while i was in ga this thanksgiving, i watched an episode (or 3 or 5) of criminal minds.
one of the episodes was about a guy who took a train hostage because the voices in his head had him convinced that the fbi was after him.
they pictured the voice he was hearing as a guy who stood over his shoulder, reinterpreting everything anyone said.
no matter who it was or what they were saying, the voice convinced this guy that they were lying, they didn't mean what they said, they were all in on it, etc.
i know that this is a serious problem (hearing voices) that some people face. but i can't stop thinking about it.
don't we all have voices in our heads? no, i don't mean that we're all crazy or anything, but think about it. everyday, in every interaction with others, don't you have a voice in your head interpreting everything, telling you what to think or how to view it? a running dialogue in your head?
maybe it's just me. but i don't think it is.
the 'voices' may only be my mental 'me'....the 'me' that stays inside my head, that no one else really gets to hear or see. but it's there.
and just like in the show, the voice is harmful. the poor guy on the show couldn't see anything for what it really was or believe what anyone was saying because his inner voice was convincing him of things that aren't true. in real life, the voices we hear in our heads keep us from truly living with those around us -- our friends and our families included. the voices keep us from trusting others. they keep us from being honest with them -- and often, even with ourselves.
the voices are convincing us of so many things: that person meant something else other than what they said, their actions are only pretend, you're not loved, they will use whatever you tell them against you, you can't trust them, no one really cares, you're not good at that job, no one really wants you around, you're not good enough, and on and on.
the voices hurt us. and even though no one else can hear your voices, they hurt others as well.
and so i'm wondering....why are we listening?
why are we letting the voices tell us what to think or what to believe?
there's really only one voice we should be listening to.
it's often small.
and quiet.
but it's always there.
waiting for you (and me) to listen to it.
to be our inner dialogue.
to tell us the truth.
there are a lot of voices running around our heads, making themselves known.
which one are you listening to?
one of the episodes was about a guy who took a train hostage because the voices in his head had him convinced that the fbi was after him.
they pictured the voice he was hearing as a guy who stood over his shoulder, reinterpreting everything anyone said.
no matter who it was or what they were saying, the voice convinced this guy that they were lying, they didn't mean what they said, they were all in on it, etc.
i know that this is a serious problem (hearing voices) that some people face. but i can't stop thinking about it.
don't we all have voices in our heads? no, i don't mean that we're all crazy or anything, but think about it. everyday, in every interaction with others, don't you have a voice in your head interpreting everything, telling you what to think or how to view it? a running dialogue in your head?
maybe it's just me. but i don't think it is.
the 'voices' may only be my mental 'me'....the 'me' that stays inside my head, that no one else really gets to hear or see. but it's there.
and just like in the show, the voice is harmful. the poor guy on the show couldn't see anything for what it really was or believe what anyone was saying because his inner voice was convincing him of things that aren't true. in real life, the voices we hear in our heads keep us from truly living with those around us -- our friends and our families included. the voices keep us from trusting others. they keep us from being honest with them -- and often, even with ourselves.
the voices are convincing us of so many things: that person meant something else other than what they said, their actions are only pretend, you're not loved, they will use whatever you tell them against you, you can't trust them, no one really cares, you're not good at that job, no one really wants you around, you're not good enough, and on and on.
the voices hurt us. and even though no one else can hear your voices, they hurt others as well.
and so i'm wondering....why are we listening?
why are we letting the voices tell us what to think or what to believe?
there's really only one voice we should be listening to.
it's often small.
and quiet.
but it's always there.
waiting for you (and me) to listen to it.
to be our inner dialogue.
to tell us the truth.
there are a lot of voices running around our heads, making themselves known.
which one are you listening to?
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