Some suggestions for the Inquiry Process.

This is probably not one of the easiest techniques to do on your own the first time and it is inspiring when you work with someone on it. You learn a lot about yourself in the process of helping them because in a way you're doing it with them. However if you haven't got the luxury of doing an IP with someone grab a copy of the worksheet and your journal or blank paper to do it.

Fill in the worksheet before you even consider the four questions. Take the time to answer each of the base questions.

Then take the first base questions and apply the four questions to it. One at a time. One thing that is important if you're doing the process on your own. You must Explain as if you're telling someone or convincing someone about your answer. Your mind works faster than grease lightning and you might have jumped right to the conclusion that the “correct” answer is... for your question. The reason you need to explain how you got there is so that you yourself can see and understand what the foundation for the response is. This is one of the reason why Bryon Katie, recommends writing it down. You really need to slow down the mind enough to actually experience the full weight of the cloak that the thoughts and beliefs you have, create..

Consider the first of the four questions, “Is it true?” If you say yes... convince your listener in your case the blank paper and imaginary friend adviser (Paul Scheele perhaps?) If you say no, why did you decide it's not true? Again convince the paper and Paul.

The inquiry process does take a little bit of self talk. For example you might be annoyed with someone because they disagree with you and this person is significant to you. You might explain why this is important to you. Someone listening (Paul) might just ask you, “do you really want a significant other who only says... yes dear, yes dear, yes dear, yes dear yes dear, yes dear yes dear, yes dear to everything you say?” So in doing the process on your own you need to be mindful of that quiet voice asking you such a question, it helps if you can imagine having someone ask you odd questions.

Play with the turn around. Don't give up on dealing with the base question and going onto the next one without trying a few turn arounds on for size, remember to ask yourself is this true or truer than the original base question, page 18 of the manual shows you how you can take the turn around to a variety of completions.

Work with all the base questions. You might come to an a-ha experience that leaves you standing like a deer in the headlights, complete the questions anyway. More can be gained.. So if you do an Inquiry Process leave at least 20 minutes for it so that you can do it fully. They don't have to take long... when you're writing notes they don't have to be detailed and you could always use a tape recorder since you can talk faster than you will write.

It's rare that self empowering insights will come with the first base question but if you do the process fully to the end you will have an a-ha experience.