Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:03 Welcome to the doctor's week show where I show you how bad states of mind, difficult life issues. Aren't pathological, but rather signs of personal growth trying to happen. All right, let's get into it. Greetings. How are you? I hope you're in the flow and if not, you're still in the flow.
Speaker 1 00:00:37 Just have to tap into it. It's
Speaker 2 00:00:41 Right there. Just beneath the surface, but there's something standing between you and it, what could it be? Oftentimes it's an inner critic and that's what I'm going to focus on today. Don't do this exercise while driving, operating machinery or doing anything that requires your full attention. Now, each one of you is totally unique in how you process things. So at each step of the exercise, turn the podcast on and off. However you need. When you listen to someone speak, you can get as much information from how she says something. As you get from what she says, the tone pitch volume and tempo of her voice, her body language, and the type of energy behind her words are essential factors in communication. It's the same with your inner critic. It has two aspects. One is what it says to you. This is the content of its speech.
Speaker 2 00:01:55 The other is how it talks to you, how it delivers that content. This is its process. Think of it as a personality. That's right. Your critic actually has its own personality. It has certain traits, specific qualities or unique energy. These are important elements to become aware of. I'm going to show you how to work with these elements in a way that transforms them from negative to positive. In order to do this, you're going to have to ignore the content of what your critic says. I know it's not easy, but I want you to temporarily bypass its words and focus on how it talks to you, how it expresses itself and what its particular qualities are. Now, why are we going to do this? The reason is that your critic contains a basic human quality that you actually need to be more like I'm not talking about its negativity.
Speaker 2 00:03:08 I'm referring to a certain hidden quality that you need to become more aware of in yourself. You need to embody this in a conscious, positive way. If you don't, this part of your psychology will disturb you in negative, hurtful ways in order to get your attention. And the more you ignore it, the more evil it can become. It's trying to attract your attention, but it doesn't know how to do it properly because it's an unconscious part of your psyche. So it bashes you with attacks, oppression, and a lot of crap, knowing how to debate and fight the crap is essential. But it's also crucial for you to take over the critics, power and energy and use it in a positive way. When you make the power conscious it's yours, when it's unconscious, it's out of your control and attacks you.
Speaker 1 00:04:11 Okay, well, let's get started. Begin by making a picture in your mind of your inner critic. If your critic was a character, what would it look like? A man or a woman, someone you know, or a stranger, or maybe it's a fantasy figure, like an animal or spirit. How do you visualize the figure? Look closely and study everything. You see its face, body movements and energy. Now keep looking at the character and listen to the quality of its voice, its pitch tone, tempo, and volume pay, close attention to the feel and energy of its voice. <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:06:43 now describe the characters overall personality and energy. Is it rough mean and aggressive? Is it powerful and confident? Is it an aloof nodal? Is it afraid and worried? <inaudible> now feel into it's being focus on what it would be like to be this critic as an actual character, do your best to put its negative content and vibe to the side and just focus on its raw energy. Feel into its physical being. <inaudible> now get up and move around the room, embodying this character feel and move it's physical energy, inhabit this raw energy and let it move. You act as if you are this character. Don't worry. If you feel silly or awkward, pretending you're an imaginary character. Think of it as an acting exercise. And it's actually a real part of you. You're just giving it life by amplifying its features. So go ahead and turn the podcast off and turn it on again when you're ready.
Speaker 1 00:10:32 All right. How would you describe this energy, this personality, this way of being remember, put its negativity to the side for the moment and just describe it's basic energy. If you strip away its toxic words and it's mean intent, what are you left with? Power confidence, coldness, absoluteness, relentlessness, a know it all fear. Now, how can you express this energy as something positive and useful? How can you embody it in a conscious, constructive way? For example, if your critic is absolute about everything, how could you be absolute for something positive in your life? For example, to stand up for your beliefs and feelings, if your critic acts like a nodal, how could you be a know-it-all in a positive way, for example, to gain more knowledge and self-confidence, if your critic is cold and insensitive, how could you be cold and insensitive in a positive way? For example, to not tolerate in sensitivity, how's that for a paradox.
Speaker 1 00:13:39 All right. Once you've identified this positive way of being feel into it deeply embody it, get up and walk around the room, inhabiting it as your own positive, powerful way of being. Think your thoughts from this new energy, identify with it as your own power. Go ahead and turn the podcast off and turn it on again. When you're ready. Here's some up questions. Are you able to put your critics toxic words aside temporarily in order to observe and experience its basic raw energy? I know it's not easy, but with practice, you be able to do it and it will enable you to take the critics. <inaudible> what in you is against you being this new way. Besides the critic itself, do you have a belief or a fear that blocks you from identifying with this kind of power? <inaudible> how could this new way of being a Jew in dealing with your problems, especially the <inaudible>. How could you bring this power into your inner life, your relationships and the world. <inaudible>
Speaker 2 00:17:50 Great work. You've just learned how to take your inner critic's power. You did this by temporarily putting aside it's toxic thoughts, visualizing feeling, and moving like you imagine it would tapping into its core energy, taking its power as your own, using it in a positive way and applying it to your life and your problems take as much time as you need to absorb what you just did. If you feel like it, you can listen to some bonus material where I share some of my client's experiences doing this exercise. That's up now, here are some of my clients' experiences doing this exercise. A 24 year old man felt lost in his life. He didn't know what kind of career he wanted and it made him feel depressed and anxious. His critic called him a loser and said his life would always be a disaster. He described his critic as being quote violent and doing whatever it wants to me.
Speaker 2 00:19:18 When he consciously inhabited this violent energy in a positive way as his own energy, he connected with a powerfully decisive part of himself that helps him get out of his funk and take action to try out some various career directions. Instead of letting the whole process crush him. The essence of his critic was his violent decisive energy. He just had to claim it as his own power and use it constructively. Instead of it, as a method of beating himself down a 37 year old woman felt overwhelmed. She had a newborn baby, a full-time job. She was unhappy at and a general feeling of anxiety about everything. Her critic made things worse by constantly berating her about not being the perfect wife for her husband. She experienced the critic as confident and powerful. When she explored this confident power as her own, her feeling of being overwhelmed went away.
Speaker 2 00:20:38 The critic had been confident in its ridiculous message to behave a certain way for her husband. But my client was to use the confidence to not only deal better with her life, but to also realize that her purpose wasn't to be a certain way for her husband, but rather to simply be herself. The essence of her critic was confidence. She just had to use it consciously instead of her critic using it unconsciously against her, a 52 year old woman felt plagued by an inner critic that said her life is ruined because she got divorced and would be alone forever. She often argued with the critic telling it that she'll be fine and we'll eventually meet some, a new, but the critic wouldn't leave her alone. She described it as relentless. When she imagined herself being relentless, she connected with a part of herself that's from in her belief that she'll be totally cool and will thrive in life. She had to be strong and solid about not falling into the societal trap of thinking. Everyone has to always be in a relationship. This was a relief to her and the shift in attitude greatly improved her life. See you next time. Stay aware.
Speaker 0 00:22:18 You can follow me on social media@doctorsawakeandyoucansignuponthemailinglistatdoctorswake.com where you'll receive discounts on private coaching events and merchandise starting 2021 weekly personal growth tips and lots more be well.
