Beating the Inner Persecutor at Its Own Game
The inner-Persecutor is that voice in your head that is often harsh, condescending, and even rude. For some people, their inner-Persecutor is a jarring and constant chatter, for others, it babbles in the background and is not always obvious, but its oppressive judgments may still be felt.
Even though it may not appear so, the inner-Persecutor’s voice is concerned for your overall safety and worries that you may put yourself in harm’s way. For example, if you want to look for a new job, it might say: “If you quit this job, you’re putting your family’s security at risk. Don’t be ridiculous.” Maybe you want to explore being an artist and want to go to art school, while that discounting inner voice judges. “Art school is a really dumb idea if you ever want to make anything of your life.”
The famous psychologist, Dr. Sigmund Freud, described this voice as your Superego, whose role is to protect you from danger. It is often critical and judgmental because it doesn’t want you to get hurt or put yourself in a risky position. Freud taught that there is an ongoing battle between your moralistic inner-Persecutor whose purpose is to keep in-check your ego’s desire to fulfill your needs and desires. This internal tension often creates a drama-filled internal debate.
The inner-Persecutor adds fuel to the internal Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT) because another part of you may feel victimized by the critical voice that works against the dreams that you want to create for yourself. Its role is to keep you safe and secure, but it inundates you with self-doubt, and hides from you your true essence as a Creator.
If the game of the inner-Persecutor is safety, and its playbook is criticism and judgment, how do you beat it at its own game?
You begin by understanding the purpose of your inner-Persecutor and the role it wants to play in your life. By understanding its game, you begin to reduce the power it has over you. The inner-Persecutor “wins” when you believe its disparaging voice. Simply listening and noting what it is saying gives you some distance and interrupts the hold it has on you. You don’t have to agree or debate with it—just listen.
Pause and ask yourself; “What is my inner-Persecutor trying to protect me from?” Allow yourself to acknowledge its “advice” and know that you can choose to move ahead while being aware of the caution. This leads to nurturing self-compassion, rather than being hard on yourself.
Another approach to beating the inner-Persecutor at its own game is to visualize a young child hearing the messages you say to yourself. Just as you would comfort the young child you can now comfort yourself with a little kindness and compassion.
When you become aware of the voice, you can hear it without believing it—knowing you are not that voice—your Creator essence is merely listening to the voice. The desired outcome is to hear the inner-Persecutor voice and let it play its role of safety, while not letting it dictate who you believe you are.
Kindness is a quality of your true Creator essence. Freeing yourself from your inner-Persecutor depends on you understanding its game. It is simply a voice in your mind that believes it has its best interest in keeping you out of trouble, safe, and protected. With awareness and bringing the harsh voice to light, along with a strong dose of compassion and understanding, you have a whole new ballgame in which the inner-Persecutor does not have the final out.
As a Creator, you do!
