Healing Your Inner Critic: A New Relationship With You

The inner critic leads us to believe that we are damaged, less than, and unworthy. These beliefs shape the way we experience ourselves, our relationships, and guide us to make choices that keep us stuck. In this meditation, we will identify the themes of our inner critic's self narrative, and open ourselves to the possibility that we can be kinder and more compassionate with ourselves.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Dr.

Candice Kreesman and this meditation is on healing your relationship with yourself.

This can be used as a standalone practice or in conjunction with day four of the course,

Healing your inner critic.

The inner critic convinces us that we are less than,

Broken,

Bad,

Or helpless.

As a function of these negative assumptions about ourselves,

We often treat ourselves with disdain.

We invalidate our own emotions,

Withhold basic needs,

Overwork despite obvious need for rest,

And tolerate unmanageable treatment from others because we can't imagine anything better being available to us.

In this meditation,

We will bring our awareness to the ways our inner critic guides our treatment of ourselves,

Using the power of awareness to give us choice,

Opening the possibility of a healthier relationship with our precious self.

We will begin and end with a bell.

Start by closing your eyes and noticing your breath.

Notice if judgment floods in right away.

The inner critic may say you aren't breathing deeply enough or aren't concentrating hard enough.

Just let those judgments drift away and come back to the breath as often as you need to.

Allow yourself to feel supported,

Protected in this space of presence.

This space is immediately available when we anchor into the breath.

Now reflect on the last time your inner critic was narrating your experience of yourself.

What sorts of things was it saying about you?

Was it calling you names?

Pointing out how you failed at something?

Convincing you of your limits and smallness?

Hold any storylines loosely,

Noticing them without grabbing onto the narrative as being true.

Now imagine your dearest friend.

Take a moment to connect with your feeling of love and warmth for that being.

Now imagine that friend describing themselves using the same harsh words your inner critic uses to describe you.

Feel compassion well up in your heart for this friend that you so love.

Imagine yourself comforting your friend,

Challenging their negative beliefs,

And offering them kindness and acceptance.

Be still with this feeling of compassion for a few moments,

Allowing it to fill your heart space with warmth and caring and kindness.

Plant this seed of intention.

I deserve the same love and compassion from myself that I offer to my loved ones.

I deserve the same love and compassion from myself that I offer my loved ones.

Whatever pushback may arise from your inner critic,

Let it go,

No matter how convincing it may seem.

Be still with the truth of your deserving for a few moments.

Wealth,

Fame,

Malice,

Glory,

Vile校 what ever it may be and we shall see a new chapter in times to find.

Reviews

Greatness! A great reminder I need often.

Simple yet powerful reflection. Thank you 🙏🏼

I found this meditation very helpful. I am trying to be kinder to myself, but sometimes I’ll fall back into criticizing myself for allowing myself to be kind to myself (like I though this is not fair, that I should focus on being kinder to others instead of myself). But this needs to be changed now. Thank you again🙏

Wow! What an eye-opener. I am taking your class on Healing the inner critic, and I cannot imagine talking to my best friend the way that I talk to myself. I am going to keep this as a reminder each time I talk negatively to myself. Thank you so much

Loved this. Thank you. Will be following more of your work for sure : )