Managing Your Inner Critic: Coping with Trauma

Of all the things that we have no control of in our lives – the way we speak to ourselves should not be one of them. We should not become task masters and tough drill sargents to ourselves. Why not? Because it doesn’t work! No one wants to live with a bully – even if that bully has taken up permanent residence inside of us! The more we blame ourselves, feel shame for our perceived lack of perfection, the less we are able to motivate ourselves to change. The weight of the self criticism sits heavily on our psyche and freezes us in a way that it becomes difficult to act in our own best interests.

In this workshop we will dissect the psychology of the Inner Critic, learn to see the many different ways in which this voice guides our behavior, and we will find ways to quieten her punishing tone, thereby re-establishing a healthy relationship with ourselves.

​Sangeeta Bansal, Ph.D., is a mindfulness and meditation teacher, and teaches courses at schools and colleges, such as Princeton University, Stern School of Business (NYU) and Rye Country Day School. She has been invited as a mindfulness consultant to Hong Kong International School to train students and faculty, and also to Columbia Business School as a guest speaker. She volunteers as a mindfulness teacher in inner city schools. She also works with corporate leaders, womens’ groups, children, and young adults who seek to reduce stress and find sources of happiness and meaning in their lives. Sangeeta is also an experienced Enneagram Consultant (The Enneagram is a tool by which people understand their own and others’ personalities, leading to better work and personal relationships and realizing one’s potential to the fullest), and teaches workshops on special topics such as Ayurveda, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and Vedanta.

​After receiving her MBA from IESE (Barcelona), and her Ph.D from Rutgers University, Sangeeta worked in the corporate sector as well as an Adjunct Professor. In 2008, she turned to meditation and mindfulness in her personal life, and then went on to be a full time meditation teacher.

​​Sangeeta lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, New York.