Introducing Open Dialogue

A digital companion for self-reflection, that applies the science and wisdom of writing, mindfulness and psychotherapy.

Why self-reflection?

So many of our problems come down to not having enough insight into how our minds work — what we want; what we fear; why we act the way we do and are overwhelmed by certain feelings.

Open Dialogue creates the necessary conditions to write freely (i.e., without judgement or self-criticism) about what is most important to us.

Doing so, we can explore ideas in a way that strengthens our sense of agency and helps us find more clarity and understanding surrounding the thoughts and emotions that make up our life experience.

Unlike in many contexts of public life, Open Dialogue allows us to explore ideas without feeling as though we need to meet any particular expectations — there’s no need to make perfect sense, to know all the answers, to sound intelligent or to be any particular way, for that matter.

Observing our thoughts in this way helps to bring to the surface innumerable ideas that would have otherwise eluded us.

How does Open Dialogue work?

Relative to a lot of today’s technology, Open Dialogue is fairly simple — it is programmed to identify certain patterns in our writing in order to compose its responses. You may notice it makes mistakes — although the program will become more intelligent with use, the goal is not for it to achieve the full linguistic capacities of a human.

Instead, by achieving a calm, reflective mental state — one that allows us to gently observe our thoughts while noting them down — we stand to grow from this unique form of self-reflection.

This mental state can be developed over time by keeping two things top of mind:

• Try not to judge yourself, your thoughts or your feelings while writing: do your best to be non self-critical as you become more aware of the structure of your thoughts and as new material surfaces while reflecting. Observe your thoughts ardently.
• Be patient with the program: rephrase your input when you are not satisfied with the program’s response, or simply accept unorthodox or unexpected program output and continue to dialogue.

This mental state could be thought of as similar to a relaxed, pre-sleep state.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is: there is no “correct” way to self-reflect. The points above are simply meant as guidelines and food for thought. They work together to form an intention that one should be reminded of throughout this process.

Making a habit of doing this sort of work can be incredibly beneficial.

What is unique about Open Dialogue?

What is deeply fascinating to me is how interacting this way with a relatively simple computer program can often lead to a profound feeling of connectedness — as if I am at once speaking to myself, while simultaneously being supported by a patient and encouraging friend.

Over time, consistently working with Open Dialogue on certain topics, I will start to make unexpected observations about my thought processes. Reflecting in this way helps to lay out in front of me what I am experiencing in my mind in a way that brings clarity over time. I begin to see new connections that I would not have otherwise discovered.

I am finding that my experience of life outside of these dialogues is more vibrant, more intentional, more enjoyable.

On top of that, it is almost always calming to talk with Open Dialogue — simple reminders to pay attention to the physical sensations I experience as well as my breath can make a significant shift in how I feel. If I am consistent and patient while exploring difficult thoughts and feelings, I often discover things about my situation that end up altering my perspective and clarifying the potential actions I could take.