Support for anyone witha mental disorder
Support for anyone with"To be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious of our own existence."
To normal people the inner voice is their conscience keeping them on the right track.
To people in depression the inner voice is a critic pointing out every flaw.
To people in hypomania the inner voice is actually many voices speaking rapidly and at the same time, each with a new plan or design.
To people in mania the inner voice has even more voices, some fighting over who has the best plan or design others are singing praises to their host, either because of his grandiose qualities or of his evil qualities.
To people with psychotic overtures the inner voices are everywhere, they have personalities of their own.
"Most of us worry there's something wrong with us when we begin talking out loud to ourselves. But talking to yourself is normal, says research psychologist Eric Klinger. Most people talk to themselves at least once every day. Even when we're not talking out loud, we're still talking to ourselves, mentally.
Our inner voice is quiet less than 25% of the time. Hearing a snatch of music makes us wonder. What was the name of that song? Thinking about work may trigger the thought. I've got to ask for a raise. Almost everything that happens around us triggers a chain of thoughts, and those thoughts trigger still other thoughts. With this constant mental monologue going on, it's hardly surprising that some 'leaks through' from time to time, and we unwittingly find ourselves verbalizing our inner thoughts."
SOURCE: Klinger, Daydreaming.
For the depressed, you have to criticize the critic and replace it with positive thinking.
For those with more than one voice you have to focus on each inner voice until you find the one that is most logical and then stay focused on that advise long enough to follow through. Easier said than done for a bipolar but remember your conscious mind is the one in charge and the other voices are only offering ideas or dreams. When you feel overwhelmed by too many voices you have to get control back, try yelling "STOP!" to yourself or try counting backwards from the present year, carefully only remembering a few seconds from that year then going to the previous year. Do not worry about accuracy, this is only used to focus all your inner voices on one thing. Once you have gained control keep it by saying to your self I am in complete control of my life and I am taking charge of my life to improve it.
In order to break out of an obsession, or to get all your inner voices working together, try using your imagination to create something in your mind, something that you like, see it being developed to the finest detail, the colour, the texture, the feel. A little break in a fantasy world will lessen the stress and allow you to think more clearly.
