ABSTRACT
Sometimes the hardest dilemmas to resolve are those that lie inside our own minds. This chapter offers two techniques that can help clients to unravel their own thoughts and make sense of their conflicting views. In the first technique, the empty chair, clients are invited to imagine the two conflicting sides of themselves as two separate beings and are asked to imagine a conversation with each of them. This technique, drawn from Gestalt therapy, has been shown to help clients to understand their own conflicting views more clearly, which can lead to a resolution. The second technique, person-centred dialogue, is taken from Karl Rogers’ humanistic writing and is an approach to active listening that gives clients a safe and supportive space to talk through their internal dilemmas.
