Introduction to Voice Dialogue with Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

Most of us learn to please our caregivers, who reward and reinforce certain behaviors and emotional responses, and discourage others. To avoid their rejection and gain their love, we spontaneously develop the parts of ourselves to which our original caregivers respond favorably. This is all perfectly normal bonding. It’s how we get attached to each other. Generally, the approved parts become our primary selves — the dominant set of characteristics that we consider who we are when we’re asked to describe ourselves. The exercises in this module help you explore how different inner selves operate in different arenas in your life.

An easy way to understand how our subpersonalities operate is to ask yourself which inner selves respond when your alarm wakes you from a deep sleep. At the same time a responsible part of yourself wants to get up, the part of your procrastinates may hit the snooze button and put off making any decisions. Each of us has distinct sub-personalities and Voice Dialogue is safe and powerful because it’s designed upon what we already do naturally.

In Voice Dialogue, the parts of ourselves that we’re scared or ashamed of, or disappointed by, or dislike, are called disowned selves. I also refer to them as our hidden selves because we spend a lot of time and energy trying to hide them. We can't get rid of a sub-personality, but the great news is that we can change our relationship to them and channel their gifts in healthy ways. Whether or not you like them, every single one of our inner selves has a gift to offer and serve a vital and noble purpose: to protect our vulnerability, which is the key to our unique essence.

The practice of Voice Dialogue is the spectacular shift from comprehending our world through our limited, habitual lenses to discovering and cultivating different points of view from our other inner selves. This sometimes extraordinary expansion is like getting an astronaut’s view of our inner terrain. Your guided Voice Dialogue facilitation starts here.

Once you choose which inner self you’ll work with, you'll embody and dialogue with that part of yourself.

While you’re embodying this inner self, you’ll begin a series of questions in order to learn more about how that sub-personality functions in your life. The alter ego is free to respond by sharing anything that comes up. Take notes and write down responses to these questions–you don’t have to answer them all.

Returning to your Aware Chair and getting centered, you will process what your first inner self communicated. Journal your responses before moving onto your next inner self.

Once you choose which inner self you’ll work with next, you'll embody and dialogue with that part of yourself.

While you’re embodying this second inner self, you’ll begin the series of questions in order to learn more about how that sub-personality functions in your life. The alter ego is free to respond by sharing anything that comes up. Take notes and write down responses to these questions–you don’t have to answer them all.

Returning to your Aware Chair for a second time and getting centered, you will process what your first inner self communicated. Journal your responses before moving onto your next inner self.

After facilitating both inner selves, you will now reflect and process in order to reap the benefits of the wisdom revealed in your Voice Dialogue session. You may have an immediate breakthrough, or you may not be sure what you’ve learned until your answers have cooked for a bit. Review them again in a few days and see what else shows up. Continue to journal about your Voice Dialogue process.

Stop and start this course as many times as is helpful.

Congratulations on completing your Voice Dialogue facilitation. Embodying an alter ego and allowing it to express itself, as is, activates capacities well beyond the logical brain, and animates our visual, spatial, auditory, rhythmic, verbal, kinesthetic, and physiological prowess! When we connect to our unique constellation of selves, we're able to access their precise superpowers when we need them. I’m thrilled you’re on your journey of discovering your creative, brave, resourceful, and even magical world of inner selves, and tapping into their vitality and potential.