Meditation to quieten the inner gossip - How to switch off mental chatter

Something I come across over and over again in my practice as a Holistic Therapist are the two main culprits of ‘dis-ease’ in a human. They are mental unquiet, and lack of sleep.
The two are related of course.
Without mental peace we can rarely enjoy deep, rejuvenating sleep. It’s really that simple. So how do you go about switching off the chatter when you’ve simply tried everything? Well have you tried everything?

See, the common problem with the personality that suffers with internal chatter is that they are compulsive analysers, and inherently feel that they are responsible for everything, even their own internal monologue reinforces their obligation to ‘everything’. This merry-go-round of responsibility sometimes leads to a sense of not wanting to burden anyone with their problems, and so they slip into a state of perpetually showing those around them a very convincing façade, that only slips during the moments of complete ‘cave in’, when their frustrations have piled so high they are unable to keep back the waves of emotion that really, really, really need to crash onto a shore!

You may have a friend like this, who after finally speaking to you about some deep problem (that only needed to be aired to be defused) sighs and clasps their chest saying, ‘Oh I’m so glad I got that out! I’ve been stewing on that for months! Thankyou for listening to me…’. This person is someone who is continually suffering from mental chatter. They will often appear tired all the time, yet have a confoundingly agile brain and be quite academically prudent. This is usually because the very act of researching or studying, being intimately connected to (and to an extent controlled by) a task that has a defined outcome, is a kind of bliss for them. It distracts from the internal mind game for hours at a time and provides relief from the never ending analysing and interrogation.

The outlet for most of us confronted by a phase or bout of mental-merry-go-round, is to seek out our confidant and ‘spill it’. We verbalise our questions, misgivings, ideas and approaches to the problems or situations we are encountering. This open process is extremely healthy, if only to make us feel better, let alone actually discovering that the mountainous problem is really as small as a tussock of grass we could kick over with our left foot.

Yet the person who suffers with the Internal Gossip has the situation where this duality of personality is telling them to keep the ‘secrets’ to themselves. They have an internal dialogue with a very picky ‘friend’ who is always reassuring them that they know best, or that they ought not to burden others with their own stupid worries. The challenge for this kind of person is to take charge of this unwelcome intruder in their mind and set them straight. It would involve them standing up to a part of themselves that they have grown to trust, listen to, and confide in totally. Losing this kind of relationship with your internal self feels like abandonment, but it is the only definitive way to creating a healthy mindset. And it will take time too. It can’t happen quickly because the person has most likely spent years if not their whole lifetime creating this relationship!

Support for your emotions during a time like this is paramount, and you can try several subtle therapies to do this.

A directed meditation of some kind like Yoga Nidra or a Visualisation recording, where you are directed to relax specific areas of the body at specific times (a little distraction method here…), or to imagine specific situations and places at specific times. This ‘teaches’ you to take direction from another source, the pseudo-friend of your meditation instructor, be it a person or a recorded voice.

Walking. Simply the best kind of therapy available. Walking outside in ‘nature’ offers you a chance to be consciously with your internal gossip, in a free and uninhibited space. This internal dialogue is now unable to keep your interest for long because you have other stimuli vying for your attention. There are trees and sky and cloud. Birds flying, or streets to navigate. These things are therapeutic distraction.
‘Earthwalking’ is a kind of therapy that involves tracing your steps in a pattern that repeats until you have come to a state of Peace within. The figure eight, the Infinity Symbol, is a simple and powerful first pattern to attempt this kind of meditation with, and is soothing in shape and participation as well.

Flower Essence Remedies are common the world over, and if you haven’t tried them yet then this may be as good a time as any to investigate their subtle and supportive help. Bach Flower Remedies include the essence of White Chestnut, which is specifically for defusing this internal dialogue situation. Paired with the essence of Star of Bethlehem flower, which provides comfort, these two can lead to the kind of support you will benefit from during the process of dismantling your Internal Gossip. You may also like to ask for the essence of Impatiens, to stop jitters and racing speech, as an extra ‘back-up’ support in the blend.

Aromatherapy - using some heavy duty ‘grounding’ oils from roots and sap. Something like Vetiver, Patchouli, Rosewood and Cedarwood, can instantly calm and send the energy downwards to connect with the Base or Root Chakra. This reconnection to the Root Chakra can defuse the energy surge to the Crown Chakra, where all this mental internalisation is going on. Take the energy away from the area and redirect it. Simple.

The biggest step for anyone who is a chronic analyser is to accept that they are being manipulated by themselves. Some analysers have learnt to speak to their Internal Gossip succinctly and ask that the real issue be presented now, and not to have all the endless talking carried on. They ask that the issue that is behind this situation be revealed quickly without the need for all the extra avenues to be investigated. People like this have found a way to exist with their thought processes in a private and healthy way. If this is not where you can manage to get to though, you will benefit from seeking counselling and accepting help with your internal mental struggle. A new and brighter future filled with a deep internal peace awaits you, so please make the effort to give yourself a break, and use some supportive therapies along the way so you are not having to do this ‘all on your own’.

Jannette is a Holistic Therapist who operates her own consultancy in
Brisbane, Australia. She offers various treatments to encourage optimum energy
flow in mind, body and spirit, involving Meditation Techniques, Bach Flower
Remedies and Reiki. She is also a qualified Holistic Feng Shui consultant with
interests in Aromatherapy, Sound Therapy and Crystal Therapy. You can contact
Jannette by email at jthtc@yahoo.com.au