I'm curious: What does your "inner voice" sound like, to you?
January 24, 2016 at 12:05 am
(This post was last modified: January 24, 2016 at 12:07 am by MTL.)
Everyone will think I am crazy for asking this, probably,
but for many years it has occurred to me that when I make the conscious effort to "hear" a specific phrase,
in my mind, in my own mental voice, it is difficult.
I don't have any difficulty actually speaking, or responding quickly in a debate, moment-by-moment;
and it is not a struggle to know what it is I WANT to say;
the spontaneous composition of the thought is not the challenging part,
it is only when I specifically attempt the clear "mental vocalization" of that thought,
that it becomes difficult....like mentally rehearsing a speech you must give;
and saying it aloud is easier....like cheating.
It requires less effort.
The closest I cold come to describing it,
would be to say that it was like hearing a very weak radio signal of a talk show;
I'll hear parts of it clearly, but then the end of the sentence will fade out and be indistinct;
Strange to say, remembering someone else's voice, is not difficult at all.
and I can recall hearing my own ACTUAL voice saying things,
but my own "mental voice" is like a dream...I seem to have difficulty asserting my will to make it speak clearly.
I am willing to consider several possibilities:
1. This is quite normal and many people will know what I'm talking about.
2. It is a matter of mental discipline and concentration...possibly related to my tendency towards ADHD
...no doubt that some people will wonder what is wrong with me,
since they have no difficulty, "hearing" their thoughts in coherent sentence, in their heads, at will;
....and then in other people, it may even be more pronounced,
and akin to reading silently but needing to move your lips...which I do not need to do.
3. I would be interested to discover what a neurologist might say about it,
and if people with depression or migraines...both of which I suffer severely with,
are more prone to this issue.
4. I'm sure it's exacerbated by stress and bad nerves
Does anyone know what I'm talking about??
but for many years it has occurred to me that when I make the conscious effort to "hear" a specific phrase,
in my mind, in my own mental voice, it is difficult.
I don't have any difficulty actually speaking, or responding quickly in a debate, moment-by-moment;
and it is not a struggle to know what it is I WANT to say;
the spontaneous composition of the thought is not the challenging part,
it is only when I specifically attempt the clear "mental vocalization" of that thought,
that it becomes difficult....like mentally rehearsing a speech you must give;
and saying it aloud is easier....like cheating.
It requires less effort.
The closest I cold come to describing it,
would be to say that it was like hearing a very weak radio signal of a talk show;
I'll hear parts of it clearly, but then the end of the sentence will fade out and be indistinct;
Strange to say, remembering someone else's voice, is not difficult at all.
and I can recall hearing my own ACTUAL voice saying things,
but my own "mental voice" is like a dream...I seem to have difficulty asserting my will to make it speak clearly.
I am willing to consider several possibilities:
1. This is quite normal and many people will know what I'm talking about.
2. It is a matter of mental discipline and concentration...possibly related to my tendency towards ADHD
...no doubt that some people will wonder what is wrong with me,
since they have no difficulty, "hearing" their thoughts in coherent sentence, in their heads, at will;
....and then in other people, it may even be more pronounced,
and akin to reading silently but needing to move your lips...which I do not need to do.
3. I would be interested to discover what a neurologist might say about it,
and if people with depression or migraines...both of which I suffer severely with,
are more prone to this issue.
4. I'm sure it's exacerbated by stress and bad nerves
Does anyone know what I'm talking about??
