The following interviews appear in the Self Talk, Soul Talk book.
An Interview with Marilyn Meberg
Marilyn Meberg is a licensed therapist, an author, and a professional speaker. Listen in on our conversation for a moment as Marilyn described her own self talk to me.
Jennifer: Do you ever speak to yourself with
self-condemnation? What if you do
something stupid? Do you ever say,
‘Marilyn, you knucklehead!’
Marilyn: (Laughs) A million times.
Jennifer: But not to the extent that it’s a real problem?
Marilyn: (Laughs even louder) Of course to the extent that
it’s a problem! But when I speak to
myself that way, sometimes I need to hear that. Sometimes I’ve done a dumb thing, a tactless thing, something that is
lacking wisdom. And I will chastise
myself, and I need to hear that sometimes. It’s like a parent has to discipline a child. I discipline myself. “Now Marylyn, you could avoid that next time,
if you would just…"
Jennifer: So you counsel yourself?
Marilyn: I take myself into my office and I have a
chat. And when I come out of the office,
I either want my money back, or I’ll say, “You know, that was good.” That’s constructive, not condemning
though. As you know, there are some
levels of self-condemnation that are damaging.
Jennifer: How do you know the difference?
Marilyn: Oh, sometimes I need the correction. Sometimes I need the discipline. Sometimes I need to own the truth. That’s instruction. That’s good for me. That builds me up. But when I feel condemned, like I’m not good
enough, that’s not instructive. That’s
destructive. Instruction brings life;
condemnation brings destruction.
