"Help with Negative Self–talk Volume I" - читать интересную книгу автора (Andreas Steve)

2. Changing Tempo and Tonality

Think of a simple sentence like, "I need to get going," and hear it in your mind in an ordinary, everyday tempo… .

Now say the exact same sentence internally in a very fast tempo… .

Finally, say it in a very slow tempo, even slower than if you were about to nod off to sleep… .

Did you notice any difference in your response to that sentence in the different tempos? …

Most people will feel only a little motivated by the first, much more motivated by the second, and completely unmotivated by the last. Since the words spoken are exactly the same, this difference is solely a result of the change in tempo. But since most people only notice the words that they speak to themselves, this effect of tempo is usually completely unconscious.

In the real world, a fast tempo is usually paired with urgent situations in which we need to tense up and do something quickly, while slow tempos are typically associated with relaxation, rest, and leisure activities. Since we use our memories of those real–world events to construct our internal world, a fast tempo usually elicits tension and motivation, while a slow tempo elicits relaxation and repose. But if you had a parent who motivated you with dire threats in a slow voice, you might be very motivated by a slow tonality. Changing the tempo of an internal voice is another way to gain some control over the impact of what you say to yourself.

Recently I saw an older woman whose dearly loved husband had died two years ago, and she had been depressed ever since. I used our grief resolution process (4) with her, but it was only partly successful. A little exploration revealed that she had an internal voice that was depressing her. In a low, slow voice, it said things like, "It doesn't matter; things aren't worthwhile; they don't have any meaning anymore, because you're just going to die anyway." Try saying those words to yourself in a slow tempo, over and over again, and notice how they affect you… .

Now send that voice off into the distance, and "shake off" any depressed feelings by wiggling your body a bit and then remind yourself of something that you enjoy a lot… .

When I asked this woman to speed up the tempo of this voice, she immediately started chuckling, and said, "It became a hip–hop rapper voice." Changing the tempo resulted in changing the tonality, and the words became somewhat ridiculous, lifting her depression.

Nick Kemp is a provocative therapist and hypnotherapist in England who has explored the use of voice tempo changes with his clients in great detail. He has originated and developed a detailed and dependable process for using tempo with anxiety and other intense and fast–paced uncomfortable states that is very widely useful. It is one of the methods that Nick includes in what he terms "The Provocative Change Works" set of tools.