We all know that voice, that feeling, that constriction that works from within to keep us measured and “in line.” We’ve all had an experience or two (or a hundred) where we want something, but hold back because something within us speaks to us with a shame-laced tone. And even if shame is nowhere present in our internal monologue, there’s still so often that part of us that works us into a box to protect us from the mystery and possible dangers of the unknown.

The inner critic operates as both protector and oppressor within us.

Feeling like you’re going through the motions? Just surviving? This is the experience of autopilot – living from our default operating system.

What does contemplation mean? What is a contemplative practice? When I was new to such thoughts, I thought of words like “silence,” “darkness,” “chanting,” and images of monks wandering the hallways of some far-off monastery.

But I just don’t think that’s right.

The purpose of contemplation is infused within our everyday lives, not based on our sitting in silence or following strict rules. It's about how we begin to approach the world in a qualitatively different way.

"Engaging in the contemplative tradition has become more about how I engage with the world and less about the quality of any periods of silence."

What are the contemplative practices you’re engaging and the experiences you’re having that are helping you to sink into the depths of Presence?

Over the past ten years, I’ve learned from the breakdown of my engagement/relationship, the political campaign I worked on, the lineage of contemplative Christianity, including Richard Rohr and Cynthia Bourgeault, somatic experiencing, Rumi, and more.

But that’s just me - and I invite you to make your own list.

In the meantime, here are 6 tools and resources that might support you in your own inner work.

Shadow work is practical and accessible for each of us. It’s not about adding on, but about infusing in. This is a practice for your life, not a rigid structure to fit your life into. Make it how you want it and how you need it.

In the journey of inner deepening – whether you call it self-help, personal growth, or something else entirely – the inner critic often emerges as a formidable obstacle.

Here are seven books on the inner critic that will provide valuable insights and practical techniques toward healing the harm caused both within ourselves and by us in our communities.

The inner critic in each of us doesn't need to be destroyed or conquered. It needs to be understood, listened to, and given the permission to rest. Based on my book Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life, here are several misconceptions about the inner critic we've been handed and a few ways we can move beyond them.

It was in that moment of silence that I noticed how busy and loud my own mind was and I became aware of how I was actually making up a story about why he wasn’t speaking…

Engaging in the contemplative tradition has become more about how I engage with the world and less about the quality of any periods of silence.

An interview with licensed mental health counselor, somatic psychotherapist, and movement educator Jenny McGrath on the topics of purity culture, somatic awareness, and Christian Nationalism.