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Mind Chatter/ Thoughts
(Silent Mind Technique)

Most of us are used to having our minds producing thoughts like mad, and we simply tune it out, a bit like chatting with friends in a busy bar. However, in some cases this chatter can be very disturbing or emotionally devastating. For example, when there is a constant background of negative and critical thoughts.

One of the most surprising discoveries that we made in the early days of our psychobiology research was about the totally common experience of thoughts in the mind. It turns out that the background 'mind chatter' is not supposed to be there at all. After using the Silent Mind Technique™ (SMT), the mind becomes silent, as if one is standing on an empty auditorium stage, or in a particularly effective meditation moment. And it stays that way.

The Silent Mind Technique™
Your therapist can quickly eliminate particularly troublesome 'voices' or 'stuck thoughts' on a one-by-one basis. For many, this is all that is needed; treatment is usually finished in under an hour.

Alternatively, you can do the more time consuming 'Silent Mind Technique™', which completely eliminates all these background thoughts at once. For example, this silent mind process is ideal for meditators who would like to have their minds silent all the time, on their cushions or not.

Incidentally, this silent mind technique does far more than just make one's mind silent. It also eliminates the unconscious, dysfunctional effects of our cultures, which can be a huge help when wanting to make change in our lives, or work with people from other cultures. (We call this cultural problem the 'tribal block'.) Additionally, the process also gets rid of what are often called 'cords', or in psychological terms, transference and counter-transference.

For a more complete description of the Silent Mind Technique, why it works, and how it was developed, we refer you to the book Silence the Voices: Discovering the Biology of Mind Chatter (2017) by Dr. Grant McFetridge.

What to Expect in a Session
In the first session, we take a full health history and establish the way you hear the voices, obsessive thoughts, or simple mind chatter. We use standard trauma healing techniques to heal the originating trauma. We also make arrangements for follow-up healing should you experience any feelings of loss or loneliness when the voices are removed. If present, these feelings are usually very quickly relieved. After a session, clients sometimes report feeling tired, 'spacey' or very peaceful. This is a consequence of healing deep trauma. Therefore, it is good not to plan to rush away after a session. Ideally it is best to take a few minutes to relax and re-adjust after the treatment before driving or performing some other activity that requires your full attention.

Self-talk
There are several kinds of mind chatter people can have. For example, one is something we call 'self talk'. Essentially, it is just subvocalization, something that is not a problem for most people. For others, this constant need to self talk is very disruptive. Your therapist will diagnose your situation and use the appropriate techniques with you.

There are other much rarer mind chatter mechanisms. Your therapist will diagnose the particular cause and guide you through treatment.

Most of the certified therapists are competent in working with this issue. Feel free to contact any therapist of your choice to ask for a treatment quote.


Feedback from a school teacher:

Hi!
I wanted to send you an update on my experiences with silent mind state at school. It has been interesting! I have been much calmer when dealing with the teenagers I teach and it has been easier to get my work organized and presented. There isn't as much "going on" in my head when I present a lesson. There were many at the start of our year that stared at me and a handful of students from last year that made a point to come up at say hello to me - and I really didn't expect these ones to do that.

There is one girl in grade 7 who avoids me like the plague and cannot look at me at all. I have tried to talk to her and reassure her, but she gets a look of almost fear in her eye when I start walking towards her. My homeroom is a very talkative bunch and I have had about 8 teachers come up and ask how I can make it to work each day because they are such a challenge... They are not bothering me. Disappointing me, yes… but not wearing on me as they seem to be on the others that teach them. I have not experienced any headaches and don't feel totally "drained" at the end of the day. There are a few times when I've felt like the energy has been "sucked" out of me...but very rarely so far. There are so many students that could benefit from having a clear mind and so many teachers that could benefit from the perspective that this give you. I would love to have the kids "tap it out" to get rid of test anxiety... but they would look at me like I was from another planet. It has been great. Thank you.
~Jacquie

Feedback from a meditator:

I did the silent mind process over two times. The first time was probably only 50% result, even so my head felt calm and quiet. My meditations improved 100%.

Then after completely entering the silent mind state, so many voices and thoughts have gone, and instead a wonderful peace have spread. I do not anymore have these unnecessary incomplete projects existing in my mind. Meditation still gets better.
~Lars