The Voice Within

“….(W)hen there’s no one else, look inside yourself, like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within.-Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.

Adele wrote these words in three hours the day after she broke up with her boyfriend.

The combination of Adele’s great voice, the melody and the message have made her song, Rolling in the Deep, the best selling single of the year.

Adele realized she had to trust herself; the belief that her boyfriend was going to protect her had burst like a balloon. He proved unfaithful.

Her message is profound; she tuned in and listened to her inner voice when she was jolted by the shock of betrayal.

I first heard my inner voice loud and clear when I was ten years old and admitted to myself that I loved and hated my new baby brother. (He was adorable and I looked forward to taking care of him, but I also hated him because he further diluted my mother’s limited attention, and I felt more deprived.)

I was definitely confused and couldn’t share my feelings (of hatred) so I began to write my diary.  The act of concretizing them offered relief, I suppose serving as (a kind of) catharsis.

Our Western culture rarely teaches about this inner voice. We turn to the Eastern culture for the meditative arts. 

Many pioneers in the field of Western Psychology have studied the Eastern philosophies. Karen Horney studied Zen Buddhism, and  Fritz Perls, whom she supervised, also studied Zen Buddhism. He became the father of Gestalt therapy, and wrote, “We must lose our minds and come to our senses.”

Western psychology focuses on being in the world while Eastern philosophy focuses on being with Oneself, meditating and tuning in to our bodies and minds. To obtain the whole picture, we do best to integrate the Western and the Eastern approaches.

A person doesn’t have to become involved in a formal school of meditation.  Setting time away from the daily mayhem; possibly jotting down random thoughts in a notebook or on a scrap of paper, may be sufficient.

The deep voice from within may come when we least expect it. For instance, Harry heard it when he was driving his car because there was no one around to interrupt his thoughts. He realized he needed to spend more time by himself, apart from his conflicted, demanding home life.

This guiding voice benefits from cultivation, like a delicate seedling. The inner voice is nurtured by silence and time and space…It is more likely to emerge when encouraged by consistency; it is like a guest to welcome.  It may be extinguished by interruptions and our superego, demanding us to perform our work (although I think my inner voice helps me order priorities).

This alternate state or meditative consciousness is important to our healthy being, and yet many people in Western culture think they’re crazy when they experience it.

Conclusion: You are your ultimate teacher and possess your own personal truth. The message may come when you least expect it. The goal is to learn to listen and trust this guiding, positive, inner voice.

Dear Reader: I welcome your comments. (jsimon145@gmail.com)