Destroying Auditory Representations

Often it is not only inner images that disturb us, but also much more stubborn, inner voices. These may be voices from critical conversations we have had, which may have been embarrassing or unpleasant, and now we are constantly hearing a certain sentence in our minds and resenting ourselves for allowing such impudence or having to hear it. But it could also be an inner voice that we have been carrying with us for years, telling us, "Hey, you idiot, you’ll never succeed!" or is sabotaging us in other ways. The following exercises are designed to disempower such inner voices. Just try out the exercises on yourself and watch how your feelings change.

Distorting voices

Listen to the voice for a moment. Then imagine Mickey Mouse talking to you and hearing the same words, but with a Mickey Mouse voice.

Increase speed

Listen to the original voice and then just replay it faster, maybe as fast as erasing a tape or recording over an audio file.

Decreasing speed

This time let the voice slow down. Slower and slower until the voice is grinds down.

Singing songs

Now choose a funny or ridiculous melody, like. "Row Your Boat" or "Oh Susanna" or something similar and sing the words in your mind to this tune. Sing lively for a few minutes and move around. No inner voice can resist that. It loses its negative emotional power.

Changing voice

Now imagine that the voice would still say the same thing, but for example, in a really sexy voice.

Changing location

Change the location of the voice. Listen to the voice. Where is it coming from? From inside your head or from outside, from the front or from behind, from below or from above. Now just move the voice to another place. Try some variations.