Piece of Shit Doctrine

Warning: this is a heavy topic. I recommend not reading it until you are in a centered place.

Inner critic

Internal judge

The accuser

La Loca

There are many different names for that negative voice in our heads that says we are not enough, that spreads doom and gloom, and that provokes guilt and shame. Whatever we call this voice, it creates a mindset that is often called “imposter syndrome” or “self-sabotage”.

This voice can be fucking brutal. It can be chronic - and it has incredible range; from screaming like a drill sergeant to the serpentine whisper of a gaslighter. It is a thief of joy, a disruptor of peace, an energy suck.

At the root of it is a deep-seated and pervasive sense of unworthiness; of not being enough. Or broken. Or defective.

Recently, my amazing therapist, Adrienne, pointed out that this voice (in IFS terms) is not a part. It’s not a firefighter, manager, or exiler. And it is certainly not part of the True Self. Nor is it part of our mammalian or reptilian brains. It doesn’t need to be integrated. It needs to be challenged for what it is: an intruder, an unwanted visitor.

So where does it come from?