Query: Nonsense thoughts?

[golentan]

So, I was hanging with a friend the other day, and started chuckling. And my friend asked "Why'd you laugh?"

Me: "Well, you know that monologue you've always got going on in your head? Mine just churned out a really random and funny phrase."

Them: "Monologue?"

Me: "Yeah, you know. The little stream of words and phrases that just keep circling through your mind. Mine kind of follows dream logic, so it just came out with 'Naturally, you need to watch the frogs unless you want to eat screwdrivers until your mother paints the windows again.'"

Them: "I... don't have a monologue. I've never heard of anyone who does, present company excluded I guess. I mean, I think in sentences..."

Me: "Oh, no. I think in pictures and symbols. The monologue is just there doing it's own thing."

Them: "Right..." *begins edging slowly away from me on the couch*


So... Umm... Is having a constant stream of dream logic words a purely me thing? Should I be worried? I use it to help with spontaneity and whatnot: when stuck for ideas, I wait for it to churn up something to kickstart my creative juices.

[Drakevarg]

I'm always monologuing about something in my head. Usually it involves musing over philosophy, my writing, or my plans for my DnD campaign.

The dream-logic monologue is a tad odd, I suppose.

[Raistlin1040]

I'm always monologuing about something in my head. Usually it involves musing over philosophy, my writing, or my plans for my DnD campaign.

The dream-logic monologue is a tad odd, I suppose.

This is me.

[Drakevarg]

Well, except when I'm not. I call those periods "zen" moments, when I'm not thinking about a single bloody thing, just kinda existing. Very peaceful.

[Lord Raziere]

yea, there is always something spinning and bouncing around in my head, sometimes something just pops into my head

[Serpentine]

Eh, doesn't sound so weird to me, though I dunno if mine's quite on that level. Mine gets annoying, though, when it starts getting recursive. It gets into a cycle of "I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking of my breathing...". A more specific frustrating example of that is if, say, I see an aboriginal kid in a hoody, I start thinking: "A racist person would think that kid's up to no good. But you just thought that. But I was thinking about what someone else would think. But in doing so you were thinking it, so you're racist. But I don't actually think that. But you did." And so on ad infinitum.

I also get words and phrases stuck in my head, as you might a song...

[Eloi]

Well, except when I'm not. I call those periods "zen" moments, when I'm not thinking about a single bloody thing, just kinda existing. Very peaceful.

Teach me how, as I never stop thinking actively about things. ...Ever... I dream of actively thinking about stuff I was actively thinking about.

[Serpentine]

I think that's meant to be a bit of the male/female difference. If you ask a guy what he's thinking about and he says "nothing", he might be genuinely telling the truth. In general, I think that sorta boggles the female mind.

[Drakevarg]

Teach me how, as I never stop thinking actively about things. ...Ever... I dream of actively thinking about stuff I was actively thinking about.

I wish I knew. 99% of the time I'm thinking about something. Then occasionally I suddenly notice... I'm not thinking about ANYTHING. And it's WONDERFUL. I can never do it at will, but if I could I think I would be a much happier man.


I think that's meant to be a bit of the male/female difference. If you ask a guy what he's thinking about and he says "nothing", he might be genuinely telling the truth. In general, I think that sorta boggles the female mind.

I've heard this theory before, but personally I disagree with it. Maybe some people can easily access the "nothing box" as a certain comedian I can't recall once referred to it, but I only ever find it by accident. Usually if I say "nothing" I mean "nothing relevent or insightful."

[Eloi]

I think that's meant to be a bit of the male/female difference. If you ask a guy what he's thinking about and he says "nothing", he might be genuinely telling the truth. In general, I think that sorta boggles the female mind.

According to Science!, our brains are more densely packed with brain cells, so maybe there is less places to not-think in our brains.

[Eloi]

I wish I knew. 99% of the time I'm thinking about something. Then occasionally I suddenly notice... I'm not thinking about ANYTHING. And it's WONDERFUL. I can never do it at will, but if I could I think I would be a much happier man.

Lucky. :smalltongue:
You must discover the Nirvana of Empty-Headedness.

[Serpentine]

Is that so? Heh. Interesting.

In grade 4, my teacher had us meditating every morning. She told us, do not try to "think of nothing", because then you'll still be thinking of something. Instead, you just let your thoughts flow through your mind, without holding on to any for longer than it takes to flick past.

[Eloi]

Is that so? Heh. Interesting.

In grade 4, my teacher had us meditating every morning. She told us, do not try to "think of nothing", because then you'll still be thinking of something. Instead, you just let your thoughts flow through your mind, without holding on to any for longer than it takes to flick past.

How is that relaxing or meditative? You're actively thinking of random stuff because you can't think of anything for very long.

[Drakevarg]

When I meditate, I think about bubbles rising in the abyss. :smalltongue:

[Milskidasith]

I usually think about... practical things, and what I should do at some point to self improve but can't do at the moment; E.G I should probably adjust my preset radio stations back to what they were in my car (when it got taken in by the shop, somebody set it to country and rap stations), but if I'm in my car I'll think about how I should start playing some game again, and if I don't have my phone I'll think about texting somebody, etc.

Also, whenever I go into any bathroom, even if it's just to brush my teeth or shave, I always have an inner monologue that starts out "You know what's interesting?" and then doesn't actually say anything interesting.

[Eloi]

When I meditate, I think about bubbles rising in the abyss. :smalltongue:

How many bubbles? What size? What happens when they hit each other? Do they fall back down or keep floating up? Do they pop at some point? Do Abyssal Bubbles have different floating mechanics? Do you apply the Abyssal template to 'Bubble'? Is Bubble outdated because it was in 3.0? How do you convert? What trope does that invoke? What scientific study of bubbles did I hear about? Is there a certain novel about the serenity of bubbles? There should be! It'd be an epic fantasy novel and everyone shoots bubbles, rides bubbles, morphs bubbles, there's different colored bubbles, and each color marks a different caste, and then the Bubblecaster castes are against each other, and thus that serves as the main conflict of the story. The Bubbles are non-lethal but can daze a victim. There could be Bubble-Succubus, who blows kisses that turn into magic bubbles. And then the Bubble-Demons and the Bubble-Angels could provide the religious backdrop and allegory, only the allegory is flipped somehow to subvert expectations, unless thats trite, than we just not subvert it, and then we have a Bubble Pantheon. Than we can make this a backstory for a campaign setting because I'm too lazy to write a whole novel. There could be bubble feats, classes, races, and the whole setting could be based on bubbles. Its different! And it'll be called Bubblemoor. Or Ravenbubble. Or Bubbleron. Or Bubbleloft. I like Bubbleloft.

...sorry, was this supposed to not make me think?

[golentan]

When I say I'm thinking about nothing, I'm usually thinking about rearranging thought blocks to better slow the creep of certain things I'd rather not have in my mind at all into other parts of my mind.

I cannot imagine not thinking. Ever. I've noticed that when I lose consciousness, it's not so much that I stop thinking as that I stop binding things to memory chronologically, which raises all sorts of questions in my mind as to... Stuff.

And again, the monologue is entirely separate from my thought process. It's just there, doing its own thing. The random number generator of my mind, I guess.

[Catch]

In the writing workshop at my college, we play word games to generate story material.

You'd be sitting in a semi-circle with maybe eight or ten other writers in the workshop, and the instructor asks you to give a word, any word. First thing that pops into your head. The next person comes up with an un-planned word, and it goes around the circle, with each person trying to find a surprise word that comes seemingly from out of nowhere.

People tend to get trapped into thinking patterns, and so tapping into the words that bubble up to the surface of consciousness can evoke strong imagery. It's kind of Zen, but I'll confess to it working.

[Drakevarg]

When I say I'm thinking about nothing, I'm usually thinking about rearranging thought blocks to better slow the creep of certain things I'd rather not have in my mind at all into other parts of my mind.

I just pictured the Bioshock hacking minigame, only the liquid is rainbow-colored. :smallconfused:


I cannot imagine not thinking. Ever. I've noticed that when I lose consciousness, it's not so much that I stop thinking as that I stop binding things to memory chronologically, which raises all sorts of questions in my mind as to... Stuff.

That sounds quite miserable.


And again, the monologue is entirely separate from my thought process. It's just there, doing its own thing. The random number generator of my mind, I guess.

That is different than me, then, I suppose. My monologue changes its subject whenever I'm mentally engaged. (For example, I'm currently narrating this post in my head.) On the other hand, not all activities require mental engagement. Like when I'm playing Guitar Hero, I'll drift off on a monologue and snap back a few minutes later to realize that I'm still playing the song.


...sorry, was this supposed to not make me think?

Admittedly, no. But it is supposed to help you think relaxing thoughts. I generally contemplate philosophy while I'm doing that. Despite normally being the Knight in Sour Armor (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KnightInSourArmor) type, my thoughts tend to get optimistic when I'm meditating.

[Eloi]

People tend to get trapped into thinking patterns, and so tapping into the words that bubble (When I meditate, I think about bubbles rising in the abyss.) up to the surface of consciousness can evoke strong imagery. It's kind of Zen (I call those periods "zen" moments, when I'm not thinking about a single bloody thing, just kinda existing. Very peaceful.), but I'll confess to it working.
We also have a habit of copying each other's sentence structure and word choice when trying to be random.

[Milskidasith]

We also have a habit of copying each other's sentence structure and word choice when trying to be random.

I don't think that we copy each other's structure so much as we tend to have recurring images show up ad infinitum. If we do, it's only because they subconciously flick past, and not due to any active copying on our part. Each person's dream logic is probably their own, not influenced by others. I think if you meditate on this, you could find each person has their own sort of Nirvana of their individual thoughts.

Tongue in cheek? Very much so. Count the references if you can!

[Eloi]

I don't think that we copy each other's structure so much as we tend to have recurring images show up ad infinitum. If we do, it's only because they subconciously flick past, and not due to any active copying on our part. Each person's dream logic is probably their own, not influenced by others. I think if you meditate on this, you could find each person has their own sort of Nirvana of their individual thoughts.

Tongue in cheek? Very much so. Count the references if you can!

I haz bolded all da references, do I get a prize? I'd be thankful. Very much so.

[Milskidasith]

I haz bolded all da references, do I get a prize? I'd be thankful. Very much so.

Hey, some of the words were either unique or common words that don't really count, and I may have changed the phrasing slightly to fit into the sentences.

And no, you don't get a prize. Invisible Cookie! (::)

[Drakevarg]

I don't think that we copy each other's structure so much as we tend to have recurring images show up ad infinitum. (Serpentine) If we do, it's only because they subconciously flick past (Serpentine), and not due to any active copying on our part. Each person's dream logic (Golentan) is probably their own, not influenced by others. I think if you meditate on this, you could find each person has their own sort of Nirvana (Eloi) of their individual thoughts.

Tongue in cheek? Very much so. Count the references if you can!

What I miss?

[Milskidasith]

What I miss?

You missed "Copy each other's structure." It was kind of lifted wholesale from the post directly above mine.

[Eldan]

Eh, doesn't sound so weird to me, though I dunno if mine's quite on that level. Mine gets annoying, though, when it starts getting recursive. It gets into a cycle of "I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking of my breathing...". A more specific frustrating example of that is if, say, I see an aboriginal kid in a hoody, I start thinking: "A racist person would think that kid's up to no good. But you just thought that. But I was thinking about what someone else would think. But in doing so you were thinking it, so you're racist. But I don't actually think that. But you did." And so on ad infinitum.


That's not the worst. My own thoughts start like this and then, about a minute later, go on with "I'm thinking about your own thoughts again."
"But this is thinking about my own thoughts." "Oh, and now I think I'm so cool for thinking about my own thoughts. Really now. Pretending to have an internal monologue." "And what's this supposed to be then? Cynical self-awareness?" "I'm a smart-ass. What am I going to do next? Tell people about this so they think I'm smart?"

Yes, that actually happens. My own inner monologue comments on the stupidity of inner monologues. All the time.

[Drakevarg]

You missed "Copy each other's structure." It was kind of lifted wholesale from the post directly above mine.

I skipped that one, since it made sense to repeat that turn of phrase to answer the question. Also, you skipped the word "sentance."

Oh, and another thought: often instead of internal monologues, I have internal dialogues. Often it devolves into criticizing myself for talking to myself.

[golentan]

I just pictured the Bioshock hacking minigame, only the liquid is rainbow-colored. :smallconfused:

That's... not all that inaccurate. So, you've got that image? Okay, now do it in four dimensions with 6^6th nodes to try and prevent it from reaching.


That sounds quite miserable.

Not really. There's something nice about it: thoughts don't really form, so it's sensations with no chronological order or context.

Sleeping is some of the best time in my life. Just soft breathing, and pillows, and the night sky, and warmth and chill all wrapped up without any suffering, or duty, or pressing needs, or sense of when such things might impinge upon me. Just... existing. Not aware, but alive in a way I haven't when conscious for a long, long time.


That is different than me, then, I suppose. My monologue changes its subject whenever I'm mentally engaged. (For example, I'm currently narrating this post in my head.) On the other hand, not all activities require mental engagement. Like when I'm playing Guitar Hero, I'll drift off on a monologue and snap back a few minutes later to realize that I'm still playing the song.

Hah. Guitar hero: Cruise control for internal monologues.

[Eldan]

Ah, yes. Narrating posts. My inner voice is reading them just a split second before I type them. I even see a picture of myself gesturing in front of an audience. For some reason, I'm wearing a black suit I'm certain I've never owned.

[Dvil]

Hmm. I tend to find I'm perpetually in that zen-like state mentioned earlier, with music filling in the silence, though there are exceptions.
When I'm reading, writing or typing, for instance, I'll hear the words in my head, though I can't identify the voice I hear them with.
Or when I'm unconscious. A couple of times waking up from sleep, and once from sedation, I've woken up thinking a sentence that made sense at the time purely because it was a reply to a previous thought, one which I can't remember because I was asleep at the time.

[rakkoon]

Random images and such don't happen. My inner monologue is never quiet though. I need something to think about while walking, taking a shower, doing the dishes,... Can be about roleplaying, Werewolf games, the book I'm reading, my future at work. Talked about this with my wife and she IS capable of thinking about nothing.
Then again, she can only concentrate on one task at a time (e.g. brushing her hair) while I can do the dishes, watch the children and hold a conversation.
So we're not typical male/female in that perspective.

[Drakevarg]

That's... not all that inaccurate. So, you've got that image? Okay, now do it in four dimensions with 6^6th nodes to try and prevent it from reaching.

To quote Col. Jack O'Neill: "...well, screw that."

[Quincunx]

What makes the difference between internal and external logic, when deciding if the meanderings of the mind follow logic or are nonsense? Who pinpoints the weaknesses in either type of logic when built upon a single flaw? Who counts the moments when the old logic is discarded and the train of thought continues under a new system of logic? I have decided that the internal logic doesn't break whether that particular external listener fails to follow the logic, or whether a competing logic system makes an equal amount of sense. I believe that the sense of rage when trying to defend the logic of one's blurted answer is rage at the inadequacy of the self to follow the speed of one's own mind, not necessarily rage at being unable to reconcile the internal logic with the conclusion. (In this case anger is the province of the child and the idiot, of unrealized potential.) Finding a thought which isn't bound by logic, internal or external, self-consistent or broken, is somewhat less easy than continuing to live from one moment to the next.


. . .I cannot imagine not thinking. Ever. I've noticed that when I lose consciousness, it's not so much that I stop thinking as that I stop binding things to memory chronologically, which raises all sorts of questions in my mind as to... Stuff. . .

Pardon the jaunt off-topic but is this loss of consciousness simple sleep, losing consciousness during the waking period mechanically (choking or fainting), losing consciousness mentally (hello reflection, I think I'll stare at you awhile), or otherwise? This doesn't match up with what happens when I come back from fainting and for a few moments, only experience, without the ability to think; there's not a chronological loss.

[ForzaFiori]

I don't have an inner monologue, per say, but I always have a song that takes it's place. I don't get how you think in pictures though man. I have straight words.

What is weird about me though, is that every so often, for no reason, the voice in my head that is saying these words gets REALLY angry and starts yelling everything.

[Drascin]

Me, I'm a tad odd. I don't so much think constantly - though that too, but I think more in buzzing random ideas going past my mind faster than I can focus them than an actual monologue - as... pay attention constantly. The beating of my heart. The movement of my muscles. The slightest sounds. What people three conversations away are saying. I just can't shut off my reception centers. Even as I'm fully focused on playing a game two rooms away, I'm still noting and cataloguing everything people are saying in the living room. It's a big part of why I'm pretty sure my default brain state would be described by most as "mild headache". I taught myself how to almost literally shut off my brain, only thinking of a black screen, hen I was like twelve, because it was the only way of managing to fall asleep without three hours of ceiling-staring (being exhausted enough to be almost unable to stay conscious also works). But it only works if it's quiet, because noise breaks my anti-concentration and I'm back to analyzing everything.

Bad part is, thinking of walking and how you're moving each muscle with each step makes you walk really funny - people say I walk like a bird. Good thing is, I could spend some classes playing Gameboy (those were the pokémon days!) under the table and still ace them because I was still memorizing everything the teacher said :smalltongue:.

[Kiren]

I usually have an inner monologue, often its me and my mind debating with each other constantly (not always, I do monologue other things, none of which I can remember right now.) I usually lose the arguments.

[Eloi]

I usually have an inner monologue, often its me and my mind debating with each other constantly (not always, I do monologue other things, none of which I can remember right now. I usually lose the arguments.

I have voices that tell me I hear dead people . Those silly voices inside my head...

...not crazy, I swear.

[Kiren]

I have voices that tell me I hear dead people . Those silly voices inside my head...

...not crazy, I swear.

lol, I believe you Eloi.

[Eloi]

lol, I believe you Eloi.

That makes *one* *two *...thirteen of you who think so. Well Magic-Fred is having second doubts but he always does.

[rakkoon]

Yeah , that's completely normal....

*Points Eloi out to the people carrying a straight jacket*

[Roc Ness]

I get that monologue thing your talking about, but rather than being at the dream-logic level, it sorta rides my emotions... if I'm fustrated it'll be really down to earth, ranting about everything wrong with my life and the universe in general (and generally this stuff escapes through my mouth)

If I'm happy in general then it'll be pointing out everything and anything around me, leading to me suddenly turning and staring intently at things, or absent-mindedly chasing butterflies or something. And I'm not kidding. :smallredface:

[UnChosenOne]

I usually 've always inner monologue on. Usually it's harmless but at this moment... well, let's say that having inner monoogue about a same (though awesome) topic on your head for over a month is more than litle bit annoying. Luckily it seems that it could be finally over as I've got another topic stuck in my head.

Though this inner monolouge is always broken when I'm writing something or when it's pierced by the mind images (yeah, I can think in pictures. Sadly those pitures are always were disturding. Don't know why though).

[Eldan]

I forgot, my emotions are screwed up as well. I remember, when I would get into fights with my father as a child, ca. 10 years old.

One part of my brain would go the classical "that's so unfair! How can you do that! I can make my own decisions!" way. The other part(s)? "Now, I look just a little angrier. Hmm. Here I could stamp my foot, and then perhaps shout this syllable. Now, if I turn around and run away, slamming my door, that would look really pissed off. Yes, like that. Good. Heavy breathing, now, staring at the ceiling... and cry."

[Eloi]

I forgot, my emotions are screwed up as well. I remember, when I would get into fights with my father as a child, ca. 10 years old.

One part of my brain would go the classical "that's so unfair! How can you do that! I can make my own decisions!" way. The other part(s)? "Now, I look just a little angrier. Hmm. Here I could stamp my foot, and then perhaps shout this syllable. Now, if I turn around and run away, slamming my door, that would look really pissed off. Yes, like that. Good. Heavy breathing, now, staring at the ceiling... and cry."

Wow one part of your mind sounds like a creepy-porn director.

[Totally Guy]

A more specific frustrating example of that is if, say, I see an aboriginal kid in a hoody, I start thinking: "A racist person would think that kid's up to no good. But you just thought that. But I was thinking about what someone else would think. But in doing so you were thinking it, so you're racist. But I don't actually think that. But you did." And so on ad infinitum.

I end up justifying my own willingness to converse with myself and make it a dialogue.

Sometimes my lips move during this.

[Eldan]

Wow one part of your mind sounds like a creepy-porn director.

Thank you for that new and insightful way to look at my own psyche :smalltongue:

^Edit: my lips move too sometimes, yes. Especially when I'm preparing statements for conversations I might have later.

[Roc Ness]

^Edit: my lips move too sometimes, yes. Especially when I'm preparing statements for conversations I might have later.

That sometimes happens to me as well. Although I also have this annoying habit of repeating stuff I say under my breath as soon as I finish saying it. I don't even realise it until people say "Why're you repeating yourself? I heard you the first time."

[Eloi]

That sometimes happens to me as well. Although I also have this annoying habit of repeating stuff I say under my breath as soon as I finish saying it. I don't even realise it until people say "Why're you repeating yourself? I heard you the first time."

I sometimes forget I don't say things I think to see, kinda the inverse of that.

[Quincunx]

Lack of temporal focus, or the spoken word treated as the written, infinitely subject to edit?

[Eldan]

Ah, yes.

Them: "Hello-oh?"
Me: "Hmm?"
Them: "You weren't answering. You've been staring at the air for twenty seconds."
Me: "What? I just explained my point."
Them "No, you didn't. You were moving your lips a little, but not speaking."
Me: "Oh. In that case, I was thinking about what to say."
Them: "And what did you want to say?"
Me: "I forgot."


Only happened four, five times in my life, but it's always embarrassing.

[Roc Ness]

Lack of temporal focus, or the spoken word treated as the written, infinitely subject to edit?

... Probably the latter.

[_Zoot_]

Sometimes I have the inner-monologue going at full power, thinking of conversations I will never have, telling me that I am pathetic, planning my first orders as Emperor of the Human Race (it follows my moods, if I am sad, it tells me why I should be, if I am happy, it drifts in and out of the conversation, depending on how involved I am with it, it wonders if I could get some of that delicious looking cake (it does tend to stray...)) or just running through plot ideas for the next DnD session.

But other times I just have ideas that appear, are registered and then replaced. They move really fast, and change topics really quickly too, this has lead to me getting a reputation at school for having really really strange questions to ask at odd times (the escape velocity of the earth in an economics class for example).

This leads me to sometimes get lost in the middle of conversations and the like, much to the amusement of my peers.

And then there are times when I go to sleep, when I will have the monologue on for a while, then it will give way to the idea flow, that shifts around for a little bit, normally moving off on a tangent, then the monologue will turn back on and take me back to the discussion we were having, but as I go to sleep the ideas start to take over and the monologue goes to sleep with me, it is like talking to a tired friend, you both kind of want to go to sleep, but you are worried that if you do then you will never have a conversation quite like this one again.

I also get the deepest talks with my inner-monologue when I am going to sleep; I get all kinds of stuff , philosophical stuff, religious stuff, wondering how my friends really see me, if they actually like me the same why I like them, that kind of crap.

Any way, I think that is how I think...

[Coplantor]

...So... Umm... Is having a constant stream of dream logic words a purely me thing? Should I be worried? I use it to help with spontaneity and whatnot: when stuck for ideas, I wait for it to churn up something to kickstart my creative juices.

It works the same way for me, and I'm fairly normal, if you dont consider what everyone thinks about me

[Eldan]

I never get any deep conversations with my inner monologue :smallfrown: Just trivial comments.

[_Zoot_]

I never get any deep conversations with my inner monologue :smallfrown: Just trivial comments.

At lest yours doesn't send you into states of depression at times, mine is known to do that...

It might be plotting against me.

[Roc Ness]

At lest yours doesn't send you into states of depression at times, mine is known to do that...

It might be plotting against me.

Ditto. Also ditto with the deep meaningful discussions, although for me they occur whenever I'm feeling bored.

[golentan]

Pardon the jaunt off-topic but is this loss of consciousness simple sleep, losing consciousness during the waking period mechanically (choking or fainting), losing consciousness mentally (hello reflection, I think I'll stare at you awhile), or otherwise? This doesn't match up with what happens when I come back from fainting and for a few moments, only experience, without the ability to think; there's not a chronological loss.

Simple sleep, but it also held true for drug induced blackout and fainting from blood loss.

[Weezer]

I have that, I'm always monologing to myself about something or other, generally it has nothing to do with what's actually going on. Oftentimes i find myself thinking about a random event from years ago and I have to stop and try to follow back my train of thoughts, my brain makes very interesting associative leaps at times.



I also get words and phrases stuck in my head, as you might a song...

That happens to me all the time, I've had moiety stuck in my head for about a week now and I really want to get it out.

[Dogmantra]

I'm either thinking in conversations or what I'm going to do. When I'm not doing these things, lines from songs go endlessly through my head.

[The Succubus]

Mine involves plotting to take over the world and how I'd go about doing it. The enslavement process begins here, future citizens.

Aside from that, I usually have background music playing of some sort. None of it is very good though as it tends to clash with my iPod.

[Bliu Skye]

I often subconsciously 'narrate' my life, but the narration erratically flickers from first to third to second person, usually in the present tense. Also, when I'm thinking, my thoughts often drift like a dream, for example, I could start thinking about one thing and ten minutes later 'wake up' and think "Okay how the hell did I get on THIS subject" and then spend another five minutes tracing the connections between the thoughts.
Normally, I think in abstract, but when I'm solving a complex problem or having difficulty focusing (that's ADD for you) I force myself to think in complete sentences.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

I hold reasoned and highly polite arguments within my head, but I cannot imagine it to be much of an oddity.

(Upon typing that sentence my inner voice of reason chimed in: "It is most conceivable that all people's oddities are perceived as entirely natural by them, and that it is only through exposure to the perceptions of others that the normality of these things comes into question.")

[Telonius]

For me, there's a difference between thinking and experiencing. Usually, I'm thinking of something consciously. If I'm just sitting there and letting the sensory information flow, without evaluating it or forming an opinion, there's no monologue. On very rare occasions that flow goes outward. That's usually when I write my best poetry and (very occasionally) narrative. I'm convinced Tolkien was in a state like that when he described Rohan's arrival at the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

[Drakevarg]

For me, there's a difference between thinking and experiencing. Usually, I'm thinking of something consciously. If I'm just sitting there and letting the sensory information flow, without evaluating it or forming an opinion, there's no monologue. On very rare occasions that flow goes outward. That's usually when I write my best poetry and (very occasionally) narrative. I'm convinced Tolkien was in a state like that when he described Rohan's arrival at the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

I write some of my best dialogue in this state. It's quite wonderful to simply sit there typing nonstop for several minutes and winding up with a lengthy, witty, thoughtful exchange between two interesting characters.

[Roc Ness]

I write some of my best dialogue in this state. It's quite wonderful to simply sit there typing nonstop for several minutes and winding up with a lengthy, witty, thoughtful exchange between two interesting characters.

Wish I could do that. The best I ever write is when I'm fustrated and my internal monologue goes all sarcastic; then I write with every single piece of knowledge I have about why the world is evil. The result is a paragraph strikingly similar to an analysis of life/the universe-as-we-know-it from any Terry Pratchet book you can name. :smallannoyed:

[RandomNPC]

when I focus on a task the narrator voice tends to confirm what I'm doing. When I'm not focused I'm either running songs in my noggin to keep everything else out, bantering with the voice over something personally important, or just letting it ramble on to see what comes of it.

I think solid personal thoughts in images, single words, and full sentances, depending on multiple criteria. these thoughts are completely seperate but apparently known to the narrator, whom I beleive may be an illithid. I plan on finding this out by There is no mind control go back to your fun.

[Copacetic]

Eh, doesn't sound so weird to me, though I dunno if mine's quite on that level. Mine gets annoying, though, when it starts getting recursive. It gets into a cycle of "I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking of my breathing...". A more specific frustrating example of that is if, say, I see an aboriginal kid in a hoody, I start thinking: "A racist person would think that kid's up to no good. But you just thought that. But I was thinking about what someone else would think. But in doing so you were thinking it, so you're racist. But I don't actually think that. But you did." And so on ad infinitum.


This is me.

and I personally have no trouble stopping thinking about something and letting my mind go blank. I think this says something about my mental acuity. :smalltongue:

[Zocelot]

I think in words when I imagine that somebody is reading my mind, or when I imagine talking to people. I also do it when I take a moment to think about what I'll say or what I said.

[PersonMan]

I tend to get rather focused on what I do, and I'm usually listening to music in the background unless I can't(at school or the like).

During those times I end up with...well, I depends. What I do know is that at almost all times, when I think it's with a 'voice', and I can easily switch into a sort of...well, I usually describe it as watching TV but controlling everything. I do this when I listen to good music, which also speeds up my typing if it's fast music, or whenever I get too bored. I pull in stimuli from the outside and work it in, resulting in a mishmash of ideas I eventually called the Energyk Universe. This is also where just about all(99.9%) of my character concepts come from. I'll hear a good song, switch into the Energyk Universe(If you know what an AMV is, it's like watching/making one of those while the song plays) and at times I end up with a new character concept. However, the problem is that I often end up with huge hordes of unplayed characters, and the Energyk Universe(which I, when I was younger, wanted to make a TV show) is filled to the brim with random characters.

Also, I have a very visual mind. Whenever someone is described(or even their background) I come up with a picture of them. And some tastes or temperatures are sharp, dull, etc. Today I had some of this Swedish carbonated drink that tasted warm(it wasn't) and round.

[Arakune]

Ah, yes.

Them: "Hello-oh?"
Me: "Hmm?"
Them: "You weren't answering. You've been staring at the air for twenty seconds."
Me: "What? I just explained my point."
Them "No, you didn't. You were moving your lips a little, but not speaking."
Me: "Oh. In that case, I was thinking about what to say."
Them: "And what did you want to say?"
Me: "I forgot."


Only happened four, five times in my life, but it's always embarrassing.

That happens two to three time per month with me, unless I'm specially in the mood for a talk. In that case it happens every other talk.

[Salbazier]

naturally I alwasy think about something. Often what I think has nothing to do with what I'm doing. I don't bother to remember my own thought pattern (and I've always have trouble coming with a specific example when called for) so i can't give you an illustration of how I think. Not now at least. Odd monologue like OP though, usually only happens when I'm dreaming.