Do you live with an active inner critic?

Does it hold you back and prevent you from enjoying life fully or maybe stop you trying new things?

Transforming your inner Critic using NLP

A couple of weeks ago I first wrote about your inner critic and how it can sometimes undermine  your self-care. This week I am going to share with you some tips that will enable you to make some changes that will really help you transform that voice.

So, firstly a re-cap, your inner critic is a part of you that is trying to help you. It’s job is likely about wanting to keep you safe or help you avoid something such as embarrassment or rejection. It has a positive intention and this intention may be out of date.

The suggestions I am about to make will reduce the power of the voice or change it in a way that makes it easier to feel okay about.

You may still need to do some more formal inner work if the inner critic is connected to unresolved issues. If this is the case the changes I am about to suggest may only last for a short time or not at all.

When you clear the underlying issue the inner critic will either naturally transform or will be open to the changes below.

Here are the tips.

  1. Thank your inner critic for it’s input, help and advice.
  2. Listen to the words and evaluate, is there genuinely something to pay attention to here or are the words just a sign of anxiety.
  3. Experiment with changing your inner critic’s tone. It is your brain, your inner voice so this is easy to do. See what happens if you change the voice into something you can no longer take seriously. For example make it sound like Micky Mouse or Scooby Do. Alternatively soften the tone, make it sound like a kindly advisor delivering the advice in a soft, non-judgemental way.
  4. Notice the location of your inner critic, what happens if you switch the location? Sometimes this on its own makes a big difference. For example, if your inner critic sounds like it is on the right, near the back of your head move it to the left and further forward. Sometimes you may need to do this change before step 3.

These small tips have made a difference to many of my clients however if you try them and they do not work for you I suggest you seek out an experienced NLP Practitioner who can help you using one of the following techniques, parts work, six step reframe, re-imprint, Core Transformation or the Wholeness Process.

Where possible choose someone who was recommended to you by someone you know and trust. You can also check to see if the person is a member of ANLP our NLP Professional body and also ask what level of training they have.

Please be aware that NLP Training does vary with some people attending very short courses. Be wary of working with anyone who has only had online training.

More next week, have a lovely day.

Melody Cheal MSc MAPP
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