The ultimate form of meditation, in my opinion,
is to stop the restless subvocalization that is going on both within our head
and within our larynx. The part of your brain that is responsible for speech is
called Broca’s area and it is always active, running speech patterns. Sometimes
its actions are not broadcast globally to the PFC and other association areas.
When this happens we have a brief respite from being aware of our internal
monologue. Usually however, not only is it broadcasting its speech to much of
the cortex, but it is broadcasting instructions for speech to the supplementary
motor areas, the premotor areas and the primary motor areas responsible for moving
the vocal cords in the larynx.
I am constantly tensing my throat,
silently going through the motions of speech. Language is always running
through my mind, whether it is me planning my day, me defending myself in a
hypothetical argument, me predicting what someone else will say, or me singing
the words to a song. Sometimes my mouth and tongue move with the words, sometimes
they don’t, but always my throat mimes the words. It has been difficult for me
to create respite from this interminable narrative.
I believe that what I have described is
a malady that afflicts nearly everyone. I also think that people that practice
advanced meditation focus on thinking without this internal dialogue. Surely it
is helpful, without it we would only practice speaking when we are really
speaking out loud to actual people. But I think that it afflicts us and we
should all learn to subdue it temporarily at will. I think that the only way to
do this is to: 1) become aware of it, 2) notice what it feels like to try to
stop it, 3) practice subduing it for as long as possible. I think the best way
is to try to subdue it from both ends: A) we can try to focus on the feeling
and sensation of letting our vocal tract go completely limp and relaxed, and B)
we can try to focus on the feeling and sensation of thinking without using
words.
Here are some helpful books on similar topics that I have enjoyed:
Here are some helpful books on similar topics that I have enjoyed: