#160 | Who guides your inner self?

“If you have a strong inner critic, there must be a reason for it.”

It’s the middle of the night, and an argument is raging in my head: One voice is making accusations, while another criticizes me for even letting it bother me. Many people are familiar with this feeling of getting in their own way—as if they were their own worst enemy. Where do these inner voices really come from? And is it possible to make peace with the inner critic, rather than just silencing it temporarily?

“I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you alone. I'm sticking with you.”

Dagmar Kumbier, a licensed psychologist and psychological psychotherapist who has further developed Friedemann Schulz von Thun’s “Inner Team” model for psychotherapy, provides answers to these questions. In a conversation with Georgiy Michailov, she explains why inner critics, guardians, and wounded parts actually want to protect us, how to connect with them even at 3 a.m., and why true self-leadership doesn’t mean completely losing doubt and fear, but rather learning to stay connected to them.

*Video only in German