Integrating Nonviolent Intrapersonal Communication in our Thought Process
Thoughts are the primary form of our communication. What we think, the contents of our thoughts and how these thoughts gets reflected in our action are all important. Scientists from Harvard University believe that our thought process can be divided into two different modes- verbal and visual. For instance, if we are dreaming about going to a particular place for our vacation. It would create a sense of illustration, our imagined vacation place. On the other hand, when we think about our impending lecture, this will rise to our inner speech- our intrapersonal communication. It will be our self-talk on the likely contents of our lecture.
In fact, action, behavior and cognition can be said to be the three fundamental pillar of human thought process. These three do not run separately, in fact they blend with each other which enables us to perceive the world around us, helps in listening to our conscious and sub-conscious desires and then respond accordingly.
Recently I had the opportunity to read a beautifully written book by James Allen, As a Man Thinketh. Allen poignantly describes how every human act springs from her/his thoughts. Allen writes, “As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thoughts, and could not have appeared without them.”
He aptly says that act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits. Allen further writes on how ‘man is made or unmade by himself in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.’
Allen argues, “By the right choice and application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, descends below the level of the beast.” He clearly says ‘man is the master of thought, the molding of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny’.
Further, Allen describes how a human mind can be likened to a garden. The mind, to him, can be ‘intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild.’ If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind, he adds. He feels that human beings must tend the garden of their mind weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts, and cultivating towards perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts.
To me Allen’s perspective on human thoughts lays the foundation on why we need to practice and imbibe nonviolent intrapersonal communication. By nurturing the elements of nonviolent intrapersonal communication, we can promote peaceful inner talk and inner dialogue. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Master had so rightly pointed out that ‘peace within oneself, peace in the world’. Unless we work for a healthy inner communication ecosystem, we will find ourselves in turmoil and stressed.
By nurturing nonviolent intrapersonal communication, we can be more self-aware. This would entail on how all our thoughts, self-talk and inner dialogue will be nonviolent in nature. Besides, practicing nonviolent intrapersonal communication would help us to be self-empathetic and self-compassionate. Many a times we ourselves fall into the trap of being self-judgmental. We have low esteem of ourselves and come to believe that whatever we are doing are all wrong. These are the results of negative thoughts and ideas. This necessitates that we practice self-respect and try to develop understanding of our self.
Nonviolent intrapersonal communication can help us to be a good gardener who cultivates productive and pure seeds of thoughts and develops the capabilities to weed out the impure and unwanted seeds of thoughts. It genuinely contributes to our well-being and helps us to negotiate complex and difficult situations and people.