Name and disarm the inner critic

Give the critical voice a name and recognize it as a character, not the truth.

Why it works

Cameron’s "Censor" is the internalized critical voice that pre-judges work before it exists. Naming it and treating it as a recurring character creates distance — you can notice the voice without obeying it. That defusion lets you keep creating while the criticism plays in the background instead of stopping you at the start.

How to do it

1. Notice the voice that says your work is bad before you’ve even made it.
2. Give it a name and a personality so it becomes "that voice" rather than "the truth."
3. Acknowledge it and create anyway, instead of arguing with it or obeying it.

Evidence

Naming and distancing from a critical inner voice closely parallels cognitive defusion in acceptance-and-commitment therapy, which has clinical support for reducing the grip of unhelpful thoughts. Cameron arrived at the technique through teaching rather than research. (mechanistic)

The defusion mechanism is supported in clinical contexts; the specific "name your Censor" framing is practitioner craft built on the same idea.

Common mistake

Trying to argue the critic into silence, which keeps you fused with it. The move is to notice it and keep working, not to win the debate.