I’m at the point now where I’m thinking my inner-critic is more of a feeling and also have seen psychosomatic symptoms like getting sweaty right at the time it’s time to get hard. I’m concerned this “feeling” of 1st, impending doom, and then a sweaty nervousness is well ingrained and will take much work to resolve. Seems like if it were a voice I could quell it easier but since it’s more of a feeling I think I may need to rewire the entire OS itself. Any thoughts?
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Impressive observational skills and handle on how your critic manifests!
I’m one of the Mojo staff members, but I’m replying because I’m super interested in this topic and I also have a non-verbal critic (and other parts of me).
For me at least, this can make “dialoguing” with my critic like wading through treacle if I have to translate everything into a verbal conversation. And sometimes the verbal translation doesn’t feel quite right, which frustrates me.
So what works better is to accept that this is the way my mind communicates with me (at least right now). And work with it that way. My critic manifests in images, sensations, atmosphere, a shift in my perceptions, etc. So I spend time with those things. Tune into them. Use my imagination to present a sensation or image or whatever back to it. Or ask questions in words but accept answers in all sorts of formats.
One day, your critic might communicate in different ways with you. When you “spend time” with it and notice it, you build new neural pathways and increase that part of your brain’s access to other resources and other information. So it’s definitely possible it could change the way it communicates. But I don’t think you need to rewire your whole OS to make progress (but I love the phrase rewire your OS!) You should celebrate who you are. You might be more of an intuitive personality type than a sensing personality type, and that can come with a lot of unique strengths and abilities.
I’m sorry the doom and psychosomatic sensations are so pervasive sometimes. I really think you’re on the road to understanding them and transforming your inner experience. If you can pay attention to them and offer them something that fits their style (maybe imagining a small sensation of hope opening like a door, or embracing the doom sensation in a hug to show it you’ve “got it” for now) you might learn ways to make contact and learn more about it.
Does anything happen if you tune into the critic feeling and sensations and just spend some time with it? Just tell it or show it you’re paying attention to it now?
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Thanks so much for the reply and suggestions!
Haven’t had much dialogue with the inner critic but once had success with “changing the tone” of its voice. Once stared myself down in the mirror and repeated affirmations about my studliness. Worked like a charm that night. I’m big into esoteric psychology and and “alchemizing” these negative thoughts into positive ones really resonates with me.
Have also had unexpected marathon sessions where I was lost in a deep state of flow, even had an out-of-body experience. This all leads me to believe it’s ALL in my head (which of course then informs the body) and that with the right approach I can ease or even be rid of this.
I’m able to maintain a very encouraging and positive dialogue all day, right up to the point of “go time” but the body has always responded with fear and anxiety. So frustrating!
Last session was so bad even the little blue pill couldn’t help. 
. But she was a new one and we didn’t even know each other so that didn’t help at all. I’m a “thinking man” by nature and also a musician which means I tend to romanticize things a bit much. I definitely do much better when there is an emotional connection or some kind of history together.
Breathing and meditating definitely helps to put me in a place of peace. Just working hard for it all to come together for me. Any tips and info on how to address the physical symptoms would be much obliged!
Also, I fully except the fact that I have a neurotic personality and suffer from some form of general anxiety so there’s that…
Same thing, no voice just a fealing for me it was helpful just to give it shape and try to feel it (it usually go away quite fast). I don’t really know would be easier if it have a voice - than would need to talk and think to much this way i will beat it to submission.