Quote Originally Posted by Sean999 View Post
If you have a clock in your room, listen to its ticking. Count along, imitate the sound in your mind, whatever. Just make the ticking the centre of your concentration. It's great for keeping the mind awake while the body falls asleep.

As for the internal dialogue, I think that you guys are wrong to be trying to get rid of it competely (don't take any offence from that however, that's just the way I see it). Counting in itself is internal dialogue. What you need to do is instead of listening of the dialogue, be the dialogue. Make comments like, "I will stay concentrated", or "I'm going to stay calm". I do it, and it works fine.

You're taking concentration in the wrong direction when you are trying to competely get rid of all thoughts.
Thanks for the suggestions. As far as a ticking sound, I don't have a clock that ticks (in my room). I'm not trying to remove the internal dialogue completely. The "top layer" of it will never go away, I can control it. The lower layers are basically, thoughts about what I'm thinking about. Again, it's hard to explain. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not trying brainwash myself .