Overview
IDI is a new method of mindful inquiry. It involves two people (a dyad) who together select and systematically review and engage with written text as a way to develop new awareness and insights and create new learning that supports transformation.
IDI is a good tool if you like the idea of doing guided journaling on a focused topic in community. The focus is specific, and the ideas and inputs flow between the writers, who work in alignment for exploration and growth. It is possible to work in a group larger than two people, but the dyad is a good fundamental starting point. It allows you to gain focus, clarity, and confidence with the tool.
Your growth out of this work may be personal or professional, or both. Personal relates to your understanding of yourself in the world you exist in today and the one you want to create in the future. Professional relates to the interests and abilities you are willing and able to apply to the work you do or want to do, whether paid or volunteer.
If you enjoy reading and interacting with inspiring and informative text, and if you like to write with another person as a way to explore your thoughts, feelings, ideas, goals, and dreams, then IDI can be a helpful tool. An IDI project goes well beyond personal journaling, and because it uses deep textual analysis and writing it is different from more traditional forms of mentoring or coaching.
Material from journals may, in fact, be a source of text to explore in an IDI, but many other types of texts, from song lyrics or poetry to personal letters, and even professional materials can yield inspirational material which the dyad may find appropriate and effective.
IDI utilizes a meditative approach, and respects the idea of transpersonal knowing: not everything we can know or learn is necessarily based on empirical laws, and it is possible to learn and grow by being open to various forms of exploration and using mindful inquiry.
The dyad can work in person on separate computers, discussing their views and then entering their thoughts. The dyad can also (and more often does) work at a distance using online tools such as email or instant messaging. IDI fits well with busy work and study schedules.
The IDI process is straightforward. It typically takes about 4-6 weeks but can go faster or slower depending on how the co-writers choose to manage their schedule.
It starts with a set of preliminary organizing steps. One of the individuals brings a question, or the dyad develops a shared question. The dyad agrees on foundation text (several sentences or one or two paragraphs) appropriate to start the exploration, and decides on frames that help set boundaries for the work. At the outset they may select other text to use later in the process, or they may wait to choose other text as they see what comes up in their writing.
After the organizing steps, the individuals meditatively engage with the text (in person or online) and with each other. They write thoughts and feelings about the text and the feelings and ideas it brings up. The dyad moves forward in a series of cycles that include multiple sweeps of selected texts. When the cycles are complete, the partners wrap up their work by developing a summary or narrative portrait, which can be shared with others if appropriate.
Insight Dialogic Inquiry is a transpersonal research method first developed by Terri O'Fallon and Gregory Kramer and published in their 1998 dissertation, Insight Dialogue and Insight Dialogic Inquiry. The founder of EverFile had the opportunity to study with Terri O'Fallon and learned how to use the method. She found it to be a powerful transformational tool and requested permission to adapt it for a career planning and development resource.
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