Nicoll and Inner Stop

According to Nicoll, “inner stop” is a preliminary step towards self-remembering. It involves ceasing the flow of automatic thoughts and associations and is a practice that can be done daily.

Here’s a more detailed explanation of the significance of “inner stop”.

1. Breaking Mechanical Associations

Inner stop breaks the chain of mechanical associations for a moment, which can allow something new to reach you that is normally impossible.

By interrupting the usual flow of thoughts, it creates an opening for new perceptions and insights.

2. Achieving Silence and Stillness

It requires a state of total silence and loss of the ordinary sense of oneself. It means standing motionless in the mind, similar to how the body can stand motionless externally.

This internal stillness is crucial for self-remembering.

3. Not Trying to Stop Thoughts

The practice of inner stop is not the same as trying to stop your thoughts. Instead, it is about standing motionless in your mind and not paying attention to the thoughts that pass by.

While trying to stop thoughts is an active struggle that is generally not achievable, inner stop is about taking a passive position of non-engagement with one’s thoughts.

4. A Beginning of Self-Remembering

Inner stop is a starting point, and is considered the beginning of self-remembering.

5. Overcoming Slavery to the Machine

The inability to practice inner stop is indicative of being a slave to one’s machine, bound to the ceaseless flow of mechanical thoughts and negative emotions.

People are often too attached to their machines to take even a minute to perform this practice.

6. Creating a Space

By stopping the usual internal noise, inner stop creates a space within oneself, a kind of portico or hall where impressions can be perceived more consciously.

In essence, inner stop is a method for interrupting the usual automatic and mechanical flow of thoughts and creating an opening for a higher level of consciousness that is fundamental to self-remembering.

The practice of inner stop can bring one into contact with a deeper sense of oneself and the present moment.

Without the practice of inner stop, self-remembering is not possible.

Here is Nicoll from his Psychological Commentaries on inner stop:

Another form of self-remembering is called making “inner stop” in oneself. This is done in connection with self-observation. For example you observe that you are beginning to talk in a certain mechanical way, or that you are getting annoyed with somebody, etc.
You then make “inner stop”, as it is called, but this must be made completely, as if something were cut off. It does not matter if later on the things you are trying to stop come back.¹

And again, from the same Volume:

It is necessary to stop the chain of automatic associations every day. This can be done by inner stop—that is, stopping everything, all thoughts, etc. This is the beginning of self-remembering.²

Appendix: The Difference Between Outer Stop and Inner Stop

Nicoll also spoke of the importance of outer stop, and in this quote he contrasts the two:

Now, apart from the exercise where the body is made motionless, which can be called Outer Stop, there is another exercise similar but different, where the mind is made motionless. This is called Inner Stop. Both have to do with bringing about a state of motionlessness. But the two exercises are not performed in the same sphere.
In the case of the first, the body in space is stopped. People may pass you, speak to you, tell you how silly you look, and so on. But your body and your eyes remain motionless in space. In the case of the second, the practice of Inner Stop, you stand motionless in your mind. Thoughts pass you, speak to you, ask you what you are up to and so on, but you pay no attention to them.
You will see at once that Inner Stop is connected with a form of Self-Remembering. Now you must note that the Inner Stop exercise is not the same as trying to stop your thoughts. Try to stop your thoughts; and if you are sincere about your experiences of yourself—and you cannot work unless you are—you will admit it cannot be done. But to stand motionless in your mind is another matter.³

Inner Stop: 6 Points on Strengthening our Self-Remembering

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