it: for example, the content and functions of VR.

3) About whom, for what and how much

The generally accepted opinion is that VR occupies us almost constantly, but when trying to measure its frequency using the method described above with reports “by signal”, it turned out that there are people who have never registered VR in themselves during the whole day when a signal was given, and the frequency of their VR was estimated at 0%; There were also those whose incidence of VR was 100% [17]. The median VR was only about 20% [20].

As for the content of inner speech, the study on a sample of students obtained quite predictable results. Mostly, respondents thought about themselves – close people, friends and colleagues occupied a significantly smaller place in their minds. Among the topics, one’s own emotional state and the current situation dominated, and among the functions of VR, planning, memorizing information, self-motivation and decision-making came to the fore [21].

Two fundamental points of view on the origin of VR were formulated back in the middle of the last century, and all current theoretical constructions are based on them. The founder of behaviorism D.B. Watson believed that our activity is not much different from the activity of animals, based on conditioned reflexes. The motor act is not only speech, but also the notorious thinking - it was he who first suggested that during VR there is tension in the laryngeal muscles. He also found a lot of other evidence that VR is accompanied by motor activity close to articulation: whispering, mooing, moving lips. On this basis, he concluded that our “internal” activity is just a reduced external activity; its difference consists only in a decrease in the severity of the actual motor response [7,12].

The theory of the Soviet psychologist L.S. became more popular. Vygotsky, which continues to be developed in our time [7,12]. He suggested that when a child develops VR, his experience of communication with adults is internalized. He partially supported Watson's opinion, but believed that speech undergoes significant changes during internalization:

• shortening syntax
• lexical agglutination, when we silently use hybrid words for complex concepts
• The “personal” meaning, based on personal experience and not always understandable to others, prevails over the “conventional” meaning of the word
• saturation of lexical units with meaning, when, also in connection with personal experience, they acquire a broader meaning than in general use, in external speech.

It is interesting to note that the appearance of these signs in external speech (hybrid words - neologisms, focus on word meanings that are incomprehensible to the interlocutor and have personal meaning) in classical pathopsychology indicates thinking disorders of the schizophrenic type [23].

Speaking about the formation of VR in a child, it is also worth mentioning the concept of the Theory of Mind (ToM), or “model of someone else’s consciousness” - the ability to attribute to others, as well as to oneself, a wide range of states of consciousness (relating to cognition and motivation), as well as the ability based on This idea of ​​the state of others is to understand the meaning of their actions and try to predict them [24]. It is assumed that ToM, as it exists in adults, is the result of the interaction of two functional systems: early forms of recognizing the intentions of others and gradually developing speech [25]. The functional organization characteristic of ToM and speech in children undergoes significant changes with age: there are many more common structures [26]. That is, we are talking about mutual influence, and the formation of VR is under the influence of the ToM function; ToM, as it were, is included in inner speech, intertwined with it [7].

From the point of view of neuropsychology, VR is based on a number of processes [7]

• a functional network that enables speech in general. This includes communication with the motor cortex (in the form of subvocal articulation, tension of the laryngeal muscles, up to muttering and moving the lips) and “waiting for feedback” - the vigilance of sensory systems, which during external speech are designed to control whether the planned speech act is performed correctly (proprioception from articulatory muscles [27], auditory perception of one’s own speech [28]).
• lexical memory, which provides the VR process with “pure meanings”, and phonetic memory, necessary for their development into a form reminiscent of one’s own or someone else’s speech;
• long-term memory, from which we retrieve something to think about, and short-term memory, in which we retain to remember what we just said and read;
• the ToM system and the so-called social cognition - the ability to assess the relationship a person has with other members of society, and build behavior in society based on these assessments.

Separately, all these processes are being quite actively studied by neuroimaging methods, but there are not yet enough studies that would approach the issue using VR optics.

The most famous neuroimaging phenomenon that appears to be related to VR is the default mode network, a network of passive modes of brain operation, that is, a system of neurons active in a state of passive wakefulness. Phenomenologically, this state corresponds to the so-called mind wandering: a state of absent-mindedness, “daydreaming.” Studies assess the verbal component of mind wandering differently; apparently, most of the time is occupied by visual imagination, and virtual reality accounts for only about 30% [29]. Various researchers have discovered areas in the passive mode network whose activity is associated with ToM and such components of speech as, for example, semantic memory.

As for the works devoted directly to the neuroimaging of VR, their main idea is the extreme similarity of the neural organization of VR with that for ordinary, “external” speech [9], however, there are also differences that are of interest. The regions involved in VR are those necessary for the production and perception of speech, such as the inferior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, superior and middle temporal gyri. Internal speech, like external speech, is characterized by predominant left-sided lateralization, but certain functions were specifically localized in the right hemisphere, such as, for example, the ability to imagine someone else’s voice [30]. An interesting but predictable finding was the involvement of regions traditionally associated with ToM in VR processes, especially conversational ones, such as the medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior cuneus and precuneus, and the parietotemporal region, which includes the posterior superior temporal gyrus, angular gyrus, and inferior temporal lobe.

Knowledge of these processes and their neural mechanisms can form the basis for an idea of ​​the organization of VR, and, what is even more interesting, serve as the basis for studying the physiological causes of VR pathology in various mental disorders. Many clinical descriptions inevitably include the patient's self-report of the features of VR, but the path from such a clinical description to a satisfactory understanding of the disease is not short. First of all, it is necessary to understand that among adapted indices that do not meet the criteria for a mental disorder, BP is extremely variable, and many of its features that are considered pathological in traditional psychopathology are in fact regularly found in the “norm”. Further, inner speech, like just speech, like all higher nervous functions, is simply a term under which it is convenient for us to unite disparate phenomena; the illusion that we see an image in chaotically located elements. In fact, both from the point of view of functional organization in the brain and from the point of view of neuropsychology, VR is the result of the interaction of components of an extremely complex network. All brain domains that are related to VR are known to us from studies of other functions, and all neuropsychological processes that are necessary for the implementation of VR are also involved in other types of nervous activity. By gaining a complete understanding of how these systems function outside of pathology, we would gain more information from comparisons with pathologically functioning systems. And, since “pathology” is as variable as the “norm,” studies of the “deep phenotyping” type may be more promising for VR, when one object is studied comprehensively, rather than combined with others into groups that, when the paradigm changes, will turn out to be random.

Author of the text: Shishkovskaya T.I.

Bibliography:

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Ways to stop internal dialogue

In psychology, there are special techniques for stopping internal dialogue. But besides them, there are also rules. Let's start with this.

Important Rules

Rules for stopping internal dialogue:

1. Refusal of any assessment, maintaining complete neutrality. Your thoughts are neither good nor bad, they are just your thoughts.
2. Acceptance and humility. Everything that is happening to you now, what you are thinking about, is valuable and has a place to be.
3. Passive position. Don't try to speed up the flow of thoughts or change it.
4. Patience. Find the strength to walk this path to the end. Find the courage to face all problems and thoughts, especially negative ones.

These rules, like the technique presented below, help not only stop internal dialogue, but also get rid of fatigue.

Bottom line

In this article, I talked about how to stop constant internal dialogue and gave 3 useful exercises to develop this skill.

The psychology of internal dialogue is very simple - it is a habit that often limits us in using the various capabilities of our human brain.

It is worth noting that internal dialogue is normal ! And if there is no need or desire to turn it off, then there is no need to suffer, because this is one of the normal mechanisms of the human psyche. If you have something interesting to tell, it will be very cool to see it in the comments

How to stop internal dialogue

How to stop internal dialogue (universal technique):

1. Choose a suitable time and place, take a comfortable position.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Imagine how, as you exhale, all thoughts and worries leave you.
4. Follow your thoughts for a minute. Determine where they go, how they fit together, and what they look like. Don't evaluate or criticize, don't try to change your train of thought - just observe.
5. Get a feel for the observer's position. Stay in it. Renounce everything. Tell yourself right away that this will only last a couple of minutes. In just a couple of minutes you will not decide anything and manage your life.
6. Feel humility and indifference giving way to peace.

At the same time, you will feel that your body and mind have relaxed. Feel this state, try to remember it. The next time you again feel hostage to thoughts or feel tired, remember this state, imagine that it is already with you again. And if necessary, repeat the entire practice from start to finish.

Walking trail (36)

This is a type of Indian chain in which each participant, with the exception of the leader, follows closely behind the one in front.

In this case, all participants walk in step, moving their legs synchronously - simultaneously the left one, then the right one at the same time. The foot is placed in the footprint of the same foot of the person walking in front (even if the print of the footprint is not actually visible - you, as it were, “visualize” this print and step into it).

Commentary on technology

The main thing here is to step exactly in the footsteps of the person in front and not lose your footing, even with an unexpected change in speed or terrain. This is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, you just have to really concentrate on this task.

The exercise should last at least an hour (longer - as much as you like). If you do it correctly, in accordance with all the requirements stated above, then soon a kind of “bubble of perception” will arise that will “absorb” the group. During the exercise, the sense of one’s own ego is gradually lost, and the person begins to feel more and more like part of a single group, a collective. The most amazing thing is that in this state people are able to walk without feeling any signs of fatigue. 'On the contrary, they seem to receive a charge of energy, they feel renewed, reborn.

Exercises to stop internal dialogue

How else can you stop the internal dialogue? Let's look at a few exercises to stop it:

1. Worst case scenario analysis. Suitable for situations when anxiety and negative thoughts overcome. Choose your first thought. For example: “I will fail my report at work.” Ask yourself the question: “What happens next?” For a new answer, ask the same question again. Do this until you come to the most terrible ending. What is the benefit of this exercise? When you reach the end, the brain will decide that everything has already happened and calm down.
2. Relaxation with a candle. Light a candle and don't think about anything, just watch. Study the light, the flowing wax and other details. The exercise of looking at a fire has a similar effect. By the way, you can turn on such a screensaver on your TV or find a suitable video on the Internet. Or you can look at any other object that surrounds you. Feel yourself relaxing. Our brain cannot perform several tasks at once. If you force him to study the candle, then he can no longer think about anything else.
3. Development of awareness. It is based on the same principle as in the exercise with a candle. When you consciously concentrate on something, your brain can no longer process anything else in the background. Increase your awareness in everyday activities: brushing your teeth, taking a shower, going to the store, eating food, etc. Focus on the process. Learn to live in the moment “here and now.”
4. Listening to audiobooks. Concentrate on each word, visualize what you hear. If you do get distracted by your thoughts, then don’t get hung up on it - return your attention to the book.
5. Associations. Imagine that you are looking at water. Sometimes ripples appear on it, waves are your thoughts, a flow that you want to stop. Imagine how the ripples fade away. Feel how your thoughts fade away along with this.
6. Fantasizing. Imagine that you are looking at a white screen. Move your gaze along it: from one corner to another, around the perimeter, in a circle, from top to bottom, etc.
7. Substitution. This technique helps to get rid of a song that is boring and stuck in your head. Replace the entire text with just two sounds and repeat them in the same rhythm. Soon your brain will get tired of it, just like the original song.

We have discussed the rules, methods and techniques for stopping the internal dialogue in your head. Choose the workout exercises that you like best and work best for you, and use them regularly.

It remains to talk about the mistakes that some people make when trying to stop their internal dialogue.

Possible mistakes

Don't get too hung up on the idea of ​​stopping your internal dialogue. The more you want to switch from a thought, the more you get stuck in it. Make relaxation your goal, not getting rid of your inner voice.

Don't blame yourself if you haven't been able to successfully complete any of the exercises yet or if you break the rules. For example, if you couldn’t stand it and assessed your thoughts, and then also began to scold yourself for bad thoughts. You learn, it's okay to make mistakes. Don't give up and don't go into self-flagellation.

Stealth (37)

This fairly simple exercise can produce very powerful states of “heightened perception.” It is sometimes called "shadow walk".

The exercise consists of moving slowly, but silently, trying not to make any sounds. Neither your breathing nor the sound of your steps should be heard - you yourself should not hear your steps and breathing. You must become silent, like a shadow. In this case, all movement is “guided by the ears” - you should constantly listen to your own movements in order to avoid the slightest sound. Hearing should become your most important sense at this time. During the exercise, you should not step on objects that can make noise - you need to step over branches, walk around small objects without stepping on them, in general, constantly make sure not to make noise.

Consequences of stopping internal dialogue

What are the consequences (results) of stopping the internal dialogue in your head? Once you learn this, you will feel a surge of strength. The released energy can be used to develop abilities, fulfill desires and implement plans. In addition, you will become more confident in yourself. As a result of stopping the inner voice, your productivity and performance will increase, your sleep will normalize, and your overall emotional background will become more stable and positive.

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• Stereo pictures

• Anagram

• 15 Games to develop attention for children and adults

• Tag

• Memory development

• Development of memory and attention

• Speed ​​reading

• Development of attention and concentration

• Brain Development

• Development of thinking

• Development of imagination

• Games and exercises for brain development

• Verbal counting

• Thinking games

• Developmental Internet courses

• Quick wits

• Lucid dreaming

• Lateral vision

• How to develop intelligence?

• Development games

• Concentration of attention

• Chess

• Improving memory and developing attention in adults

• Self-development

• Center for Intellectual Development

• Why are there problems with money?