We’ve all experienced the inner critic to some extent. You know, that voice inside of your head saying you’re not good enough, or that you’re a bad person. Where does this voice come from and why is it so vicious?

Well, for people dealing with CPTS, this voice is even louder, and even more critical. The volume gets turned up ten notches, and turning it off feels like a game of tug of war.

Understanding where this voice comes from and how it manifests is a crucial part to replacing the inner critic with self compassion.

On this episode of Trauma Rewired, we sit down to discuss the inner critic, specifically the severity of it when it comes to people with CPTS, what activates the inner critic loop cycle, what part of the brain the inner critic activates, the reflexive responses associated with the inner critic, and finally, how NSI training can help with quieting the inner critic.

This type of reflexive response is created as a means of survival, the brain always wants to protect itself. However, the constant cycle of judgment, criticism, demeaning thoughts about the self becomes maladaptive when it stops serving its original purpose. There is a way to quiet the inner critic, which we want to share with you today.

Tune in to find out how to turn down the volume on the inner critic, and the volume up on self compassion.

Topics discussed in this episode:  
Characteristics of the inner critic for those experiencing CPTS
Where the inner critic lives in the brain
The fawn response and how it’s related to the inner critic
What activates the inner critic loop?
The root cause of the inner critic
How authenticity is affected by attachment style Freeze trauma response
The opposite of the inner critic
How NSI training can move you out of the inner critic loop cycle
The importance of creating an internal environment of safety 
Being exposed to other people’s inner critic
Gossip as an external critic
Combating the external critic with self compassion  

If you would like to WATCH the episode and/or have closed captions, check out our Trauma Rewired YOUTUBE channel! 

If you need access to transcripts of this episode, you can find that HERE on Apple Podcasts. 

Listen to more episodes of Trauma Rewired HERE