Interruption Exercise

In preparation for last weekend’s retreat, I rediscovered a bunch of great exercises that I had long since forgotten. Exercises that make you think about the subtle ways we interact with others. The ways we seek approval.

We used one of these exercises last weekend, and I’d like to share another one with you today. This one comes from Byron Katie’s book, I Need Your Love. Is It True?, pages 47-49, which I quote.

Interruption Exercise

“A good way to become aware of the thoughts that fly by during a conversation is to watch yourself interrupting people. You probably notice when someone interrupts you in midsentence, but if you’re the one doing it, it may not be so obvious.

Step One

“Simply notice when you interrupt. Don’t stop your interrupting; just notice it. Try this during a phone call or while chatting with your mother or a colleague at the office.

Step Two

“As you interrupt, silently say this to yourself: “I’m not letting you finish your sentence because ___________” (and fill in the blank). This will hardly slow you down at all. Just watch, and let the blank fill itself in with what you usually hide from yourself in the blur of a conversation.

Here Are Some Examples Of What Various People Have Discovered

“I’m not letting you finish your sentence because

…I already know where you’re going, and I have something more clever to say.”

…I might forget what I have to say and lose this great opportunity to impress you.”

…I already know where you’re going, and I want to avoid that territory.”

…you aren’t interesting enough to distract me from my scary thoughts.”

…you’re having such a hard time expressing yourself, I’m going to rescue you by saying it better.”

…interrupting you is a natural expression of my enthusiasm.”

“When you’ve done this exercise enough times to recognize the top three thoughts that lead you to interrupt, ask yourself if they’re true, and continue with how you react when you believe the thoughts, and who you would be without them. Then turn the thoughts around.”

Give This Exercise A Try This Week

Are you open to meeting your uncensored mind? This is a chance to notice what’s going on inside, behind the words of conversation.

Feel free to share what you notice in the comment section below throughout the week.

Have a great week,
Todd

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Interruption Exercise