Live Event: Inner Critic Visualization 20-10-2022

Live event on Insight Timer

Thu Oct 20 - 03:30 pm
Inner critic visualization
Join us in this inner critic visualization including grounding, and an emotional check-in. Learn how to deal with your inner critic with a visualization practice.

Including Q&A

Please note: This track was recorded live and may contain background noises.

Transcript

Like I did today and I am a researcher and I back everything up with psychology studies and that's what I'm doing today with our mindfulness to mute in critic.

I am someone who had a love for mindfulness already but I started combining with my research background and today's visualization is actually based on partly on schema therapy.

I love schema therapy so I'm going to take you through today.

I'm not really going to explain it because that will be a waste of time but if you want to know more I have more on my insight time profile with practices with more explanation of what I'm doing but today we're just going to do it if that's okay with you.

I'm Anushka from Toronto and Kathy.

We can't have many hearts indeed indeed and I am also sharing what has worked for me.

So why I love doing visualizations to mute your in critic.

We cannot get rid of it by the way it is part of us but we can mute it we can silence it we can deal with it we can learn how to live with it.

I had this very very harsh inner critic or how they call in psychology inner critical parent and it was ruining my life.

I also do more here on the inside time with perfectionism and limiting beliefs and that's all you know it's all interconnected but today we're really going to focus on that inner critic and I'm going to ask you to share in the chat if you like to get all the negative out before we get started of what are you suffering with with your inner critic.

I was dealing with perfectionism like I shared I found it difficult to make a connection to anyone because I needed to be perfect and I'm you know I was so harsh on myself I am a recovering addict I had a terrible eating disorder you know I needed to work on myself and to work with that inner critic and actually I learned along the way that that inner critic was actually trying to protect me.

Not very helpful though but they are trying to protect you from things we've learned in our childhood because that inner critic yeah you were also born with it and it grows and it grows and it grows and it grows and what will we do about it?

Visualization well first of all grounding of course visualization and compassion and gratitude those are always my things that I use to help myself compassion and gratitude.

Thanks Katty for sharing not good enough oh yep that limiting belief don't I know it.

Hi Liz from Philly nice to see you again.

Oh well there you are at the right place Liz that's why I know you I think perfectionism and procrastination and they are often intertwined indeed indeed.

Oh Axel thank you for sharing I'm actually working on that as well when you need to be productive but you need your rest yeah me too I am still working on that you know I'm not claiming here to be perfect I have that issue myself thank you for sharing Joanne you never felt like you belonged hmm yep I see more I can relate I can relate yeah yeah and we all suffer from it right okay okay and maybe ADD Amy and well we don't always need a label but I'm sorry to read that yeah that's tough well I'm glad that you are all connecting with each other in the chat yeah feeling inadequate not doing enough get it all out there before we get started and this is only a 30-minute practice well not even the practice the visualization is shorter because I really need to leave at four unfortunately but yeah like I shared I based this on schema therapy and I do my research and I also share what has worked and helped me personally I like posting things on insight timer in the whole people who suffered like me you know and that's why I have so many things on my inside I'm a profile is actually a hobby you know I don't do this for work but you know donations are more than welcome so I can keep sharing and hopefully keep helping people you know that's my main aim so with your donations I can do more I can do more research I can make better practices and help even more people okay and I see the hearts those help as well thank you so are you ready to get started with the visualization I don't have my singing bowl with me today it's still in the moving boxes somewhere but I am ready for a visualization so okay I'm going to invite you to sit with a straight spine feet touching the floor and hands opening your lap and I see yes already in the chat great let's get started then I'm going to slow down and I'm going to ask you to close your eyes if you haven't done so already and just breathe into your nose for four seconds and then you hold it and you breathe out for six if you don't prefer that timing you can do something else as long as your outer breath is longer than your inhale so you breathe in hold it and breathe out through purse lips breathe in and let's go breathe in hold it and let all that negativity go one more breathing and with your out breath you're going to fold over make sure you leave all the air out of your lungs return to your natural breath you can get comfortable move around a little bit keep your eyes closed and go inwards into your body and I'm going to ask you to label what you feel and state that emotion out loud and touch it whether wherever you feel it for example anxiety in my stomach and really acknowledge that emotion happiness gratitude well done you can leave those emotions for now and I'm going to ask you to pick one critical thought from your inner critic if you get distracted or if it's too much just focus on your breath and return to that critical thought of your inner critic and who is telling you that?

Whose voice is telling you that?

And it might be difficult but maybe it's either your parents or it's not a real voice I'm going to ask you to visualize someone standing in front of you right now who embodies your inner critic and let's not do someone who is your parent or sibling but you might want to visualize your inner critic as a villain from a TV show for example Ursula or the Joker or Darth Vader can you pick someone right now?

And can you give them a name?

Mine is for example Melissa Must I always must do things and Melissa was someone she wasn't a nice person in school let's just say that so can you give your inner critic a name?

And start to visualize them in front of you maybe they are bigger or smaller than you don't listen to them just see them and what are some of the characteristics you would give your inner critic?

Do they have a gender or not?

Do they look angry,

Mean,

Jealous?

Is this how you want to be?

And are they shaming you or guilting you into anything?

Or are they just mean?

But I actually want to move away from that we're not going to listen right now what you can do is place your hands on your heart and with your breath you can each time you breathe in you can shrink them in front of you and when you breathe out they are silent so join me and breathe in and breathe out and breathe in and breathe out and keep doing this and make them smaller and smaller and maybe they are struggling they are defending themselves but you have the power to make them smaller and you can say I don't need you today go away and just keep breathing and look how they become smaller and they might panic they might scream they might shout but they are becoming smaller and see them for who they really are and ask them once they are small enough ask them what are you afraid of?

Inner critics have a purpose to protect you from something so ask them what are you afraid of?

Tell them I know you want to protect me in a non-useful way but I can handle it what you can do now once they are small enough and you can give yourself a hug and tell them I am doing my best I can take care of myself I know your name inner critic and I'm going to use it I know you're afraid but I can handle it I am good enough I am adequate I am trying you can place them in the palm of your hands your inner critic they might be that small already now and place them in your pocket because they are a part of you you cannot get rid of them completely but you can be grateful that you're taking this time apart for you and you might continue by stating out loud I am working on my inner critic other people suffer from their inner critic as well may I be well may I be loved may I be kind to myself may I be well may I be loved may I be kind to myself and thank yourself for taking this time apart and thank the other 72 meditators here and you can breathe in and let that go and open your eyes and move around how was that experience I really would like to comment on what some of you posted in the chat I visualize multiple critics so I'm going to explain what we've done and my tip is always to try to focus on one yes we do have multiple critics great observation but it's better to visualize with one and this was just an explorative practice I have more on my inside timer but it's really important that you name that inner critic that you visualize them that you know how they look because now you can not only just have one visualization and hope it's forever gone you can actually for example tell your friends about your inner critic and they might help you when you're talking and perhaps being hard on yourself there they can be like oh there's your melissa must again or your inner critic is there again if you try to focus on multiple ones it might be difficult to really focus with visualization is really important to in this case make them for example a villain if you try to visualize your parents or your siblings I wouldn't recommend doing that alone without a professional because these might be things that you really need help with in schema therapy you would dive into the multiple critics which are your inner critical parents indeed which might be indeed actually your parents voice but you also have the guilt inducing parent that's why I was asking you is it guilt or is it shame or the shame based so there were also differences in those unfortunately I don't have time to go into that but that's what you would do in schema therapy because you have multiple inner critical parents inside of you and you might even have well you might even have an angry child or a sad child in you but we were now just focusing on one we can't do them all at once there was actually another content creator oh I forgot the name here on inside timer who does who does that which was amazing even the 10-day course yeah talking about 10-day courses what a wonderful bridge was that I have a 10-day course on how to beat procrastination and I also cover a little bit about the inner critic in that one so if you are curious to do a 10-day course here on inside timer in Dutch or in English you can follow me on inside timer I really appreciate it and I've seen the hearts thank you so much and again with your donations I can keep sharing these I can keep making them better and longer we did a very quick one this time but with your donations you will help me vastly oh thank you V already for the donation because I really take it seriously oh can I make a program for the inner critic oh I would love that it does take a long time before it's published here on inside timer I know yeah but that's not your concern but yeah that's a good one I do have a series about it already so I have I think hey inner critic I'm trying to work but I don't oh yeah I can do that oh that's a good one but the inner critic is indeed is such a big subject and there are multiple roads that leave to that lead to Rome here one for improving motivation that's an interesting one because I do that in my daily job I'm working on that but what I found is is it indeed and I don't know you are Amy and I don't know your context but I'm just thinking is it indeed that you want to be motivated or is it an inner critic saying you are lazy that there's a different right there's a gray area but of course we always want to improve and be more motivated I know when I struggle so much with my inner demons I was less motivated because I was constantly in fight and flight mode and survival state that I couldn't be motivated so it's a big subject Amy thank you that's also interesting who I will also dive into that one yeah so that's food for more thought I will dive into that in more live events I have more coming up the inner critic will take a while I also do a lot about procrastination and release limiting beliefs but I believe if you struggle with an inner critic those might help as well so I hope to see you there yeah yeah yeah Steve but we do all have them right some of our when you grew up in in not in a dysfunctional home you actually they aren't that bad and you might have them a little bit but yeah if you grew up in a dysfunctional home they the inner critics might be terrible toxic yeah toxic how don't I know it yeah yeah Amy I would encourage you to to explore that one because I also struggle with you know what I shared before that I think I'm you know even when I should be resting I always should be efficient which has to do with I'm not good enough and I'm not deserving yeah indeed more people in the chat are like yes yes and everybody thanks for sharing in the chat by the way I do need to go however I really appreciate you all sharing sorry I have to keep it short today next time I will do a 45 minute event but I am someone who who doesn't make long practices because I couldn't focus for that long even though I'm an avid meditator I know for me practices between 12 minutes and 15 are perfect and that's why I don't make them that long if you really want a slow one I am NOT the person for you well it was lovely all seeing you here and the hearts and the donations thank you so much I hope to indeed see you next time once this event is finished you can see when I have another life and you can subscribe if you want to so enjoy all of your days for those good morning good afternoon good evening and namaste thank you yeah me too I like the 15 months yeah yeah and I don't want to go too heavy right yeah thanks thank you bye

Reviews

Awesome. Thanks so helpful. A great tool box. I'm imagining packing a tiny backpack, Harry Potter style, bottomless and weightless, and your support handing me exactly what I need in the moment. Thank you very much.