Psychopaths have no conscience. They have no inner voice telling them what they are doing is wrong, and they don't feel guilt or remorse. Narcissists have a damaged or twisted conscience. Neurotics constantly feel guilt and shame whatever they do or don't do. Healthy people beat themselves up when they have done something wrong. The idea that one must ignore or silence the inner voice with meditation or self-hypnosis in order to wake up is unhelpful advice.
Another aspect of the inner voice is that it produces lots of small talk, commentaries, and explanations, even silly little songs and poems. This mind chatter should not be ignored either, I think. How can you listen to someone else if you can't even listen to yourself?
You have two eyes. They scan these letters and convert them into electrical nerve impulses, which make their way into your brain like a failed New Year's fireworks in pouring rain. (Maybe it's not you who has a brain; perhaps it's a brain that has you.)
Reading is a mystical rite, but you don't experience it as such. You're so used to reading. Think a little. In some incomprehensible way, these letters are converted into an inner voice you can clearly hear inside your skull. Isn't this amazing?
If you listen closely, you can hear that this voice has a dialect and a tone that you recognize. Yes, this is your voice, but it has now been temporarily taken over by me.
