How to stop the internal dialogue in your head: exercises

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?”

Strengthening mental health and increasing speed of thinking

Without noticing to themselves, people speak their thoughts inside. It turns out to be double work for the psyche: I think - I put it into words. The ability to stop the thought process helps relieve excess stress and instills the skill of increasing productivity (thinking quickly). It's like speed reading training.

When we read, we involuntarily pronounce to ourselves every word we see. Reading speed increases significantly if you stop this inhibiting habit of “doubling.” As a result, you will master a thick book in a couple of hours, instead of spending a week diligently reading the old fashioned way. Mental energy is distributed optimally, avoiding overload. A lot of space and time is freed up for processing and developing the most productive thoughts.

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, that 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.

Empty mind

We often encounter the idea of ​​silent thought in various paradigms of knowledge, which are still little known in the West.
Every day we catch ourselves thinking - literally. I don’t mean rational thinking, but ordinary thinking, beyond the control of reason. Mentally, we never stop talking to ourselves - this is what don Juan calls “internal dialogue” and the refusal of which is the central idea of ​​his teaching.

Since this internal dialogue never stops, we believe that there is nothing more natural and necessary, we - albeit unconsciously - have no doubt that the cessation of this dialogue can only occur after death, that there is no absolutely empty, “silent” consciousness and can't be. This confidence is confirmed by the failure of individual attempts to stop this flow, to “close the brain.” The fact is that emptying consciousness requires the use of special methods, which also need to be continuously practiced.

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.

Indian Walking (35)

Indian chain walking is practically no different from the above-mentioned exercise, except that several people take part in this exercise. Its name comes - as you might guess - from those who really know a lot about both walking and concentration - from the natives of America. Personally, I learned to “walk” from them, which is why this exercise remains one of my favorites: not only because during it you can share your magical sensations with others, but also because it connects and strengthens energy and attention of the participants. And this increases its effect many times over, since we are not talking about a simple addition of effort, but about a new organic phenomenon.

Indian walking is usually practiced in areas that are sparsely populated and unknown to the participants, since the unknown heightens sensitivity.

There are radical differences in the understanding of the process of walking among the aborigines and representatives of modern Western civilization.

Modern people distinguish two main elements in any walk - the beginning and the end. For them, it doesn’t matter what happens during the process of movement, it doesn’t matter whether to walk or drive a car - the main thing is to achieve the goal, and the sooner the better. Walking (and any other movement) for them is only a means to achieve a goal - that’s why they are so nervous on the road, trying to quickly arrive where they are going. (However, the opposite situation may also arise, when one becomes sorry for what is left behind.) Thus, for many modern people, fixing one’s position in space, that is, determining one’s “here and now,” is a serious problem.

This is why many people are so tired of walking “Western style,” the meaning of which is only moving from one point to another; that's why we want it to end as soon as possible. It is clear that you get tired from such movement, because too much energy is spent not on movement, but in vain, due to nervous tension - too much attention is spent on our thoughts, and not on the surrounding reality, not on the movement of the body. By the way, walking “without attention” is not just tiring, it can be dangerous. That's why many people are so afraid to walk in unfamiliar areas, or at night, or even just walk.

In addition, when we walk, we usually think about what is left behind (in the past) or what awaits us ahead (in the future), and at the same time we do not want to be in the present, in the reality around us.

The Indians, the aborigines of America, long ago understood what it was to walk and how it should be done. They know that they need to walk in such a way as to enjoy the process of walking, enjoying the movement itself.

When an Indian walks somewhere, he knows that no matter how long the walk, it consists of separate steps. Every moment the Indian feels localized in a given moment and at a given point in space - here and now; Indians hardly care what the future holds for them (unless they are developing some specific plan). That is why a walking Indian never looks ahead, for example, at the top of the mountain he is climbing, but looks at his feet.

If they think the area is beautiful, they stop and enjoy the scenery and then continue on their way. When they go, they only go, here and now, not earlier and not later.

This is what distinguishes Indian chain walking. Let us list its main elements:

1. You need to choose a "pathfinder", a person who knows where to go, or at least is ready to take on the responsibility of leading a group moving through unfamiliar terrain.

2. The most important thing is to move in a chain one at a time, trailing behind the leader.

3. Participants must keep a certain distance from each other. An arm's length distance is sufficient - but it is important that the distance remains the same throughout the exercise, regardless of the terrain.

4. Don't look around, look straight at your feet. There's no need to look back when you're being led by a ranger. And in general, vision is not the most important thing here - what is more important is the perception of what is happening with your whole being, your whole body.

5. You need to find a rhythm of movement - maybe take the rhythm of breathing or gait as a basis. For rhythm to be useful, all participants must obey it.

6. Don’t think about the end point of the hike - don’t glance ahead to see “how much is left.”

7. This exercise requires at least two participants.

Commentary on technology

The most important requirement for this exercise is to maintain a sense of unity, allowing all participants to experience the interweaving of everyone's attention and energy. To do this, you need to remember two things: first, you need to constantly keep a distance between yourself and the one walking in front, and second, you cannot stray from the general rhythm. As soon as someone loses distance, loses their rhythm, or is simply distracted, the “chain” breaks, and the rest of the group will not be able to benefit from the benefits of this exercise.

Note: You can take part in the intensive training “The Power of Intention: Leap into the Other Self”, where you can perform this technique under the guidance of an experienced master trainer.

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.

My experience

My dialogue with myself in its negative manifestation makes itself felt in the evening (when I go to bed) after a busy day at work or after a hard day. It happens: you want to fall asleep, but there is a swarm of thoughts in your head. What do I do in this case? I give the desired direction to my thoughts. Sometimes I fantasize about something from the opera “if everything were possible” (occasionally it’s good to relax like that), but more often I imagine something positive and quite real.

For example, I think about an event I’m expecting or review global goals (visualize, remember what I’ve already done and what I’ll do next, how easily I can do it), etc. And in such a positive atmosphere, without noticing it, I fall asleep. And, by the way, after such a mood, dreams are more pleasant than after lights out under a swarm of incoherent thoughts.

I manage my self-talk at any other time in the same way.

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.

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.

Power Walk (39)

This type of walking of attention should be practiced only in a state of “inner silence.” It leads to the manifestation of the nagual in the practitioner: in the beginner - to some extent, in the adept - to the fullest. The main thing here is training and having a certain amount of energy. This exercise, when added to the perception (awareness) of the “second self,” can lead to amazing results. Therefore, such a “simple” verification exercise turns out to be not so simple.

The “Walk of Power” can be generally defined as moving with great speed, with extraordinary energy, without prior study of the terrain, relying not on the usual five senses (at least in the usual sense of the word), but on something else that can guide you even in complete darkness. In some ways, it is reminiscent of running, especially jogging. The terrain can be anything, but preference is given to rough terrain, with an abundance of rocks and stones, steep slopes, or movement occurs at night; in general, it must be a place difficult to pass even during the day.

This is not a simple exercise, and by no means a sports one. Not everyone is able to perform it; it is not enough to know its principles well. There is something magical about how quickly the body can move in the absence of an active intellectual center. Of course, a person who practices the “Power Walk” must have extraordinary abilities and reserves of energy, but nevertheless, I included this exercise in this book because it is addressed to a variety of readers.

The “Gait of Power” is given only after mastering other, easier types of “gait of attention,” but there are a number of other exercises that allow us to understand how close we are to the desired level. They can tell us when we are ready to do this exercise.

In the “gait of Power” the hidden capabilities of the body are realized; in principle, every person is capable of performing this exercise, or rather, our bodies are capable of this. However, most people live their lives listening primarily to the voice of their ego (inner dialogue) and “forget” what their bodies are capable of, so they find it impossible to run. But there are cases, for example, in mortal danger or in emergency situations, when ordinary people temporarily acquire the ability, without thinking about the impending danger, to rush at night over rough terrain, balance on the edge of an abyss, and thereby often save their lives. Moreover, before they could not even think about anything like this, not to mention training. When this happens and the body takes control, people often talk about a “miracle” or “Divine intervention.”

Thus, when starting systematic training, do not forget about the “gait of Power”. Once the body is awakened and ready for the Power Walk, all other preparatory exercises can be discarded. From this moment on, the body takes power into its own hands, leaving behind the mind and ego with their desires and explanations. — they are simply excluded from participation. Here's what it might look like:

1. Start by walking on level ground in daylight. Raise your knees as high as possible until you feel that you can do this without much difficulty. You need to find a state intermediate between tension and relaxation. The muscles gradually warm up, reaching a point of “tension”, after which they can no longer relax so easily. If you encounter an obstacle on your way, your muscles will prevent your body from getting hurt or suffering other damage (for example, a dislocation or fracture). You will find yourself in a specific state that can be called “relaxed tension” - all your senses are heightened, you are eager to fight, and at the same time you feel extraordinary calm and composure. This stage of the exercise should last at least an hour.

2. After mastering the first stage, you can complicate the task and move to more rugged terrain - into a rocky valley or the bed of a dry river. Gradually increase the speed - it is very important to feel natural here and stop fearing injury. You will see that your legs are so flexible that they themselves adapt to uneven terrain and obstacles in the form of rocks, fallen tree trunks, and so on. Gradually try to feel the terrain with your whole body, and not just with your eyes - try to gradually take your eyes off the ground under your feet. Try looking at your feet first, just slightly forward, and without focusing your gaze on the ground. Usually when we walk, the decision about where to place our foot next is made jointly by vision/brain/consciousness. In the “walk of the Force”, the decision is made on the basis of the body/world connection, or, to be more precise, the energy inside/energy outside.

Once you are able to move at high speed, just glancing over the surface of the earth in front of you, maintaining an even rhythm of movement and breathing, without getting tired, without falling or getting injured, you can move on to the next stage.

3. At this stage, you should move on to exercises on a slope - first gentle, then steeper. Ideally, you should aim for a fairly steep mountain slope. (By the way, after this you will be able to move even faster on flat terrain.) Just don’t forget - you can’t get to this in one day, you need long-term constant exercises. The duration of the preparatory period depends on the abilities of each individual person. But if you reach the stage at which you find yourself capable of “walking the Force,” then nothing will be impossible for you, vast horizons will open up before you. Remember, it is important not to overdo it on the mountainside: if you lose rhythm or balance, speed will do nothing - you will again find yourself in the shackles of ordinary perception and may even get injured.

4. Having mastered the above exercises, you can begin to complicate them, increasing the speed while maintaining the rhythm. Only in this case you need to focus on the steepest slopes possible.

If you have achieved perfection in the first four exercises, you can begin the exercises in the dark.

5. Start exercising at sunset or under the light of the full moon. The full moon is especially preferred because its light makes it easier to both move and achieve a state of left-handed awareness. When you achieve perfection in these conditions, begin the exercises in complete darkness, in an area unknown to you. True, you will find that you - or rather, your ego - do not really like such an exercise. But the body is able to move with supernatural efficiency, due to the fact that it is in a more direct connection with the outside world than the consciousness.

Commentary on technology

I will note from the very beginning that since internal dialogue is incompatible with the “gait of the Force,” this dialogue begins to gradually subside with training. The “Power Walk” takes so much energy from the body that there is simply no strength left for internal dialogue. Thanks to this, walking technique is improved. On the contrary, if consciousness prevails, then the “gait of the Force” turns into ordinary jogging.

At my seminars, I teach you to listen specifically to the messages of the body, not the mind, to feelings, not ideas. These messages are part of our rightful heritage, but we too often forget them and pay little heed to them. I do not force any of the participants to do anything beyond their capabilities. Imagine that a group of participants must go down a steep slope, and one or two are unable to move along as well as everyone else. I never force them to take part in training, especially since their condition is easily determined by interruptions in breathing and loss of balance. For such participants, it is better to temporarily reduce the speed to restore rhythm and balance.

So, the exercise “power walk” leads to the cessation of internal dialogue, opens us to new sides of reality and our own “I”. Achieving a state of “inner silence” through physical activity, gaining the subtlest contact with the world allows you to awaken new states of consciousness, to realize your other “I”.

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.