Really, i'd like to know... everybody keeps telling me to do it, but how do i do it? There's gotta be some kind of "instruction" because its kind of lost on me.
I engage in a lot of introspection by just talking to myself, even out loud sometimes. I imagine that I'm talking to a person I trust completely, but who doesn't know me very well, and just try to explain myself to them. Why I do what I do, why I feel how I feel, why I think my personality or brain work the way they do. I pick something in my life that's on my mind, and let the conversation wander from there.
Sometimes the invisible therapist asks questions back, or catches me lying or being evasive, and that's when new insights are discovered.
Mostly, however, it just lets me put thoughts into words, which is a powerful way of clarifying things. Its hard to understand a thing until you can put words on it.
The key to all of this is, of course, self-honesty. Most people lie to themselves constantly, and some never even realize it. Recognizing the lies you tell yourself is the first step; understanding why they're there and what they're protecting is the next; moving past them completely is the goal. As you answer your own questions, follow them up with "Is that REALLY true, or am I saying that to hide something deeper? And if so, what - and more importantly, why?"
Sometimes the invisible therapist asks questions back, or catches me lying or being evasive, and that's when new insights are discovered.
Mostly, however, it just lets me put thoughts into words, which is a powerful way of clarifying things. Its hard to understand a thing until you can put words on it.
The key to all of this is, of course, self-honesty. Most people lie to themselves constantly, and some never even realize it. Recognizing the lies you tell yourself is the first step; understanding why they're there and what they're protecting is the next; moving past them completely is the goal. As you answer your own questions, follow them up with "Is that REALLY true, or am I saying that to hide something deeper? And if so, what - and more importantly, why?"
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