Have you ever experienced that “voice” in your head? Everyone has. Many have wondered; Whose voice is it and why does it seem to nag us with mostly negative suggestions? Let’s take a look into the human mind to discover the answer as it can dramatically change your life! Oh, I’m going to get a little neurosciencey on you, so be prepared, but I know you’ll be fascinated by what I’m sharing!

Consciousness

What “Consciousness” is has been debated for centuries and we still don’t have a definitive answer to this day. The simplest definition I’ve found is “Being aware that we are aware.” As an example, when you look into a mirror, you know it’s you. You recognize you and you know you are separate and distinct from every other person. This is due to the parts of our brain called the Fusiform Gyrus and the Insular Cortex. The Fusiform Gyrus is for facial, number, and letter recognition and the Insular Cortex tells you that you are you and not someone else. The Insular Cortex also attaches social emotions to faces and sensations within the body.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

According to Neuroscientists at MIT, ToM is the ability to “read” other people’s minds; it’s our ability to hold beliefs, and it’s the ability to consider such things as the vastness of the universe and God. ToM primarily involves the Right Temporal Parietal Junction (RTPJ), which develops around 8-years-old. This small region of the brain is located just above and behind our right ear. ToM also involves other important areas of our brain, such as Mirror (Predictive) Neurons, which are subdivided into three distinct areas; short-term, mid-term, and long-term. We learn to anticipate, or predict, what other people are going to do based on previous experiences. When we see a person raising their hand in a specific way, we predict they want permission to speak. When they raise it in a different way, we predict they are going to strike another person. The mid and long-term Mirror Neurons go much deeper. They predict and interpret thoughts, intentions, and behaviors in others; past, current, and future.

Mirror Neurons also cause us to mirror the feelings of others. When you see someone in a movie get shot by a bullet, pierced with a knife, or harmed in some other way, you find yourself holding onto the same body part where the person was harmed. When you watch a sporting event and someone falls down, gets hurt, or wins the event, you “feel” what they are feeling. Interestingly, the only thing keeping you from believing it actually happened to you is the Insular Cortex, it isolates you from thinking you are someone else and experiencing what they are experiencing.

That Voice in Your Head

This amazing tool we have between our ears is extremely complex, yet, we are beginning to understand it much better. That voice in your head is consciousness and part of being conscious is having Theory of Mind. You are conscious that you have beliefs. You are conscious of what you, and other people, are doing, saying, feeling, and thinking. You are conscious of the contemplation of God, the universe, and the human mind. Because we are conscious and we contemplate these things, we form beliefs. Beliefs are rules and generalizations for life we form based on what we are taught and have experienced. These beliefs create our thoughts and our thoughts create our behaviors.

Because these are our beliefs we have formed, this means we can control them. Most people, though, allow themselves to become victims of their beliefs and thoughts. Let me give you a few examples:

“People are always talking negatively behind my back”
“I might as well eat that piece chocolate cake, I’m already fat”
“I can never talk to my spouse about my feelings. They won’t understand, anyway”
“I’m so depressed. Life just isn’t worth living. I should kill myself. Everyone would be happier if I was gone”
“I know what I want to do is a sin, but it would feel so good. I really, really want to do it. It must be the Devil making me feel this way, because I know it’s wrong and I just can’t stop myself”
“I’m no good at my job. I try really hard, but I can’t get ahead. I might as well give up. I’m useless”

My point being is that what I have experienced working with thousands of people over the years is that the voice in our head are our own beliefs ruminating as thoughts. These thoughts literally feel like they are spinning inside us and they churn faster and faster if not kept in-check. It’s Theory of Mind out of control. And, because we are not taught that we can control our thoughts, we believe we are victims to them.

Recognizing that negative thoughts and emotions will insidiously take over when positive thoughts and emotions are absent is a huge step.  So, what can you do to help crowd out the negative emotions and replace them with positive, inspiring thoughts and emotions?

First, pay attention to what you pay attention to. Where attention goes, energy flows.  When you find yourself daydreaming, what is it that you find yourself thinking about?  You may find that you’re dwelling on thoughts that are self-sabotaging and limiting.  If you want to identify what you think about most, take the time to make a note on your phone’s calendar each time you catch yourself thinking about positive and negative things.  This will give you an idea of what your thought pattern is.

Next, when you wake up each morning, plant positive intentions in your mind for the day ahead.  You want to begin to live life intentionally and in the direction you want to go, instead of letting others lead you where they want.  Every time you do this, the pattern will be reinforced and become stronger.  And, what you will discover is that you start finding more joy in life, which means you’re headed in the right direction!

But, what if there are traumatic things that have happened to you in the past that continue to haunt your thoughts?  I’ll discuss that next.

Creating forward motion,

Dr. Edward Lewellen