Changing Inner Dialogue Crucial for Narcissistic Abuse Recovery

How to Change the Way You Talk to Yourself

From the book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Recovery © 2017

Each of us has a subconscious inner voice, called an “inner dialogue,” that strongly influences our life. Since it has always been such a consistent part of our waking lives, most of us do not even realize it is there.

Our inner dialogue controls everything we do. It shapes our perception, makes decisions for us, cautions us, forms our values and opinions, tells us who we are and what we like, monitors our behavior, evaluates situations, and makes judgments.

When our inner dialogue is positive, it empowers us. When our inner dialogue is negative it discourages us. Negative dialogue forms limiting beliefs.

Limiting beliefs can come from powerful outside influences such as parents, religions, families, educators, culture, media, and society. They can also develop on their own after repeated exposure to stimuli, or as a result of trauma or abuse.

Limiting beliefs sabotage our lives. They tell us untruths and lies, make us feel bad about ourselves, impede our success, and cause us to repeat unhealthy patterns. They even govern our moods and reactions.

Years of degradation, manipulation and brainwashing by your narcissistic abuser has infused your mind with many limiting beliefs. You will be surprised at how many of the following you can claim as your own:

I do not deserve: happiness, success, love, recognition, success, money, relationships, friendships with quality peopler
I do not: trust myself, know what I want, feel worthy, have self-control, like or love myself, matterr
I am not: good enough, smart enough, worthy enough, thoughtful enough, motivated enough, competent enough, rich enough, outgoing enough, thin enough, pretty enough, skilled enough, important enoughr
I cannot: do it as well as others can, reach goals, make money, survive on my own, start a business, get a degree, change who I am, change how I thinkr
I should not: think of myself first, love or like myself, feel good about myself, feel angry, ask for what I want, expect others to come through for me, trust anyone, let my guard downr
I should be: more successful tha
I am, farther along in life tha
I am, more educated, more social, a better personr
Nobody: listens to me, cares about me, wants me, believes in me, likes me, accepts me
No one will like or love me if: I am not perfect, I am not successful, I am not a pleaser, they get to know me, I speak honestly, I am not beautiful, I don’t earn their approvalr
Everyone else: judges me, is better than me, rejects me, hates me, thinks I am stupidr
I always: make mistakes, procrastinate, say stupid things, anger people, quit things, frustrate people, feel guilty, look foolishr
I am: a quitter, a weirdo, lazy, an unlovable person, an unlikable person, a failure, responsible for others’ happinessr
It is my job to: smooth things over, make others happy, make others feel better, apologize, keep the peacer
There’s no point in: getting my hopes up, trying at all, trying again, being honest, having goals, asking for what I want, showing people who I really amr
Happiness is: a myth, unattainable, for othersr
I must suffer to: show how much I care, get attention, make up for bad things I’ve done, prove my pointr
I must be fearful of: other people, life, relationships, men, women

Reread the above list and highlight all the limiting beliefs that apply to you. Explore each one by asking yourself the following questions:

Why do I have the limiting belief?
Is the belief true or false?
Is the belief relevant to my life now?
Am I willing to let the belief go?

Before you can change your subconscious inner dialogue you must bring it to your conscious mind and then challenge it. That involves monitoring your thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions to see what triggers you and what non-productive patterns you are stuck in.

Limiting beliefs change when they are replaced by positive dialogue. You can reprogram your mind through the use of positive affirmations such as:

I deserve to love and be lovedr
I love and accept myself totally and completelyr
I choose happiness and peace in my lifer
I am whole, healthy and completer
I am worthy of successr
I deserve to live a life of abundancer
I am the only one in charge of my lifer
I am a beautiful person inside and outr
I am a survivorr
I am worthy of all the good things in lifer
I can face any challenge

These are just suggestions. You can create your own affirmations or find other ones that resonate with you.

Repeat your affirmations often. Say them to yourself in the mirror. Post them in places where you spend a lot of time. Especially use them whenever you catch yourself having limiting beliefs. The more often and regularly you repeat your affirmations, the faster your inner dialogue will change and the better you will feel about yourself.
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