The Inner Voice Of Love [PATCHED]

For the countless men and women who have to live through the pain of broken relationships, or who suffer from the loss of a loved one, this book about the inner voice of love offers new courage, new hope, and even new life.

The inner voice of love

For more than eight years, Henri Nouwen felt that what he wrote was too raw and private to share with others. Instead, he published "The Return of the Prodigal Son, in which he expressed some of the insights gained during his mental and spiritual crisis. But then friends asked him, "Why keep your anguish hidden from the many people who have been nurtured by your writing? Wouldn't it be of consolation for many to know about the fierce inner battle that lies underneath so many of your spiritual insights?" For the countless men and women who have to live through the pain of broken relationships, or who suffer from the loss of a loved one, this book about the inner voice of love offers new courage, new hope, even new life.

Perhaps no 20th-century spiritual thinker so profoundly captured the human experience as this Catholic priest and psychologist. Now, in this moving audio program, you have the rare opportunity to listen to Nouwen's voice. He powerfully draws upon his own struggles to show you how to move from loneliness to solitude, from hostility to hospitality, and from illusion to prayer.

Society teaches us to define ourselves by the things we have: belongings, education, experiences. Our inner worth depends on our surroundings, and, as the Gospels say, we "belong to the world." Spiritual master Henri Nouwen teaches you how to move beyond such traps and achieve a deeper sense of self. Nouwen draws upon his own experience of leaving a Harvard professorship to work with the disabled.

"This book is my secret journal," Nouwen wrote. At first he had no intention of sharing this personal diary of the difficult months when he felt all meaning in his life was missing and all ahead seemed a dark, bottomless abyss. In spite of his inner turmoil, Nouwen recorded the descent into his heart in these 63 journal entries. Friends persuaded him that sharing his painful soul-searching might help others who also struggle to embrace life with joy.

Throughout his life, Nouwen longed for deeper relationships with others and with God. "Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply," he urges. While your heart may break, he says, you will then have a choice - to become bitter or to stand in your pain and become fruitful with God as the spiritual guide of your life. The inner voice is a voice of love.

It was written during the most difficult period of his life, when, following, the breakdown of a close relationship, he suddenly lost his self-esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved and even his hope in God.

For the countless men and women who have to live through the anguish and despair of broken relationships, or who suffer from the loss of a loved one, this book offers new courage, new hope, even new life.

You can think of your inner voice almost like your highest self, explains professional intuitive and author of Self-Care for Empaths Tanya Carroll Richardson. "It's that wise part of you that can float high above the details of the moment, your own emotions, and the emotions of others to get an eagle-eye, more objective perspective on a situation."

According to Racioppi, they are both the voice of insight and arguably the same thing: "however, our inner voice may feel more matter-of-fact, as it's often thought of as the voice of the soul and our unique voice." On top of that, the inner voice is available anytime, while accessing intuition can require practice, she says.

She and Richardson both note that people receive intuition in four ways: hearing intuitive guidance as a gentle voice in your mind (clairaudient); seeing intuitive guidance as images in your mind (clairvoyant); knowing intuitive guidance as breakthrough thoughts or mental downloads (claircognizant); or feeling intuitive guidance as physical, emotional, or energetic sensations (clairsentient).

In all that you do, allowing your inner voice to guide you can help you show up as the best version of yourself. "It will help you fully discern your wisdom, guidance, and direction," Racioppi says, "and there's nothing more potent or powerful than trusting yourself and confidently following your truth."

Both she and Richardson work with clients, helping them get in touch with their own inner voice. To name just a few examples of how your inner voice can serve you, Racioppi says, "I have seen many miracles happen for my clients when they begin to hear, trust, and follow their inner voice. Things like getting a dream job, finding love, learning how to eat intuitively, feeling free to be their authentic selves," and so much more.

"In my own life," Racioppi adds, "I have found my inner voice to the most crucial guide [...] It's instilled within me a deep trust that I count on myself and my experience of being embodied to guide me through life. It's a priceless feeling."

If the whole inner voice thing is new to you, it can feel difficult to tap into it, especially if there are a lot of outward demands for your time and attention. Here are Richardson and Racioppi's tips to start accessing your inner voice:

When you're rushing through your days, the mind can race too, Richardson notes, so make sure you're giving yourself time to slow down. "The best way to tap into your inner voice is to create more space between your thoughts so your intuition can get a word in edgewise."

Active listening involves releasing judgment (and the impulse to respond) when someone else is speaking, fully tuning in to what they're saying. "When we practice listening to others," Racioppi says, "we develop the capacity to listen to ourselves. And this is precisely what you need to listen to your inner voice and receive the guidance it wants to offer."

Your own self-care practices can greatly influence your ability to tap into your inner voice, Richardson says. "Simply up your self-care game, and you will be amazed at how much more information you receive from your inner voice!"

Racioppi recommends a practice called morning pages, which comes from Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. "It's the practice of journaling three handwritten pages each morning that are a stream of consciousness," she explains. "Write anything that comes to mind to get going, and usually, by the end of the third page, your inner voice has revealed clear and concrete direction."

Strong boundaries are essential in so many areas of our lives, particularly so if we're trying to access our inner voice. "Nothing will override your inner knowing more than letting other people's thoughts, demands, needs, desires, and authority override your own," Racioppi says. So, learn how to say no, check in with yourself before saying yes to anything, and learn to trust yourself, she adds.

We all have a sixth sense, inner voice, or level of intuition just waiting to be tapped into, Richardson says. But, "many times what holds us back from maximizing our intuitive potential is not having enough knowledge of the sixth sense," she notes. "Simply studying your intuition can awaken and strengthen your inner voice."

If you want to access your higher knowing, you'll need to make sure your baseline needs are taken care of too, Richardson says. "Get whatever emotional support you need from loved ones and professionals," she says. Additionally, "maintaining more balance in your physical body through a healthy diet, supplements, and moderate exercise can help you feel more balanced emotionally. When your system feels balanced, it can be easier to discern the difference between your inner voice and an emotional reaction."

Allow yourself to be in silence with few distractions, particularly no phones, computers, or TVs. You could try a meditation practice, though Racioppi says simply being alone in silence is enough. "Don't try to force your inner voice to speak to you; create the conditions required for deep inner listening; quiet alone time."

Whatever helps you get in touch with your inner voice, do it, and do it often. It may seem easier to look for answers outside of yourself, but with a little patience, trust, and good listening skills, you'll be able to tune into your inner voice for guidance when you need it most.

The critical inner voice is not an auditory hallucination; it is experienced as thoughts within your head. This stream of destructive thoughts forms an anti-self that discourages individuals from acting in their best interest.

The critical inner voice is an internal enemy that can affect every aspect of our lives, including our self-esteem and confidence, our personal and intimate relationships, and our performance and accomplishments at school and work. These negative thoughts affect us by undermining our positive feelings about ourselves and others and fostering self-criticism, inwardness, distrust, self-denial, addictions and a retreat from goal-directed activities.

These inner voices usually come from early life experiences that are internalized and taken in as ways we think about ourselves. Often, many of these negative voices come from our parents or primary care takers, as children we pick up on the negative attitudes that parents not only have towards their children but also toward themselves. Our voices can also come from interactions with peers and siblings, or influential adults.

Many people think if they stop listening to their critical inner voice, they will lose touch with their conscience. However, the critical inner voice is not a trustworthy moral guide like a conscience. On the contrary, the critical inner voice is degrading and punishing and often leads us to make unhealthy decisions. These negative voices tend to increase our feelings of self-hatred without motivating us to change undesirable qualities or act in a constructive manner.

In order to take power over this destructive thought process, you must first become conscious of what your inner voice is telling you so you can stop it from ruining your life. To identify this, it is helpful to pay attention to when you suddenly slip into a bad mood or become upset, often these negative shifts in emotion are a result of a critical inner voice. Once you identify the thought process and pinpoint the negative actions it is advocating, you can take control over your inner voice by consciously deciding not to listen. Instead you can the actions that are in your best interest. 041b061a72