The Voice of the Mind
This quote from the book The Untethered Soul: A Journey Beyond Yourself really struck me.
There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind – you are the one who hears it. – Michael A. Singer
The Voice of the Mind aka the inner critic aka the monkey mind. It has many names.
The feeling of stepping aside from this voice is amazing to me. Letting it chatter and do what it wants while you listen or observe or ignore it.
That's the act of putting the lawn chair on the side of the highway and letting the traffic flow.
This can be done with a meditation practice. One which incorporates the Dharma (spiritual teachings) of Buddhism, or one that focuses on a more secular nature.
But it can also be done anywhere. Try it now. Inside your head speak the word "trampoline". Stop reading and try it. Say it, sit with it for a minute and come back.
Trampoline.
You're back? Great. The voice in your head said that word, and you heard it.
Maybe the voice in your head spoke words or showed images, memories or other "mind movies" of things it associates with that word. You heard, watched, and observed that.
This is mindfulness, I think. Being aware that you are aware.
Long time listener, first time mindfulness-er
A couple years ago, when the now defunct racket (dot) com was a great and simple podcast tool, I recorded a couple podcast episodes. This is the first one I made, and I was reminded of it when thinking over the Vertical Breath again.
This represents one of the first times I ever experienced the realization that I was listening to the Voice of the Mind.
I can't figure out how to upload audio with the tool I am using to write this, so pardon it's absence.
Was today's experiment with the Trampoline one of the first times you realized you were listening to the Voice of the Mind? What do you think of the fact that you are not the Voice of your Mind?
I'm still working on this, especially when creating something or otherwise getting into "Flow". That state when you forget everything and are super focused.
I don't fully understand how or why the monkey mind is quieted by a creative act.
Today's Psychology, yesterdays ideas
Buddhists, Stoics, and others have been talking about mindfulness for thousands of years. Today's psychology is validating a lot of the old thinking.
From Positive Psychology (Positive Psychology is not toxic positivity, btw):
The prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as self-reflective consciousness, memory, temporal integration, and working memory. It’s an area that’s responsible for our conscious and explicit state of mind. However, in a state of flow, this area is believed to temporarily down-regulate in a process called transient hypofrontality. This temporary inactivation of the prefrontal area may trigger the feelings of distortion of time, loss of self-consciousness, and loss of inner critic. Moreover, the inhibition of the prefrontal lobe may enable the implicit mind to take over, allowing more brain areas to communicate freely and engage in a creative process (Dietrich, 2004). In other research, it’s been hypothesized that the flow state is related to the brain’s dopamine reward circuitry since curiosity is highly amplified during flow (Gruber, Gelman, & Ranganath, 2014).
I've heard this 'other part' of the brain referred to as the default mode network.
From Psychology Today:
The default mode network (DMN) is a system of connected brain areas that show increased activity when a person is not focused on what is happening around them. The DMN is especially active, research shows, when one engages in introspective activities such as daydreaming, contemplating the past or the future, or thinking about the perspective of another person. Unfettered daydreaming can often lead to creativity. The default mode network is also active when a person is awake. However, in a resting state, when a person is not engaged in any demanding, externally oriented mental task, the mind shifts into “default.”
Fascinating. Does this resonate with you?
Thanks for reading, it's time to go think about trampolines.