What is Voice Dialogue?
Developed by Hal and Sidra Stone, inspired by Jungian psychology, Voice Dialogue is a practice for exploring the many dimensions of the self. It’s a simple and efficient method to aid participants to take multiple perspectives and tap into their innate wisdom and compassion.
Through guided self-inquiry, participants are invited to explore their own views, and untangle aspects of themselves that are in conflict with one another. Each voice has its own perceptions and function. Knowing them well we expand awareness of the self, which allows for better integration and dynamic harmony between voices. It’s common to use polarities to explore which aspects of self we readily identify with, and which are harder to recognize and own.
What does it look like?
In a Voice Dialogue session, the facilitator invites participants to speak from specific inner voices – such as the protector, the seeker or the inner critic. When a participant agrees, they physically shift in their seat to mark a shift in identity. The facilitator asks: “Who am I speaking to?” and the participant names the voice – for example: “Desire”. Speaking in the first person – identified exclusively as that voice – they express its feelings and concerns, while referring to their everyday self in the third person.
This identification is key. It allows the voice to be experienced directly, rather than talked about conceptually. Participants don’t need to prepare or analyze ahead of time, they simply respond authentically to the questions asked by the facilitator.
Through responding and listening to the reflections of others, participants learn about the function, qualities and interrelations of each voice. They discover the role these voices play in their minds and lives, and whether they’re prominent or disowned. They identify the concerns of the voice and how the voice relates to the self. It’s common that participants are strongly identified with certain voices and completely unaware of others.
The Voice Dialogue process can be used to explore polarities such as structure and flow, introversion and extroversion, leader and follower, autonomy and communion. It can also be used to recognize and explore nondual voices beyond identification with the personal, such as the non-seeking mind and great compassion. Freely functioning voices which include both self identity and transcendent aspects can also be explored.
[Written by: Rósanna Seigi Róbertsdóttir]
Leaders of Voice Dialogue
Rósanna Seigi Róbertsdóttir
Selected videos from youtube
Upcoming Voice Dialogue events
These are the Transfomational Connection events that are coming up on Relating Arts.
Spiritual Cross Training: Voice Dialogue and Circling
Tögel Art Center, Kilvägen 5, 76391 Hallstavik, Sweden.
Where to learn
There are many places to practice voice Dialogue. These are the places we would recommend that you look at first.