The Dyad technique is one of the primary processes used during True Source Seminars and Retreats. The technique helps individuals find greater clarity and swifter access to inner truth. It is based on the principle that that personal growth is facilitated more rapidly when individuals support one another..

There are two partners involved in the Dyad technique. One is the listener and the other is the speaker. Typically the two partners sit on chairs, directly across from one another, a comfortable distance apart.

The Role of the Listening partner

The listener has three roles:

1. To give an instruction to the speaking partner.
2. To listen and understand.
3. To indicate when he/she has understood the speaker.

The listener is to find out from the speaking partner the instruction or instructions that he/she will be working on and then give that instruction with the sincere motivation to understand what the speaker is communicating. The instruction is to be asked in the “Tell me…” form, exactly as written in the supplied materials.

When the instruction is given the listener is to make and maintain eye contact with the speaking partner and listen and understand without distracting or facilitating the partner’s communication in any way. This means avoiding nodding, smiling, making any verbal or non-verbal gestures of agreement or disagreement or touching the partner. The listener is to avoid engaging in a conversation with the speaker. This will provide an opportunity for the speaker to take the time he/she requires to contemplate the subject without the distracting influence of the other partner.

If the speaking partner says something that the listener does not understand the listener can use the instruction “Say that again” or “Summarize that” if the speaking partner has not understand the overall thought that the speaker has presented. On rare occasions the listener may give the instruction “Clarify the term…”if the listener does not understand a terminology or concept that the speaker has presented.

When the listener has understood what the speaker has communicated the listener is to indicate that he/she has understood by saying “Thank you”. If the speaker has a 2 or 3 part question the listener is then to give the next part of the question and say “thank you” once again when he/she has understood. If the speaker completes working on his/her set of questions, the listener is to give the first instruction in that set again.

This process of giving an instruction and acknowledging with a “thank you” will continue for 5 minutes, until a gong sounds or until the facilitator indicates to “change over”.

When the gong sounds or the change over is indicated the facilitator will say “thank your partner” and the speaker will end the communication and the listener will say “Thank you”. Another gong will sound and one of the staff will say “Change over”. This will indicate a reversal in the roles as the listener now becomes the speaker and the speaker now becomes the listener who then gives the respective instruction to his/her partner.

The Role of the Speaking Partner:

The speaker has 3 roles:

1. To recieve an instruction from the listening partner
2. To communicate a response that will be understood by the listener
3. To avoid referring or commenting on anything his/her partner has said

The speaker is to receive the question from the listener and contemplate the question silently. When the speaker comes up with a response to the question he/she is to communicate it to the listener without adding or taking anything away from what he/she just came up with and in such as way that the listener will understand. The speaker is not to refer to his/her partner or comment on anything that his/her partner has said in any way.

When the listener has understood and says “thank you”, the speaker will receive the next instruction in the series or receive the same question again if there is only one question he/she is working on.

If the listener says “Thank you”, and the speaker is not finished getting across his/her communication and the gong has not sounded, the speaker is to ignore the “Thank you” and continue communicating until the communication is completed.

This process of receiving the instruction, communicating the response and receiving the next instruction after the listening partner says “thank you” will continue until the gong timer or the facilitator indicates the changeover.

Timing:

The changeovers occur every 5 minutes. An introductory exercise for those learning the process normally lasts 20 minutes and the full Dyad technique usually lasts 40 minutes.

Benefits:

Unlike solitary contemplation or meditation techniques, the Dyad technique is much quicker at producing insights and dissolving problems.

The effect is the result of five dynamics:

1. Specific instruction
2. The listening partner
3. Silent inquiry
4. Communication
5. The communication cycle

1. Specific Instruction

Having an object of one’s inquiry such as “Who am I?” or “What is my purpose?” gives the mind a focus rather than just putting one’s attention on a candle or the breath and hoping that new understandings will occur. In addition, having the listener give an instruction versus a question has proven to be more effective. When the listener gives a clear instruction such as: “Tell me who you are?” he/she is directing the listener to do something and come up with a response and communicate it. The listener is instructing the person to involve in the relating process. The question: “who are you?” does not necessarily imply a communication whereas an instruction is more direct and engaging.

2. The Listening Partner

As the listening partner gives a very specific question to the speaking partner, he/she puts his/her attention on the listener. This is extremely helpful to the speaker. It is estimated that 50-80% of the time spent in typical solitary meditation practice is spent being distracted by extraneous thoughts and sensations however with the prescence of the listener awaiting a response with the speaker knowing this, he/shewill stay on track and be less likely to waste time “spacing out” or losing touch with the object of contemplation.

3. Silent Inquiry.

The presence of the listening partner has another function, very palpable to the person contemplating. The attention of the listening partner on the speaker gets added to the attention of the speaking partner during his/her silent contemplation on the subject. As they are both focused towards the same end i.e the speaker wanting to gain insight on the subject and the listening wanting to hear the result of the inquiry, this assists the speaker, with the added attention to take his/her contemplation deeper.

4. Communication.

The communication that occurs after the silent contemplation has an added effect. It externalizes what the listener came up with in their silent inquiry. Giving words to an often subtle or amorphous thought, feeling or sensation brings it more into clarity and integrates it into consciousness. It is the reason that the final phase of learning is often teaching. As one communicates more of what one knows one understands it better. This principle is the same, here.

5. The Communication cycle

The benefit of “the Communication cycle” is probably the most significant benefit in this process.

The communication cycle involves:

1. The listener giving an instruction to the speaker,
2. The speaker looking within and communicating his/her response to the listener
3. The listener acknowledging that he/she has understood.

The assumption behind the Dyad technique is that the mind is composed of incompleteness i.e. the suspension of communications and experiences that an individual was not fully able in the past to get across or able to take in. As an individual communicates thoughts and feelings to another individual and the receiving person understands them, these communications and experiences get completed.

The associated confusion and erroneous beliefs disappear and the mind gets clear. The truth that was obscured in the incompleteness is seen and spontaneous insights related to problems or even enlightenment experiences can occur.

Conclusion

The Dyad technique in many ways combines the ancient eastern practice of contemplative meditation and adds the western method of relating drawn from modern psychology. The synthesis of both results in a method that is a vast improvement over each one individually.

When ultimate questions such as “Tell me who you are?” or “Tell me what life is” are utilized (such as in our True Awakening retreat), awakening can occur in 2-5 days compared to 5-10 years using traditional meditation systems. As such, this method is particularly suited to our faster paced, faster results oriented western culture..

It is conceivable that just as technology has advanced so too would “self-actualization technology”. The Dyad technique is an outstanding example of this, establishing itself as a revolutionary awareness tool in the modern era of Human Development.