Silenzio Bruno! How to Shut the Voice Inside Your Head

A skillful way to quiet your mental chatter

“Why am I so stupid? Why did I speak to her like that? Oh gosh! I hope she doesn’t judge me. Ugghh! I can’t do this. Life’s too hard…”

There’s a roommate who always lives with you inside your head and keeps talking to you 24/7. In fact, right now, that voice is speaking out these words to you in a way you can understand.

If you are wondering, “Nonsense! I don’t have anyone inside my head.” — Congrats! You have found it!

You vs the voice

A mere act of being aware of the voice inside the head reveals that you are not the voice inside your head, you are one aware of it!

Maybe it is the first time you have separated yourself as a watcher of your inner chatter. Give yourself a moment. Let this realization sink in you.

Unskillful ways of silencing the voice

How liberating it feels to take a holiday out in the mountains? How peaceful it feels to smoke cannabis? How silent it feels to look at stars? How relaxing it feels after a workout or yoga?

Well, these places are something we look to find some relief from inner turmoil. But, they all are unskillful ways to find ever-lasting peace.

But why unskillful? Simply because all these methods primarily work by temporarily suppressing the inner chatter. As soon as some unwanted event happens, the fearful voice is back with its force. For example, even the most peaceful holiday can be shattered into despair if you quarrel with your spouse.

In the movie Luca (from which I have borrowed the title phase Silenzio Bruno), Luca suppressed the voice inside his head by continuously repeating Silenzio Bruno. That’s again unskillful.

So suppressing is not viable in the long term. Then what?

Truth of the voice inside your head

We believe that the voice inside our head is the problem, and by silencing it forever, we can live a peaceful life. We engage with the voice — to shut it down, to fix its toxicity, or maybe to achieve peace within that turmoil... But all these aggressive efforts are futile to gain freedom from the voice.

Wisdom: So tell me, what is wrong with having a voice inside the head? Seeker: It is annoying… Wisdom: Well, then don’t get annoyed when it annoys you! Seeker: How to not be annoyed by the voice? Wisdom: By realizing you are not the voice, you are the one aware of it! Cease the identification! Freedom from the voice is not eradicating the voice. Instead, it is being free irrespective of the presence/absence of voice.

Insight that leads to inner stillness

The mere act of being aware of the voice inside the head stops our subconscious identification with it. Slowly but surely, the voice is seen just as a voice, nothing more, nothing less.

There’s no need to fix anything about that voice because it is the nature of the voice to be that voice.

A word of caution, this does not mean bypassing the need to address the work demanded by the moment.

Being aware means wholeheartedly welcoming that voice, feeling the intensity of the voice manifesting in you, providing a safe space where the voice can exist without resistance — yet, to remain unbothered by the presence of the voice because after all, it is just a voice, not you. But don’t force this recognition, let it naturally come with softness in your heart.

In simple words, transcending the need to suppress or express the voice, and gently experiencing the voice as it is.

Easy to say, but not to implement? Well, there has to be some start. Why not now! I can assure you it becomes effortless with practice. Having your whole life’s peace at stake, why won’t you start it without considering whether it is hard?

Let’s dive deeper

As you practice this method, you will notice that there’s not just a single voice inside your head, but more like a cluster of voices shouting and having a debate competition.

These voices are your sub-minds talking to each other. Each voice with its own likes and dislikes, tempting you to perform actions to prevent undesirable situations. These voices don’t know much apart from their personal likes and dislikes. And the annoying part, voices don’t even agree with each other.

With all this chatter, the mind gets foggy — unable to arrive at a single firm decision, and unskillful ways to gain clarity increase this fogginess in the long term.

The skillful way, i.e. to remain a humble experiencer of these voices, breaks the loop of involvement. Thus, you don’t fuel those voices with your attention. The sub-minds which were restless to find happiness automatically get relaxed. And with this release, the peace is restored!

You let the voices be as they are, and slowly you discover stillness in resting as awareness.

Wisdom: If I hand you a glass of water, and the challenge is to keep the water stable, what will you do? Seeker: I will try to keep my hand still. Wisdom: Will it take effort? Seeker: Yes, ofc. Wisdom: You know there’s a more skillful way. Seeker: Okay? Can you enlighten me, please?… Wisdom: Why don’t you just put the glass of water down?

*Absolute Silence*

Oh! I forgot and slipped.

Getting stuck in seductive thoughts is quite common as we engage in the practice. Later, when we recognize we slipped, guilt might arise. Subsequently, we might engage in more thoughts, dwelling on how we could not keep up with the practice.

The solution to this is so easy and somewhat counterintuitive to the thinking mind. Simply be the experiencer of the voice whenever you realize you slipped. No guilt! Even if guilt arises, witness it too.

Example

1. Your boss yelled at you and declared that you might lose your job.

2. You get a shock and become anxious.

3. To not feel those emotions, you start blaming your boss.

4. Now you feel angry. Maybe you fight with your family or whosoever comes in your way.

5. Your whole day is ruined. You cannot sleep at night.

At any step, you can always find a point where you graciously accept what is happening to you instead of changing it. You might think it is better to do it during the 1st step, but understand that it is best to do it whenever you become conscious of your involvement, may it be 5th or 1st.

At which step you embody the witness of your voice depends on many factors and not necessarily your progress alone. Assume you forgot it the whole day. When you can’t sleep at night, you realize it’s because you are in an endless loop of suffering. Now step back and watch.

Naturally, effortlessly, you might get these insights (or some other insights according to your need):

5. I cannot sleep at night, and it is natural. It’s okay.

4. I felt anger. I got lost in it. But it was needed for my growth.

3. I blamed my boss, and I am sorry for it. It is better if I see only my actions. I cannot control others, I can only be a catalyst for the change.

2. Anxiety was a natural mind’s response. I will try to rest as awareness the next time I feel anxious.

1. Ahh, no job. Let’s see what new I can find in this life’s adventure. I will give my best.

And maybe you also realize:

Suffering is not inherent in the events. Suffering is fabricated by the habitual mind, as it resists the present moment because of its own likes and dislikes.

Such insights spontaneously arise when you feel at peace. You would know it is not the usual chattering inside you. They come from deep within your heart — and more than words, the felt conviction of these insights matters. In fact, you might not even hear the words, but your being will shine with unexplainable clarity of the next steps.

It is never too late to rest as awareness and allow the present moment to unfold what it wants to unfold. Even if you do it for a split second, it changes the conditioning of your mind.

Every drop counts. Only by accumulating these tiny drops, you will find yourself in the ocean of love one day.

For further clarity, check out: How Wisdom Develops and Frees from Suffering.

May you be free of suffering. May you discover your true nature.