Conversations Within: Internal Dialogue

The simplicity of 'Yes' and 'No' answers is really quite effective in many cases, but also is limited. Most often, your questions will require more exploration. More explanation might be needed to get the full range of the answer.

The goal of this exercise is to expand upon the previous one and begin to open a two-way conversation with your inner self. While your practice in formulating Yes/No questions and getting responses is, in reality, a form of dialog or conversation, the goal of this exercise is to enrich and deepen the quality of information you can receive.

There is one very important caveat, however. You must always be 'on your toes' when conversing with your inner self. If you are honest, you will see that it is extremely easy to misuse the dialog by turning it into a self-deluding affirmation of things you already want to do, or want to believe.

If you are not following the programmed course process, it is absolutely crucial that you read or review the Inner Talk: Who Is There? section now or at some point prior to beginning this exercise.

Trust me when I tell you this: If you slip into a self-important or self-deluded mode of thinking about these dialogs ... if you find that you seem to be getting the answers you wanted or thought you would get – or worse, if you believe you are hearing from some supreme being ... you are listening to your own Ego, its desires and fears, rather than your Inner Self. This is a very easy trap.

You will find that if you approach inner dialog in this way, that 'still small voice of wisdom inside' possibly will warn you once or twice, but then will simply step aside and let you do what you wish.

This is an important point: Whatever guidance and source of information you encounter and cultivate, your life is your own. These conversations will never give you the answer to your problems or set some direction for your life. Such things are completely up to you.

Exercise: Establishing The Conversation

Have your Journal and pen at hand as you begin this exercise. Be in a comfortable place for writing.

Begin as before with the Centering exercise. Come to the highest, best level of openness and attentiveness you have achieved. Trust the feeling of centeredness. Be positive, with a feeling that what you receive will be in your best and highest interest.

Without anything in particular in mind, ask for a single word. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, write down the first word that comes to mind. Do not judge the word, just write it down.

Next, ask for a phrase. Again, whatever you receive, write it down. The phrase may not be related in any way to the first word – or it may not seem related. It is just a phrase given in response to your open request.

Again, if you have difficulty, take a deep breath. As you exhale you will receive something: a word, an image, a sound. Whatever it is, write it down. Not every conversation is in words!

As the next step, repeat the exercise, asking for a sentence, then a paragraph. Write everything down, either after you have received it fully or as you are getting the response. Allow the process to develop naturally.

A goal if this exercise is not only to continue to develop the quality of inner communication, but also to begin to find for yourself the most comfortable process. You will build on this exercise by establishing a comfortable pace and structure.

As with other exercises, you may find that the conversation does not end there. You may receive paragraphs. You might want to pose a question and see what kind of (if any) response you elicit.

At this point, do not take anything too seriously, and certainly do not ask questions like: “What is the meaning of Life?” or “What am I really supposed to do with my life?” Remember that your goal is to begin to build a structure for trust and improved communication within yourself.

Checking Accuracy

Begin right away to develop a mechanism to recognize how 'accurate' what you receive is. This is very simple. Upon receiving any message, simply ask, 'How accurate is this?' You should very quickly receive a percentage rating.

If not, take a deep breath and ask again. As you exhale, you will recieve a percentage. There are some nuances of this we will explore later, but it is wise to begin to 'check your accuracy' now.

Consider anything better than 90% to be generally accurate. However, the closer you are to 100%, the better. (Remember, too, that 100% is 'perfectly clear' and should be regarded as suspicious!)

It is very important to be completely honest with these ratings. You will learn nothing useful by convincing yourself that you are communicating more clearly than you are.

Expand upon this exercise.

In subsequent sessions, make a point of listening for one voice ... a recurrent source that you feel is the primary 'spokesman' for your Inner Self. Pay attention to particular feelings that voice or source evokes within you. Listen for recurring phrases or any other clue that this is the voice to 'tune in to.' This will be an important step to achieve before moving on.