Thoughts and Our Inner Reality – Reality or Illusion?
Our thoughts shape how we experience the world, but they are often far removed from reality. This blog explores the fascinating gap between inner and outer realities, offering insights and tools like hypnosis and coaching to question thoughts, break old patterns, and embrace new freedoms in thinking and acting.
Thoughts and Our Inner Reality – Reality or Illusion?
Our thoughts shape the way we perceive the world—and in turn, how we act. But what happens when these thoughts have nothing to do with reality? Our “inner reality” emerges from our thoughts and feelings and is often far removed from what is happening around us. This blog invites you to question this inner world, understand it better, and discover new freedoms in your thoughts and actions.
Inner Reality vs. Outer Reality
Inner reality is fascinating—but also deceptive. While outer reality describes what is actually happening, inner reality is what we make of it. Here’s an everyday example: my partner comes home from work and is quiet during dinner. Outwardly, nothing more is happening. But in my mind, the internal movie begins: Why is he so quiet? Did something happen at work? Did I do something wrong? The situation itself is neutral, but in my inner world, stories, assumptions, and emotions are spinning.
The key point: Our inner reality often feels like the truth, but it isn’t. The thoughts that drive us are often based on old experiences, patterns, or fears, rather than what is happening here and now. Recognizing that thoughts are not reality is the first step to untangling from this internal web.
Why We So Easily Believe in Our Inner Reality
Our inner reality seems plausible at first. After all, we see the world through our eyes, so everything we think and feel appears logical and true. But here’s the catch: our thoughts are rooted in the past. Experiences from childhood shape how we evaluate situations today. Maybe we didn’t feel heard or taken seriously back then, and these old feelings resurface in the present, even though they don’t belong to the current situation.
Another factor is the way our mind works: it loves to fill in gaps. When we don’t know something for sure, like our partner’s mood, it jumps in with assumptions. And it often defaults to negative interpretations instead of positive ones. Our mind wants to protect us by preparing for danger, but in doing so, it can complicate and burden our lives.
Thoughts: A World of Illusions
It’s important to understand that thoughts are just stories we tell ourselves. They are shaped by beliefs, fears, hopes, and expectations. But they have no reality outside of us. Thoughts are not facts!
Yet, we respond to situations not based on what is truly happening, but on what we believe is happening. It’s like living in a movie we’ve written ourselves, but still feeling frustrated with the plot.
How Can We Align Inner and Outer Worlds?
The first realization is simple but powerful: we can question our thoughts. As soon as we notice that our inner narrative isn’t helpful, we can stop it. Here are a few strategies:
Ask Yourself: Is This True? Reflect: What is really happening? What do I know for certain? Often, we’ll find that our inner assumptions are based on uncertainties or old beliefs.
Use the Moment Between Stimulus and Response: That tiny fraction of a second is enough to pause and change direction. Breathing exercises or conscious reflection can help you choose a new reaction. (If you feel you don’t have this moment, addressing your nervous system can be very helpful.)
Focus on Your Body: Ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? Is there anything in my body that feels uncomfortable? Where do I recognize this feeling from? Practices like autogenic training or mindful breathing help interrupt thought spirals. Directing your focus to your body—for example, noticing how your feet touch the ground—grounds you in the present moment.
Explore Old Patterns: Thought loops often have their roots in the past. With hypnosis or coaching, you can uncover where these patterns come from and why they continue to trigger you. Old connections between thoughts and feelings can be broken, allowing you to experience new freedoms.
Why Change Is Possible
Questioning yourself, understanding your thoughts, and transforming patterns is a process. It takes time, patience, and often support to illuminate your inner reality. On my own journey, I’ve experienced how hard it can be to confront your own thoughts. At first, it feels impossible to interrupt automatic reactions. But with coaching and techniques like hypnosis and nervous system work, I’ve learned that change is achievable.
Nowadays, I recognize my thoughts more quickly and can consciously question them. And even if not every thought disappears, I create more space — space to respond differently, to treat myself with more kindness, and to experience a reality that serves me better.
Final Thoughts
Our thoughts are not set in stone, and they are not reality. They are more like a guidebook we can choose to read or not. By consciously questioning our inner reality, we learn to be less guided by it. It’s a journey worth taking—because it brings us back to ourselves.
I hope this blog inspires you to lovingly examine your thoughts. Change always starts with the first step, and that step could be right now. 😊