inner critic

The inner critic is the internal voice that judges, shames, and second-guesses us. It can sound like "You're not good enough," "Don't embarrass yourself," "People will see right through you"—and it often speaks in the tone of the adults who first criticized, controlled, or shamed us. In that sense, the inner critic is rarely original: it's usually a recording of voices we absorbed long before we could question them.

In trauma work, the inner critic is understood as a protective part that once helped us adapt to a harsh environment—by keeping us small, compliant, or high-achieving. Healing doesn't mean silencing it by force. It means getting curious about what it's afraid of, updating it to present reality, and building a kinder, more grounded inner voice that can actually guide you.