Inner Critic
“It’s like a big stick that I hit myself with from the inside. Really, would I want anyone I love to do that to themselves? Certainly not! And, I’ve made a commitment to support my kids and myself in putting that stick down. For good. The other day…the part of me that is Unconditional Love stood up, turned towards the Critic, and embraced it. In that moment of love and connection, the critic dissolved. Now I make it a practice to embrace the Critic, over and over again. I am learning that whatever has a hold on me, that which we most want to turn away from, is exactly what needs undivided, loving attention.” — Jennifer Mayfield
This quote is the opening of Dr. Laura Markham’s latest blog post, 5 Strategies to Tame the Inner Critic, on her website, Aha! Parenting.com.
One of the features of our inner critic is that it can operate and send messages at the subconscious level. It often runs on a continuous loop in the form of background noise in our minds, and can insidiously damage our psyches and self esteem.
A powerful (and easy and relaxing) way to address this inner critic is through hypnosis. My wonderful hypnotherapy instructor, Barbara Locascio Aquilino shared with us a systematic way to use self-compassion to identify negative self-talk, observe how it affects mind, body, and spirit, heal the damage, and prevent future negativity.
If you would like to explore ways to address your inner critic, please contact me, Susanna Rains Moriarty, at 706-425-8900 ext 709 or [email protected]
