From my personal perspective; the concept"self talk" happens consciously, the "automatic thoughts" happens unconsciously.

Self Talk is a conscious effort to kill some apprehension. Automatic thoughts are unconscious goal directed regulators

According to CBT, cognitions are inherently conscious - that's why we can access our negative automatic thoughts (in oppostion to schemas, for instance, which are inherently tacit). The internal monologue (i.e., self-talk) is a sequence of verbal cognitions directed at one's self, and this can be, in clinical terms, more spontaneous, such as self-criticism, or more intended, such as in positive internal monologue that can be targeted in intervention. To put simple: automatic thoughts are inherently involuntary; internal monologue can be either voliuntary or involuntary (please note that when the patient "replaces" negative automatic thoughts with rational alternative ones, the latest do not become immediately "automatic".

I think these are great points, and to add, there is an overtness about self-talk that makes it different from automatic thoughts. Self-talk can be overt and covert. Automatic thoughts are covert, and really belong more to the category of inner speech.

Carlos, I tend to agree with you. The concept of an unconscious-in the sense of multi-leveled consciousness whereby the communicative-mind somehow is beyond directive reach and inhabits a different level-seems merely an illusion, but certainly consciousness itself is layered and thereby reflects on the phenomenon understood by the question. In the past this activity was assigned to demons and devils, but in fact it represents communication levels within ourself. Self-talk is more on the higher or upper reaches of consciousness, involving physical manifestation, lips can move or speech can he heard, while automated thoughts simply-in terms of higher levels of consciousness-done in a whisper.

We indeed have concepts for this phenomena-day-dreaming, half-asleep, not yet with us- and numerous others in different cultures reflecting on the normative nature of this.

Well done, beautiful ideas