Talking to your reflection.

I was wondering if anybody has conversations with their reflections? I don’t mean looking at yourself in a mirror and talk to yourself while watching it, or looking into a mirror and complimenting yourself. I mean really giving your subconscious or deep part of yourself a body through the mirror in a sense. Every night before I go to bed I will talk to my reflection to reflect upon the day and what i felt or did. And I will have a conversation with me through the mirror. I find it to be very insightful because it allows me to step away and let a part of myself talk openly and from a different point of view. Then when I leave the mirror, I leave that part of myself there too. Its just for insight and reflection, and I think people should try this. In addition, it keeps me in check with who I am. Sometimes when I feel stressed out or confused I will talk to my reflection and ask them what they would do. Or I can do it the other way around and judge the person who I am talking to in the mirror and If I like them, if they really are who I strive to be. Just a thought, tell me what you guys think of this.

I do that sometimes, but find that I often have more meaningful dialogues when there is no mirror involved.


by the way, i can't stop staring at your avatar.

Hmm...I've never given much thought to that. I'll try that to see how I can benefit me from now on...
What about the conflicts that arise in your life? Can I relate that to the use of a mirror, though?

Yea, I use it for conflicts all the time.

I find it a very admirable thing to do, and it is one step foward to making a highly developed self-awareness and consciousness. I'll this do a little more starting tonite. :)

Wow, sounds very interesting. Any ideas on how to do this without your roommates thinking you're a goofball? 8)

haha, you could always do this in the bathroom if you had to :P or send your room mate on an errend.

How does looking at one's reflection give one any deeper introspection, then say, having an inner dialogue moment? Is there something about looking into one's own eyes/face that takes you to a different level?

I would say that its ok to do that seldomly but the more it becomes a necessity to chill out, relax, or gain repose then the closer you come to having a split personality. Inner dialogue should suffice just fine, wouldn't you say? :|


On the subject, though, it is said that one should never look into the mirror when on psychedelics because of what you might see staring back at you. I once had the unfortunate experience of being harshly judged and yelled at by the 'real' me in the mirror when on acid one time and learned the hard way. Then again, other times I enjoyed what I saw. Basically, I dont recommend having a conversation with yourself in the mirror while on acid... especially if you are at a McDonalds at the time... :-P

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How does looking at one's reflection give one any deeper introspection, then say, having an inner dialogue moment? Is there something about looking into one's own eyes/face that takes you to a different level?[/b]

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For me, looking at my slef in the mirror makes me feel more sperated from myslef. So i just become more honest when talking to another person. It also allows my inner dioluge to have its own body to talk to me. to use expressions and hand movents, rather then just voice.

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I would say that its ok to do that seldomly but the more it becomes a necessity to chill out, relax, or gain repose then the closer you come to having a split personality. Inner dialogue should suffice just fine, wouldn't you say? Neutral[/b]

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I dont think it causes a split personality at all. In fact, it allows me to become one with myslef even better then inner dioluge. Split personalities dont just develop like that anyways. Its very rare.

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On the subject, though, it is said that one should never look into the mirror when on psychedelics because of what you might see staring back at you. I once had the unfortunate experience of being harshly judged and yelled at by the 'real' me in the mirror when on acid one time and learned the hard way. Then again, other times I enjoyed what I saw. Basically, I dont recommend having a conversation with yourself in the mirror while on acid... especially if you are at a McDonalds at the time...[/b]

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lmao, ill keep that in mind :P

I don't look at myself in the mirror as often as I used to. I will sometimes talk to myself in the mirror, but have never tried starting up an (inner) dialogue while looking at myself. It'd be more or less a way to see how others might see me when I'm talking.

-Amé

Very good advice Barbizzle
Ive been doing this mirror excercise for awhile now. Ive been in counseling for a few years for low self-esteem and one thing I was told to do awhile back was to look in the mirror and have good, positive talk with myself....in the beginning all I could say were VERY negative words to my reflection and I felt a little crazy in the head for standing there like an idiot talking to the damn mirror and my then therapist helped me write some things down on paper- like a mantra to repeat over and over everyday until it sinks in. (I know this is going to sound SO cliché and 2 much like the Stuart Smalley character from SNL, but it really does help for those of you who are down on yourself): "Im a good person. I am likeable and lovable. I am beautiful and unique. I believe in myself. I deserve to be loved by others. I am intelligent. I am getting better. My feelings are not right or wrong they just are."
It does help after awhile and if you feel silly saying it to your reflection try writing it down on paper that helps 2......speaking of feeling silly- I do right now b/c this will probably get alot of laughs, but if it helps just one person then its worth it.

dont feel embarrased Starlite. Thanks for sharing that peice of info. I have always been interested in psychology because i feel like I know so much about it instinctivley. I find myslef feeling like I am talking to a brother in the reflection. I knwo its me and i treat it as me, but the casual flow on conversation is much like when you would talk to a close brother or sister.

Hmm I've done that once or twice, but never really considered it as a way of having constructive internal dialouge, might try it sometime. Doesn't it freak you out though sometimes? If I look at my reflection for too long I get tripped out.

nah, it doesnt freak me out. Some times it will be wierd to think that the reflection is me. That i have a body. I think we think so much that we can forget we have bodies like everybody elce.

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Originally posted by Starlite
Very good advice Barbizzle
Ive been doing this mirror excercise for awhile now. Ive been in counseling for a few years for low self-esteem and one thing I was told to do awhile back was to look in the mirror and have good, positive talk with myself....in the beginning all I could say were VERY negative words to my reflection and I felt a little crazy in the head for standing there like an idiot talking to the damn mirror and my then therapist helped me write some things down on paper- like a mantra to repeat over and over everyday until it sinks in. (I know this is going to sound SO cliché and 2 much like the Stuart Smalley character from SNL, but it really does help for those of you who are down on yourself): "Im a good person. I am likeable and lovable. I am beautiful and unique. I believe in myself. I deserve to be loved by others. I am intelligent. I am getting better. My feelings are not right or wrong they just are."
It does help after awhile and if you feel silly saying it to your reflection try writing it down on paper that helps 2......speaking of feeling silly- I do right now b/c this will probably get alot of laughs, but if it helps just one person then its worth it.

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Don't feel embarassed! :) I do think that self-esteem is important, however I wonder if America's obsession with it is healthy. I remember this special on TV where members were supressing their "inner critic". Isn't that inner critic the same one that makes you feel remorse when you act un-ethically or harm someone? I think it's fine to fix him though (the critic) if he's criticizing for no good reason.


Barbizzle, ever try sex in front of the mirror? :D I heard that if you do that a lot, it means you'd like to invite a 3rd party into the bedroom. Not sure if I buy this, but it may go back to the split personality point. (maybe your reflection is another personality sharing in the experience?)