Whilst the concept of having voices in our heads in considered a sign of insanity, as a therapist I can assure you it 99% of cases it is not. Actually it is actually consistent with a healthy mental state. In my experience, understanding the voices in your head can be useful in term of overall  well being. It can also help to work through difficult situations in life. Read on for more information. 

Ever wondered why you are not consistent in your thinking, actions or decision making.  Do you notice a number of different opinions and influences when you are trying to arrive at a decision. Do you find yourself stuck sometimes as differing perspectives attempt to take you in different ways. Have you ever regretted a decision you made the previous day and wondered what got into your mind to do this.  This is not insanity, but from my experience what a typical intra-psychic world looks like.

As a psychologist I find it useful to have many ways to engage with my clients in a way that is respectful, curious and useful. Often one of the goals of therapy is for the client to become aware of elements of their thoughts and beliefs which they are not normally able to access. The things under the surface which can be running our lives but have grown into our consciousness in sometimes indirect and subtle  ways. With this in mind I am always interested in alternate way of achieving this awareness for clients.  Whilst not a new approach, I have recently become aware of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and firstly acknowledge the creator  of this therapeutic modality, Richard Schwartz.  What I like about this approach the most is its ability to help the client to engage with all of the differing perspectives, also called parts, of their internal world, and just as importantly to understand  the  purpose and fears of each of these parts.   IFS does consider an element called the self, which it aims to empower in such a way that it works with the parts to achieve the best outcomes for an individual.

Whilst IFS therapy requires the support of a suitably trained therapist,  I would suggest even gaining an awareness of looking at our internal world this way is useful to make sense as to why we think and behave in certain ways and under certain conditions. This avoids the unrealistic goals of create a single internal world view, and supports the healthy goal of integrating the parts within the context of a healthy self.

If you are interested in learning more about IFS the link below is a good starting point. Please note for some the material in this video might be emotionally impacting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNLs2A1URhw

Enjoy !!