How IDL Works
A practical guide to interviewing and operationalizing perspectives
The Core Process
- Tune into the experience (dream, nightmare, waking issue)
- Interview emerging perspectives
- Attend to what each perspective says about itself
- Distinguish actionable recommendations from interpretation
- Test and operationalize recommendations in waking life
Interviewing Guidelines
- Use open-ended prompts
- Maintain ethical containment and consent
- Track multiple perspectives separately
- Record observations for reflective triangulation
Practice Tips
- Start with low-stakes material
- Encourage full description without imposing meaning
- Observe the interaction between perspectives
- Reflect on operationalizable insights after the session
Next Steps
The IDL accreditation ladder is designed to teach proficiency while providing parents, coaches, caregivers, and clinicians with an understanding of how and why IDL is effective.
“Beginner” teaches the basics of interviewing dreams, life issues, and transpersonal experiences. It is sufficient to eliminate most nightmares and many forms of anxiety.
“Coach” places interviewing within the context of healing, balancing, and transformation.
“Practitioner” provides a clinical level integration and research application of interviewing in the context of healing, balancing, and transformation with specific populations.
“Trainer” teaches higher order interviewing skills, additional research applications, and student supervision.
After learning the core protocols, explore: