"Mind noise"

[pyrogen]

I normally live with and have to cope with a lot of "brain noise".

I can almost "hear" my thoughts at times. I know they're my thoughts though and this distinguishes it from a hallucination, psychiatrists I've worked with all found me to be proficient in reality testing and none thought I had a hallucinatory issue. I'm diagnosed with ADHD, and I've talked to a few others with ADHD now who don't experience this as part of THEIR ADHD and just think it's really weird. I have a very hard time describing my "brain noise" to people.

The inside of my mind is like having fifty TV channels all blaring at the same time. Half of my day is spent struggling with all the impulses and ideas that I already have. I'm hyperverbal and can spend all day - and night, I've spent over 24 hours at a stretch doing this - writing and never run out of stuff to write, even when I start making up nonsensical stuff. ( have trouble holding a conversation sometimes because of how fragmentary and tangential many of my thoughts are. Whenever my partner asks what I'm thinking about, there is no way I can describe what I'm thinking - because I'm sifting "pieces" of unrelated info. It's frequently hard for me to follow a conversation coherently. Whenever I write or talk, I typically have a response that's 10x as wordy as the thing I'm responding to. I'm really struggling with this.

Whenever I've (very briefly, a few days at most) done raw diet, the amount of mind noise goes up. It goes from a volume of about 8 - my usual, can be tuned out to an extent by focusing on one thing or by doing a physical task - to about a 10. Nearly an intolerable level. I had a lot of physical energy, but I felt ratcheted up so high on the "mind noise" that it felt like I was going to go crazy. It starts to feel like a lot of children screaming inside my head. The ideas come too fast and too much, I can't take that kind of intensity.

When I've done a low-carb meat-centered diet, though, the mind noise actually tones down somewhat... maybe from an 8 to a 6.

I've been on some medications that helped. When I was on Paxil, it helped because it took emotionally-oriented items out of the mind noise equation, lowering the noise level to about a 6 or 7. It sort of acted like a "V Chip" or parental blocking on a cable box; it blocked the emotionally loaded channels. Sexual thoughts, emotionally loaded stuff like memories, thoughts that had a compulsive nature, and emotional associations - those channels were blocked or significantly blunted.

I have taken stimulant meds for ADHD. Stimulant medication helps the most, when I've been on Adderall and Vyvanse my noise level goes down to about a 4 or 5. Stimulant meds seem to be the thing that best helps my "mind noise". I'm able to follow conversations better and I don't feel verbal compulsion as much on stim meds.

Very intense exercise - an hour for example, or exercise to near exhaustion - also helps for about two hours but then I'm too tired to actually be able to write or follow a conversation. The noise comes back at about the same time that I physically recover. And each time I have to work harder to push the noise back.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience, what it's like for them.

[erego]

My exflatmate described symptoms like yours to me. He was diagnosed ADHD as a kid. In his late teens early 20s was diagnosed anxiety-depressed. He said it seems there's a lot of noise in his head and 90% of the time he couldn't concentrate on the thread of the conversation or even the simplest things. Most of his time he spent on controlling his impulses (whatever they were). He went on Paxil I think, not sure, but said they didn't help. The drug scattered the noise and dulled it a bit but he didn't like it. Preferred it when it was focused as normal. I think because he said at least then, when focused, he could control it to an extent. He tried meditation but gave up very soon 'cause his mind wouldn't quiet down. I suppose for people like you guys you need to try much harder than normal to meditate.

Don't give up though. Find, create a way to decrease or stop that; even use it to your advantage.

[2ko]

I know exactly what you mean. I have been diagnosed with ADHD also. I strongly recommend you read the book the power of now (Amazon.com: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment: Eckhart Tolle: Books). that is the answer you are looking for. its about the insanity of the mind and how to tune it out and experience just the present moment.

[therisingsun09]

Originally Posted by pyrogen

The inside of my mind is like having fifty TV channels all blaring at the same time. Half of my day is spent struggling with all the impulses and ideas that I already have. I'm hyperverbal and can spend all day - and night, I've spent over 24 hours at a stretch doing this - writing and never run out of stuff to write, even when I start making up nonsensical stuff.

This is quite "normal" to me, and by normal I mean in the context of the way we think in the west. I actually wrote down something similar a few months ago, as if my mind was a load of TV sets dragging me in.

The solution is yoga. Yoga is the intentional stopping of the spontaneous activity of the mind. Book Four - Part 1 The meditations here helped me, and also doing Ashtanga Yoga in the mornings, simply focusing on my breath, letting other thoughts pass.

That solution will probably work for you, all you have to do is start doing it.

[Parthon]

I have a similar thing, but I wouldn't say 50 channels, more like about 7-8. I would be at a 3 on your scale, not an 8.

I'm not sure how drugs or meditation would help, but like you have said, certain things do.

I do have one question though: Have you explored the idea of the question: "Why do I have so much going on in my head at once?" I believe everything happens for a reason, so why would you have a head full of crazy tv channels?

[schola]

I have this problem too. And most people have no idea what I'm describing so I quit trying. I have random bits and pieces of words, songs, and conversations bouncing around in my head all the time. It's the worst for me in that limbo period between waking and sleeping. Like you, I have ADHD.

I had to wonder for a while if I was schizophrenic! Don't they hear voices in their heads? Heh. But this is completely different. I don't listen to the voices and do their bidding because most of the time it's incomprehensible.

Meditation helps turn the volume down. Adderall helps me too, but I don't like the side effects of the drug so I quit taking it.

[Dusty]

Kunlun Nei Gung | Ancient knowledge, spiritual practices, and healing methods

[therisingsun09]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Kunlun Nei Gung | Ancient knowledge, spiritual practices, and healing methods

Never have I seen a website that looks like more of a scam

[Parthon]

You haven't seen many websites then.

The site is for spiritual growth, which could help your problem, but probably not. It's like going to a massage therapist when you have a broken leg, yeah you'll feel better and more relaxed, but your leg won't heal.

Have you had any progress?

[Fullcrum]

I hit the Eckhart Tolle heavy every night to calm such voices. I also have a runaway mind at times, and this helps immensely. Just listen to his voice (or any other spiritual/zen teacher of presence and stillness) as you are falling asleep and you will start to develop more presence and "no-mind" throughout the day.

I can't make it any simpler than this so the only thing you should do is try it out. If it works for a scientific hyper-analyzing person like me, it can definitely work for you.