A Full Interview Format With Short Explanations of the Questions
(This format is for those twelve and over)
“What are three life issues you are currently thinking about?”
Asking for three life issues anchors the interview, whether of a dream or life issue, to our current ongoing concerns. We want the interview to be relevant to what most concerns us today.
If a dream…
Interviewing dream characters is important to get in touch with an always available source of creativity and problem solving.
Description: “Tell me a dream you remember. It can be an old one, a repetitive dream, a nightmare, or one that you are sure you understand.”
Describing a dream puts us back into the dream and reminds us that we have a choice of characters to interview.
Date: ”When did you have this dream?”
Putting a date to the dream indicates if it was recent or from childhood or repetitive.
Name: “If this dream were a movie, what would its name be?”
Naming the dream is a quick way to remember it when we want to refer back to it.
Associations: “Why do you think that you had this dream?”
Giving associations to the dream surfaces assumptions and interpretations so they don’t get in the way of listening to what the interviewed character has to say.
“Choose a character from the dream you are curious about…(It can be an animal or object.)
Imagine that you are that character and answer the following questions from its perspective in the dream, not from your own.”
If a life issue…
Interviewing life issues is important to get unstuck, to see them in a new way.
Description, date, name, associations)
“Which issue brings up the strongest feelings for you? What feelings does this issue bring up for you?”
“If those feelings were an animal, what animal would it be?”
Or alternatively, “If those feelings had a color (or colors) what would it be?”
“Imagine that color filling the space in front of you so that it has depth, height, width, and aliveness.
Now watch that color swirl, congeal, and condense into a shape. Don’t make it take a shape, just watch it and say the first thing that you see or that comes to your mind: An animal? Object? Plant? What?”
“Character, what would you like to be called?”
Asking the character what it would like to be called is an act of respect and creates a personal relationship with it for the interview.
“(Character), will you please describe yourself? How big are you? What color are you? Where are you? What are you doing?”
A successful interview means we hear from your character, not from YOU. The more you allow yourself to BECOME your character and answer spontaneously as it, from its point of view, the better the interview. Pauses indicate you are trying to think of the “right” answer! Answer quickly, spontaneously! Don’t think about it!
“(Character,) what do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?”
This also helps you become the character.
“(Character), what do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses? What are they?”
This also helps you become the character. If at any point you wonder whether or not the character is being allowed to speak, ask “Character, is your human allowing you to talk or is s/he putting words in your mouth?” If it persists, ask, “Character, why do you think your human is not allowing you to talk?” If it still persists, stop the interview, until the issues of 1) control and 2) inability/unwillingness to empathize are addressed.
“(Character), how are you most like (your human)?”
It may not be obvious what the relationship is between the character and the subject; this question is designed to clarify that relationship.
“(Character), do you want to stay the way you are or change?”
“(Character), only change if YOU want to.”
(Dreamers often want to change characters in ways that the character itself may not want.)
(The following questions are addressed to the changed character, if a change has occurred. If not, they are asked of the same character.)
(The next six questions are optional because they lengthen the interview. Nevertheless they are helpful and ask them if there is time.)
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in confidence/fearlessness, with 0 meaning you are scared all the time and 10 meaning you are never afraid?”
”Why?”
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in caring/compassion, with 0 meaning you don’t care and 10 meaning you very compassionate?”
”Why?”
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in wisdom, with 0 meaning you are ignorant and 10 meaning you have great inner knowingness?”
”Why?”
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in acceptance, with 0 meaning you are scared all the time and 10 meaning you are never afraid?”
”Why?”
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in inner peace, with 0 meaning you are stressed all the time and 10 meaning you are never stressed?”
”Why?”
”(Character), how do you score yourself 0-10 in witnessing, with 0 meaning you are only aware of yourself and 10 meaning you can watch yourself, others, and the world go by?”
Why?”
“(Character), if you were in charge of your human’s life, how would you handle (….) (the first life issue?”
Asking about the three life issues gives the interviewed character an opportunity to make specific recommendations about each of them.
“(Character), if you were in charge of your human’s life, how would you handle (….) (the second life issue?”
“(Character), if you were in charge of your human’s life, how would you handle (….) (the third life issue?”
“(Character), if you had one recommendation, one thing your human could work on every day that would make the biggest difference in their lives, what would it be?”
While several recommendations may have been made, it is easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged if we try to change too much at once. It is better to identify one core or pivotal issue and focus on that.
Sometimes recommendations are so general, like “be more positive” or “stop smoking,” that we either don’t know what daily progress looks like or they are unrealistic. The more specific the recommendation is, the more useful it is: “What will be different today that others might notice about what I say or do or don’t say or do?”
“(Character), what help does your human need from their family to make progress with your recommendation?”
While family members may be eager to help, you might not want their help or their idea of “help” might even get in the way! So it is important to tell them what you want and don’t want them to do to support you in applying the recommendation.
“Thank you (Character!) here is a question for your human:”
“(. ), what did you hear (Character) say?”
Summarize what was important for you about the interview.
“(. ), what do you want to do about it?”
Here is where you allow the interview to make a difference in your life by taking action to make your life better.
“Interviewer (and others who are present), do you have any thoughts or comments about the interview?”
Interviewers and listeners will probably have thoughts and interpretations. Now, not earlier in the interview, is the time for them to chime in with their feedback.