Embracing Your Inner Critic: Turning Self-Criticism Into a Creative Asset

The Stones, creators of voice dialogue therapy, draw from their extensive experience in helping people all over the world learn to function more harmoniously by embracing their inner selves. Here the authors focus on the shrill voice inside that will never let us forget our mistakes. nHal and Sidra Stone are the creators of Voice Dialogue process, a therapy that transforms the inner critic from crippling adversary to productive ally. nThe inner critic. It whispers, whines, and needles us into place. It checks our thoughts, controls our behavior, and inhibits action. It thinks it is protecting us from being disliked, hurt, or abandoned. Instead, the critical inner voice causes shame, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and low-self-esteem. It acts as a powerful saboteur of our intimate relationships and is a major contributor to drug and alcohol abuse.n nThrough examples and exercises, the Stones show us how to recognize the critic, how to avoid or minimize critic attacks, and, most important, how the inner critic can become asn intelligent, perceptive, and supportive partner in life.n