Learning How to Connect With the Quiet Place Within Yourself

In my last article, Discovering the Quiet Place Within Yourself, I discussed what the "quiet place within yourself" is and the various other terms that are used to identify this part, including core self, authentic self, true self, the center, and the inner world.

Learning How to Connect With the Quiet Place Within Yourself

I use these terms interchangeably.

I also discussed why many people have fears about spending quiet time connecting to their inner world.

In this article, I'll discuss some of the benefits of connecting to your inner world and also give some tips on how to do it.

Benefits of Connecting With the Quiet Place Within You
Among the many benefits of connecting to your inner world, you may find that you can:

• cope better with challenges that come up in your life 
• develop an increased sense of self awareness
• develop an increased sense of self confidence 
• make decisions and problem solve more easily
• de-stress more easily 
• develop greater compassion for yourself and others
• develop emotional intelligence
• become more intuitive
• go to this place as an emotional "inner sanctuary" 

Tips on Connecting With the Quiet Place Within Yourself
Keep in mind that, aside from the suggestions that I'm giving, there are many ways to connect with your inner world, including meditating, doing yoga, practicing mindfulness, journaling, and going to therapy (to name just a few).

If you've never attempted to connect with your inner world without distractions, be aware that it takes practice and, with practice, it usually gets easier to do.

• Start by finding a quiet place where you won't be interrupted or distracted (turn off your phone).  If you can't go to a peaceful place outside, just find a quiet place in your home.  If you live with family members, tell them that you'll need about 20 minutes to yourself.

• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Close Your Eyes, Take a Few Deep Breaths and Slow Down Your Breathing

• Slow down your breathing.

• Relax as much as possible by consciously allowing the muscles in your body to relax and soften.  This can be done in many ways.  One way is to do a mental body scan where you sense into your body to see where you're holding onto tension.  Start from the crown of your head and go slowly down the rest of your body.  Wherever you sense tension in a particular area, imagine sending your breath to that place and allowing the muscles to relax.

• If you have a negative thought or an uncomfortable feeling, just allow it to come up and see it in your mind's eye as floating away like a cloud.

If You Have a Negative Thought, Let It Float Away Like a Cloud

• To sense into your inner world, focus on the area between your throat and your lower abdomen and just see what you notice.  Just notice what comes up, don't analyze it or interpret it--just notice it.

• Keep a journal to write down your observations and reflections afterwards about what you experienced.

Practice Connecting to the Quiet Place Within Yourself
If you've never engaged in any practices that put in touch with your inner emotional world, you'll need to practice this exercise in order to get better at it.

Learning How to Connect With the Quiet Place Within Yourself

Keep in mind that connecting to your inner world is a skill, so don't get discouraged if, at first, you have  a hard time staying focused, as many people do, or if you're not sure what you're sensing.

Many people who practice get better at it over time and discover that the benefits that they derive from connecting to their inner world is well worth the time and effort.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Discovering the Quiet Place Within Yourself

Being in a quiet, peaceful place where you feel a sense of solitude, whether it's in a park, the woods or by the ocean, can be a transformative experience.  Being in a peaceful place can help you to begin to connect to the quiet place within yourself.

Peaceful Places Can Help You to Connect With Your Inner World

What is the "the Quiet Place" Within Yourself?
Some people call this inner quiet place "the core self."

Some call it "the center."

Others call it "the authentic self" or the "true self."

Whatever you might call it, the quiet place within you is the place that is beyond external definitions of yourself.

Discovering the Quiet Place Within Yourself

It's a place that is beyond your usual identification as a parent, spouse, employee or friend.

That place is all that is within you that makes you uniquely you.

When you tap into the quiet place, you can experience a sense of stillness and connection with a deep sense of self.

Many people think of this part of themselves as being their intuitive selves and the part of them that is compassionate for others as well as being compassionate for themselves.

Why Do So Many People Try to Avoid Experiencing Their Inner World? 
In a New York Times article, No Time to Think, Kate Murphy writes about recent research which revealed that many people would prefer to keep themselves distracted than spend even a few quiet minutes to themselves.

According to this article, many of the people who participated in the research were so uncomfortable that they preferred giving themselves electric shocks rather than having quiet time to themselves.

According to Ms. Murphy, these people "just didn't like being in their own heads."

Why Do So Many People Try to Avoid Their Inner World?

One explanation for why so many people keep themselves constantly busy and distracted is that they want to avoid the negative thoughts and unresolved issues that come to mind when they have quiet time.   So, many people try to avoid quiet times at all costs to avoid uncomfortable feelings from coming up.

This avoidance, in turn, causes its own discomfort in the form of irritability, anxiety and insomnia, which leads to an even greater desire for more distraction.  So, it becomes a vicious cycle of avoidance.

How Can You Discover This Quiet Place in Your Inner World?
There are many ways to discover this quiet place in your inner world, including mindfulness meditation (see my article:  Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness Meditation).

Discovering the Quiet Place Within Yourself

In my next article, I'll give you some tips on how to connect with this part of yourself.

About Me
I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who works with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.