Today I learned that not everyone has an internal monologue

The difference from person to person is in the quantity of internal voice and the suffering it cause. For those who're more aware of their own internal thought, and realize that the thought might not be correct, the dreadful internal thought will attenuate a lot. For example, when one is aware of the suicidal thought and question why such a thought arises, will soon realize the suicidal thought will have less and less power to trouble the mind. After a time, the suicidal thought gets lazy and wouldn't even come to the mind since the person does not response to it's push. This is how Vippasana, the mindfulness meditation, free one from dreadful thought, by simply being aware without reacting since the thoughts come like wave and then recede to another thought. After being mindful for some time, dreadful thought will be considerably reduced.

It’s weirder to me thinking that most people go around having internal verbal conversations with themselves. Words were only created to express yourself to others. Why in the hell would anyone need them to communicate with themselves? It has nothing to do with not being able to think. Maybe the people who don’t need to use actual words in their minds think on a higher level and need to dumb their thoughts down with words to communicate with others?

yes my internal voice hates my guts and wants me dead. it's not me, it's some creepazoid freak who hates me

also i see how everyone around me is possessed, they are all reading my mind and psychic and totally hostile, like freakishly hostile. as far as I can tell most of the human race is possessed, except for Christians. some of the people who are just active all the time, too busy to think, doesn't really matter for them, but anyone who relaxes and has time to think, gets possessed, all their thoughts are the devil's thoughts because they only ever hear possessed people singing songs, or on talk radio shows, or on TV.

everytime you listen to music or watch tv you're listening to people possessed by satan and thus the demonic possession is spread via mass com technology.

most people you talk to on internet are possessed, obviously.

transfer of consciousness, man. that's why you wanna fuck all the time. you wanna expand yourself, conquer reality with your consciousness. only they don't need to fuck to do it. when they possess you, they've done stolen your souls, implanted their consciousness. you are now them and you don't even know it. the demon has your memories.

It can go bad in some people. The voices go non stop and say horrible things.

I hate it when I get some song stuck in my head. Especially after a night on the piss. Sometimes all the next day it's stuck in there and I end up hating the song. Music is mostly rubbish. I have no idea how people can listen to the same shit for decades. I think they might be retarded.

yes thinking to yourself is talking to yourself. it is insanity, you start to imagine you are talking to another person, and this person becomes 'God'. you start role playing as God in your head, to yourself. i mean, if you can be anyone to yourself who you gonna be? why not be God?

same as sexual fantasy, if you gonna have sex with anyone who's it gonna be? a big fat pig? or a super model?

Keep telling yourself that, Corky.

Very interesting topic OP. I appreciate this concept because it explains a lot about some people I know.

The trick with meditation is not just to empty your mind but to use the resulting breathing space to re-organize it. It’s kind of like auto mechanics if done right. You get in there and tinker around at a deeper level, reprogramming habitual thought patterns. But you need a plan or else you can screw up the engine even worse, or just end up staring at it like “ok now what?”

Study classical Abhidharma and then Yogacara styles. Take a year or two to master each system by reading the classics and re-programming. If you need to hit the basic stuff first do that; don’t hurry.

Good grief, everyone has thoughts. I think this must come down to people being unable to describe how they manifest. Sometimes I think and a sort of internal voice but I often visualize, as well. If I'm thinking about something I'm going to do, like paint and guild a piece of furniture, I'm definitely visualizing all of the steps. If I'm think of an abstract concept it's internal "words" but not written out or hearing my voice in my head. I'm just THINKING. Certainly, if something is thinking about cleaning the garage they're thinking the WORDS or CONCEPT of "I need to clean the garage" and then might visualize something like where they're going to build a shelf or remove junk or whatnot, right? IOW, thoughts would be unspoken words and images.

How can you write sentences without thinking the words as you write/type?

Can you count to potato?

I do and often wish I didn’t

I love you.

Are you Miss Bunny Swan's boyfriend?

I studied Buddhist and zen meditation, but i could never practice it well.

It was too boring to chain my nose to a wall for even an hour, let alone 30 years.

I chose a more dynamic practice.

I acknowledged the same general principles of meditation, but chose to practice it fluidly, while working and doing other things.

It was really just a matter of watching thoughts and feelings come and go, using them as I needed, and passing on to other thoughts like breath and internal feeling.

If I walked over steep or difficult terrain, I resorted to Tai Chi, instinctively, without having made an elaborate study of the forms and motions.

You could say, I used my mind or attention to scan internal and external systems, to think about incongruities in people's tones, words, or actions during social interactions, to make a plan for the path ahead or the day ahead, then to move on that plan, while attending to other things and thoughts along the way.

If I felt a pain in my knee, I would make adjustments in the way I moved it, while doing whatever other thing I was doing.

My consciousness would rapidly move from my thoughts, my actions, my body, my breath, my environment, my activity at hand, and whatever else commanded my attention for a moment, etc.

It was never a question of trying to stop my thoughts, but to use them efficiently.

It works for me, and my actual state of mind is usually quietly joyful, appreciative of nature, curious, and in a general state of pleasure.

I guess because I deal with whatever as it arises and quickly return to emotional and intellectual states of mind that I enjoy the most.

BS dehumanizing NPC thread.

Anyone who thinks has an "internal monologue". That includes everyone.

I sure can!

Say whaaaaat?!?!

If that’s true, it’s effin scary!

Here’s something else freaky. I’ve met people who say they never experience visual or auditory effects when taking LSD. WTF?! Why the hell do they bother tripping then?!?!

Me too. I play music often.

I have an internal voice which allows me to compose articles or paragraphs, then type them later.

Also I can just reflect on things.

I can visualize objects well, but people not so well.

I cannot imagine people with no inner thought life. Very sad.

Me too. I play music often.

I have an internal voice which allows me to compose articles or paragraphs, then type them later.

Also I can just reflect on things.

I can visualize objects well, but people not so well.

I cannot imagine people with no inner thought life. Very sad.

Lol, that's an affirmative to everything you said bro

I can only speak for myself, but I know the difference in self talk and prayer. When one addresses our Creator is not the same thing as me using my self talk to organize my thoughts when doing a task and how to plan my actions. It's not the one I use for self evaluation and assessment as to whether I am being my authentic self. We can gauge our level and balance between deep thought and shallow musings, and how much of our focus and attention is on ourselves and how much is directed to understanding GOD and his Will, and where we fall short, and also upon our fellow man, and animals, even.

It seems that is where this discussion on the thread is headed. Where our consciousness is directed, always inward? Or where can we find help and direction when we are adrift and lost in our own mind maze. GOD is necessary to our well being and ability to be at peace. Or allow our conscience to prick us to move us away from useless or harmful thinking and habits. Our inward voice is the secret person of the heart.

Yes

Very interesting post.

The op was incredibly cute. It is a very strange thought to think that some just don’t think.

That is my husband, I'm sure. I taught him to listwn, as you can't "think" and listen at the same time. Then we can discuss things. But it is not normal for him to not think.

That's not what it is lile at all. What wou are describing is kind of shallow and silly.