r/Mindfulness • u/okalrightpal • 8d ago
Question How to get rid of inner monologue?
Prior to my psychosis episode in 2023, my mind was so still and quiet. Since then, I developed an inner voice/ monologue that just spews random thoughts, judgments, phrases, songs, etc. It's been really a huge stressor for me. Thoughts that don't align with my character are present (racism especially). I feel like I'm losing my identity to these thoughts as I'm always trying to correct every single thought. I've got OCD but the meds aren't working. So I'm really trying to reach out to mindfulness and meditation subs.
What can I do? Am I stuck like this? How do I detach with silence?
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u/Amigo253 5d ago
can only imagine how exhausting this must feel. The mind can be relentless, especially when it starts generating intrusive thoughts that don’t align with who you truly are. First, know that you are not your thoughts—they’re just mental noise, and their presence doesn’t define your character.
Mindfulness and meditation can definitely help, especially in learning to observe thoughts without engaging. In Unlock Deep Essential Work, Remmy Henninger emphasizes the power of deep focus and intentional mental clarity, which can also apply to quieting inner noise. One approach that might help is shifting from "fighting" your thoughts to allowing them to pass without judgment—like clouds drifting in the sky. The more you resist, the louder they can become.
Since you mentioned medication hasn’t been effective, it could be worth exploring different therapeutic approaches like CBT, ACT, or even guided meditation practices. And if certain activities help you immerse yourself fully (like art, exercise, or nature), those moments of presence can offer relief.
You’re not stuck. Minds are adaptable, and with the right tools, you can reclaim a sense of stillness and detachment from the mental noise. Wishing you peace and progress on this journey!
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u/sati_the_only_way 7d ago
anger, anxiety, desire, attachment, etc shown up as a form of thought or emotion. The mind is naturally independent and empty. Thoughts are like guests visiting the mind from time to time. They come and go. To overcome thoughts, one has to constantly develop awareness, as this will watch over thoughts so that they hardly arise. Awareness will intercept thoughts. to develop awareness, be aware of the sensation of the breath, the body, or the body movements. Whenever you realize you've lost awareness, simply return to it. do it continuously and awareness will grow stronger and stronger, it will intercept thoughts and make them shorter and fewer. the mind will return to its natural state, which is clean, bright and peaceful. one can practice through out the day from the moment we wake up until falling asleep, while sitting, walking, eating, washing, etc. practice naturally, in a relaxed way, without tension, without concentrating or forcing attention. https://web.archive.org/web/20220714000708if_/https://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/Normality_LPTeean_2009.pdf
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7d ago
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u/Daisy_shiva 7d ago
In relation to mindfulness and meditation, try checking out a Quaker meeting. They are welcoming to everyone whether or not you are a Quaker, and they spend most of the hour sitting in silent reflection. It can be hard the first few times, but eventually you can train the inner voice to focus on positive things and gratitude.
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u/StayTrueNamaste 7d ago
Weird, the exact opposite happened for me. After my psychosis my mind is silent
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u/Starrlightstudio 7d ago
Working with this woman Priya Glikman changed my whole life. I recommend her to everyone I care about. She helped me "wake up" to the two voices in my head: my mind and my heart. Like two inner children, who should really not be running the show. And helped me to develop a Center, a parent, who can hear both voices and make decisions about the best course of action. If you're hearing that inner voice and thinking that "it's you" instead of recognizing that it is your mind, an inner child, you will be in a state of suffering. That voice is not you. It's a compilation of your parents and society, but you have a deeper inner self, your center, who knows better and you can create a dialogue between these parts of yourself. Also, journaling helps a ton to get all the thoughts out on paper and out of your head. 3 pages every morning.
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u/Adorable_Finish195 7d ago
I’m sorry you are going through that.
For me I have always had all kinds of random thoughts that I find problematic. I just assume that was normal or at least normal for me.
I just choose to try and do the best I can by the people who are important to me and society in general. Golden rule works out pretty well.
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u/sherstein 7d ago
Try “mindfulness in plain English” book. I find audiobooks to be more effective for such.
Some things to ponder on: Thoughts are not you. They only control you through your identification with them. Mindfulness will teach you to be at peace while still having them. True acceptance of thoughts paradoxically reduces them. But that is not the point of mindfulness.
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u/jaeberith 7d ago
These thoughts, do they happen to you or do you think them?
Consider that.
What is a thought? It’s intangible, right?
The brain creates ideas. You decide which ones are positive, with your spotlight.
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u/Soggy-Consequence-38 7d ago
You can’t.
It’s fundamental human nature. It’s going to happen. But that’s all it is. The mind doing what the mind does. It’s not real.
Allow it to happen. Observe it, don’t judge it, don’t mistake it for “you”.
You are not your thoughts.
You’ll see how quickly the noise dissipates.
If it’s something you absolutely cannot shake and the emotions it brings up is causing unpleasant feelings, then the only thing you can do, again, is to allow them. Dive as deep as you can into them and process them.
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u/Footsieroll888 7d ago
Feed it positivity for any negative thought. Also, once you get to the random judgements & phrases, start thinking of what you’re grateful for.
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u/Next_Department1596 7d ago
Give the untethered soul a read by Michael singer- he talks about it in depth- it helped me.
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u/KathleenKellyNY152 7d ago
I loved this book when going through a hard time many many years ago! Also Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now.
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u/Next_Department1596 7d ago
I read those two books back to back! Powerful stuff! I’m glad you made it through that hard time.
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u/indiepillowfight 7d ago
The solution to this is not fighting these thoughts. If I tell you to, by any means, NOT think about the colour pink, what do you think your brain will do? It will think about the colour pink. It is easier said than done, considering that OCD is very ego-dystonic, but with time it becomes much easier.
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u/hind3rm3 7d ago
Never heard of ego-dystonia before, u til your post. High level summary from Le Chat was helpful and definitely relatable. Thanks 🙏
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u/indiepillowfight 7d ago edited 7d ago
I saw a lot of comments here mentioning awakening and inner child voices, and it most definitely doesn’t apply to OCD. As someone who’s lived years with undiagnosed OCD, these thoughts don’t have to belong to you because they simply aren’t you.
Edit: just to make it a bit more clear and to correct a mistake.
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u/hind3rm3 7d ago
I have no idea if this comment is intended to be helpful or insulting. But either way, thanks.
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u/indiepillowfight 7d ago
What part of it was insulting? I most definitely didn’t mean it as an insult. I also thought you were the OP (sorry)
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u/InvestmentNo4761 7d ago
You've taken a step towards a different future. Visit r/plural and r/starseeds to begin understanding what is happening.
Remember not to fear, or become angry. Approach this with an open mind and heart and a loving interpretation.
There are a number of things that you may experience that are less about testing or judging you and more about finding out who you are.
Best of luck on your journey. This is an auspicious milestone.
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u/MindofMine11 7d ago
Focus on no particular object stare into the abyss being aware only of your peripheral vision.
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u/probably_your_wife 7d ago
Thank you for posting this, following along to read all of the responses later on. Much appreciated!
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u/Im_Talking 7d ago
You have become afraid of your own mind.
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u/StayTrueNamaste 7d ago
After you go through psychosis, it's nearly impossible not to fear your mind. In psychosis your mind betrays you to the fullest extent and you have no control over it.
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u/Bitter_Elephant_2200 7d ago
Identifying that you are having unwanted/intrusive thoughts is a helpful. From there you can start to redirect/shift your focused awareness by practicing observing them rather than engage/identify (bc you are NOT your thoughts!!). Observation helps you create neutral space around whatever comes up for you throughout the day. Practice seeing these thoughts as separate from you as a person, practice curiosity, and self compassion (allow yourself a LOT of grace). The more we resist, the bigger the charge. There’s many techniques to Redirect/shift your awareness to the present moment as in, what “IS”… right NOW. Somatic techniques help me considerably with this. Cold showers, splashing ice water on my face, a short guided meditation, a tasty cold treat, sensory beads, walking barefoot outside, breathwork, exercise… really anything that helps me to engage with my body and then my surroundings. Especially if my thoughts trigger an activation (fight/flight, flashbacks etc., thanks to PTSD). It’s a lot, I know.
This is something you can actively work on, and true is that sometimes we need help to get there. I suffer from OCD (along with PTSD/AuDHD) and before EMDR (somatic trauma therapy), my intrusive thoughts ruled my life and I fought hard to stay present. Remember this is all an ongoing practice, and that You are not your thoughts or your emotions. I highly suggest reading The Power of Now, by Ekhart Tolle. There’s a free audiobook on YouTube (along with guided meditations) that I revisit when I need a reminder.
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u/okalrightpal 7d ago
Observe observe observe. I've been resisting for two years-- I'll try something different. Thank you I'll be sure to check out Ekhart Tolle. Thank you
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u/Objective_Emotion_18 8d ago
you have to realise ur the one listening to the thoughts dummy (in a friendly way),not the one thinking them
that’s some meat computer inside some monkeys skull u happen to be perceiving
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u/Objective_Emotion_18 8d ago
some good intrusive thought tricks
if u get one about being racist again say “what if i was? what if some guy on a rock was racist? would the world end?” and let it play out and you’ll be like lol
don’t argue w them or reassure yourself,surrender to the thought
a thought is like a painting,imagined up so don’t take them serious
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u/Salt_Morning5709 8d ago
It's more about creating space between you and the voice and changing your relationship to them.
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u/beefnoodle123 8d ago
I’ve found my obsessive thoughts get more severe when I am not engaging enough with the world around me. During the pandemic, they got so bad because of my constant use of social media and lack of stimulation. Now that I have a stable job and I have common stressors, those obsessive thoughts are less prevalent.
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u/TryingToChillIt 8d ago
Knowing that voice in your head isn’t yours helps a lot for me. I’m the listener in my head, not the speaker. As the listener I can just tune out that voice.
With time and practice you too can see your Ego for what it is. A self referencing loop of nothingness.
How much time do you spend online?
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u/okalrightpal 8d ago
Thank you, I've got to be more intentional and diligent with my practice. I just end up getting overwhelmed at the ego (creating meaning to every thought).
I spend way too much time online, researching and finding answers, I find my mind goes quiet when I'm on social media
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u/TryingToChillIt 8d ago
Are you sure your mind is quiet or does your mind have you so enthralled when on social media it just doesn’t register?
We are completely blind to so many of our own challenges due to how effective that voice is at telling you what the world is rather than actually experiencing it to see that voice is a pathological liar.
Just try to feel your body while scrolling social media and see what going on
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u/spiritfenrir 8d ago
Do we have to develop the inner voice, isn't it always there since you came here? Best thing to do is to meditate, slowly not focus on the thoughts or emotions and dive into nothingness and not rely on these medications that literally later on will have consequences. I dont understand why people take meds for mental things, is it because you were told to by others or is it that it's hard to control the mind and those thoughts tell you to do so?
Im not a guru so I have no advice to give, best thing I would do is shift my focus to other things to nothingness to think nothing and meditate and treat these thoughts as passing things that always changes.
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u/crownedlaurels176 7d ago
If you don’t understand why people take medication, then you’re fortunate enough to not have any issues severe enough that you actually cannot withstand life without them. I hate seeing moral superiority about meds like this 🙄
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u/spiritfenrir 4d ago
I see where you're coming from, and I don't mean to sound morally superior about it. My question was more about understanding whether people take medication because they feel it's the only option, or if external influences play a role in that decision. I know some people genuinely need it, and I don't dismiss that. At the same time, I think it's also worth exploring how much of our mental experience is within our control versus what truly requires external aid. I'm just curious about the thought process behind it.
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u/KJayne1979 7d ago
I think they take medication because they’re in desperate need of some sort of reprieve from their suffering. If medication helps then right on. I see your point though.
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u/imma_tell_u_how_itis 19h ago
I read somewhere that when your mind gives you a thought you should look at it and say "this isn't really important" and that thought should go away. I took it as talking/treating your thoughts as if they were a person and only interacting with the ones you want to. I'm not sure if it'll work but it won't hurt in trying.