Voice Dialogue:
Building Partnerships with Inner Selves

by Jane Helsley

"I consider the Voice Dialogue process to be one of the most powerful tools for personal growth that I've ever discovered. I feel that understanding and integrating this work can facilitate a major expansion of consciousness for the planet as a whole."

- Shakti Gawain,
author of Creative Visualization and Living in the Light

As the millennium dawns, voices in conflict for centuries are coming together in a new way. Aided by mediators and those skilled in dialogue principles, genuine partnerships are forming across race, gender, religion, and other cultural divisions. Now, through a process called Voice Dialogue, you can use those same principles to develop awareness and partnerships among your inner selves.

The first step is to realize that we do have multiple selves and they don't always get along. We have selves who tell us to work harder, selves who have romantic fantasies, selves who want to save money, and others who insist we buy the latest self-help book. There are voices that sound like our mother, father, ex-teachers and ex-spouses. Some voices are so loud and unrelenting that they overpower those selves who try to tell us how magical life can be, or how scared they are, or simply that they want to be loved.

Just as any group in conflict may need a compassionate mediator to ensure all voices are heard, Voice Dialogue provides a trained facilitator who offers a listening ear to each self's experience. Unlike some psychological approaches that attempt to eliminate or "fix" certain selves, Voice Dialogue establishes respectful, one-on-one dialogue with these very distinct personalities.

What happens in a Voice Dialogue Session?

A Voice Dialogue session generally lasts 1-1/2 to 2 hours, depending on what selves come forward. What follows is a simple exploration with two selves:

As facilitator, I will first guide you through some deep breathing until you are relaxed, but alert. Then we'll talk briefly about what's going on in your life. During this conversation, a Primary Self will emerge who, based on early life experiences and cultural expectations, has developed a value system of conduct intended to keep you safe and successful. Some common Primary Selves are The Achiever, The Pusher, The Critic, The Pleaser, The Good Father/Good Mother, the Spiritual Seeker, or a combination of these.

Whatever self emerges, I'll acknowledge its presence and ask you to move to another space in the room so that it can express as a separate self, totally apart from you. I'll tune into its energy, engaging it in dialogue about its history and its agenda concerning you. As the process unfolds, I'll get impressions of some hidden ­ or disowned ­ selves that the Primary Self has discounted, feared, or otherwise judged unfavorably.

If one of these selves is willing to speak, you'll move to a third location. I'll acknowledge this self as separate from you, give it attention and respect, and match its energy as much as possible. Through our dialogue, it will feel its experience validated ­ an uncommon event for disowned selves. When the dialogue feels complete, I'll move you back to your starting position, where we'll review each self from objective Awareness.

Developing the Aware Ego

In this Awareness is your pure connection with Spirit, without the judgment or fears imposed by any self. From here, you can begin developing your Aware Ego, an inner mediator who can stand in the creative tension between opposing selves. ALL the selves, Primary and Disowned, have important perspectives and abilities to offer. With an Aware Ego's guidance, they CAN work in partnership.

When you can honor all parts of you ­ the shadow and the light, the positive and the negative, the "acceptable" and the "unacceptable" ­ you can begin making balanced choices that will increase the spirit of partnership on the planet.

To schedule a Voice Dialogue session:
214-343-7126 ­ Mandorlas@aol.com

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Mandorla Resources International
9801 Royal Lane #601
Dallas, TX 75231
Mandorlas@aol.com
(214) 343-7126