IDL Interviewing Overview
A Practical Introduction to the Core Method
The IDL Interviewing Certification begins with a simple but powerful premise: Clients can access and reorganize distressing emotional material by directly engaging the perspectives within their dreams and fears.
This page introduces the core method you will learn and apply during the 8-week certification.
“What you will learn,” below, is a repeat of the information in the same button on the introductory page. Its purpose there is informative; here it is to remind students of the structure of this training lab.
WHAT IS IDL INTERVIEWING?
IDL Interviewing is a structured, step-by-step process in which a client:
- Identifies a dream, nightmare, or fear image
- Takes the perspective of a specific element
- Speaks in the first person as that element
- Responds to a series of structured questions
- Accesses recommendations
- Tests recommendations and the method in their daily life
The therapist does not interpret, analyze, or suggest meanings.
Instead, the therapist:
- maintains structure
- asks clear, consistent questions
- supports safe engagement
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most approaches to dreams and fear imagery rely on:
- interpretation
- symbolic analysis
- cognitive reframing
IDL works differently.
It is:
- Experiential — the client engages directly, not abstractly
- Non-interpretive — meaning emerges from the experience itself
- Structured — the process is repeatable and teachable
- Client-led — change comes from within the imagery, not from the therapist
WHAT HAPPENS IN AN IDL INTERVIEW
A typical session includes:
1. Identifying the Image
The client selects:
- a nightmare
- a fear
- or a distressing internal image
2. Entering the Perspective
The client becomes a specific element:
- a person
- an animal
- an object
- an environment
3. Structured Interviewing
The therapist asks age-dependent questions. For example, when young children are interviewed the questions are:
- “What do you want?”
- “What are you feeling?”
- “What do you need?”
The client answers as the element, not about it.
4. Emergent Shifts
As the interview unfolds:
- emotional tone often changes
- new information emerges
- the imagery may shift or reorganize
5. Integration
The session concludes with:
- reflection
- grounding
- linking the experience to waking concerns
WHY THIS WORKS
IDL appears to work by:
- accessing implicit emotional organization
- allowing expression of previously avoided, ignored, or discounted perspectives
- facilitating internal reorganization rather than external control
- reversing the identity contraction associated with anxiety
Clients often experience:
- reduced fear
- increased clarity
- greater emotional regulation
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN 8 WEEKS
The Interviewing Certification is designed for immediate clinical application.
You will learn:
- The complete IDL interviewing protocol
- How to introduce the method to clients
- How to work with children, adolescents, and adults
- How to handle emotional intensity safely
- How to apply IDL to nightmares and anxiety
- How to recognize and track change
HOW YOU WILL LEARN
This is an active, practice-based training.
You will:
- practice the method step-by-step
- apply it with study partners and others
- assess outcomes
- share homework with fellow student(s) once a week
- submit all weekly work to supervisor at conclusion for accreditation
The emphasis is on learning by doing, not just understanding.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
During the training, many participants observe:
- rapid shifts in nightmare imagery
- constructive and useful reframings of life issues
- increased engagement from clients
- access to emotional material not reached through talk alone
You will evaluate the method based on your own clinical experience.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This training is designed for:
- Child and adolescent therapists
- Trauma-informed practitioners
- School counselors
- Psychodrama practitioners
- Mental health professionals working with anxiety and fear
- Post-success individuals seeking effective alternatives to the usual
WHAT THIS IS NOT
To be clear, IDL Interviewing is not:
- dream interpretation
- symbolic analysis
- suggestion-based work
- hypnosis
- parts or shadow work
- role play
It is a structured method for facilitating direct experiential engagement.
A SIMPLE METHOD WITH DEPTH
The interviewing process is straightforward to learn.
Its depth emerges through:
- repeated application
- working with different clients
- observing patterns over time
START WITH THE METHOD
You do not need to adopt a new theoretical framework to begin.
You can start with:
- a clear structure
- a set of questions
- and real clinical situations
Learn the method.
Apply it with clients.
Evaluate the results for yourself.