Orsolya Ristz, interested in the Insight Project, questions the Project developer and supervisor, Peter Shepherd...

Sure, I'm pleased to do that. Fire away...

It's a self-contained program, however it has some pre-requisites. Because you work on your own doing Insight, you need to be capable of that, to have the discipline to do regular sessions and keep going.

Also there is a fair amount to learn before you begin actual practical sessions, so that shouldn't put you off - you need to be able to study.

You will be looking introspectively at your beliefs and feelings, so you need to be reasonably emotionally stable and not in need of psychotherapeutic support - if you need that right now, best to have that competently handled first. Insight is not a substitute for any therapy or treatment, it is intended for personal growth and spiritual development. It is a form of applied positive psychology.

Also the procedures require some intuitive skill; to be able to look inside for answers and just let the inner feelings and knowing come, rather than analyzing things or thinking in an intellectual way. In that respect it is advanced. Many people can do that but not everyone.

Therefore I suggest that individuals embarking on Insight have done some previous self-directed personal growth, such as working through the Positive Approach course and the All You Need is Love program (which are both free on Trans4mind), and have succeeded to the extent that they know they are capable of creating positive change in their lives.

You can resolve all the ways that you are unclear, stuck or attached - all the ways that you are conditioned by your upbringing, past experiences and influences from the culture - all the ways that you are not your true self. You will become familiar with the source of inner knowing, your Higher Self, that is, your spiritual Source.

Knowing who you are to that degree, you will also know what you are here for, what you want to do in life. You will have freedom from fixed ideas and beliefs, a truly open mind, with developed intuition. No longer in mystery, but that unknowing replaced with curiosity in many directions, your native state of being.

Ideally you will do a daily session of between 30 minutes to a couple of hours. You end the session when it feels right, usually after a significant insight.

Firstly, there's training in how to use biofeedback and the key procedures of Insight, such as Indicator Technique. Indicator is the method you use to find out if any consideration is true, false or imprinted, i.e. conditioned in some way and not your own truth. You drill down, using this technique, to strip off the mind's false contents and arrive at your own, intuitive inner knowing, your own truth. Plus there's an introduction to the theory and principles that form the basis of Insight techniques.

Then the practical procedures, which are mostly what Insight contains. You learn how to clear upsets, let go of painful emotions and attachments, how to obtain clarity, boost vitality, gain stability, be free of attachments and identifications, to understand what reality is, and then the main meat of Part I, to clear conflicting goals of the past so that they no longer affect your present, and you can finally be yourself. All techniques adopt a 'present time' approach, so you are not recalling past memories, but observing what you are thinking and feeling in the present, to find and release the many kinds of blocks that obscure your awareness. The balls and chains of the past simply then float away.

With a daily session, Part I will take about 18 months. Longer if sessions are less frequent. Part I is both the most difficult, longest and most important Part. It's where you learn the skills that will apply throughout all five Parts. It's where you deal with the mental structures that obscure your true identity. The further Parts are both quicker and easier to do, and even more exciting because you are looking at issues and aspects of being that are untouched by any other spiritual methods and paths. There's no rush at this point... you have the rest of your life to play with these tools, as and when you need them. Eventually you transcend the tools and simply know, which is the whole point.

Certainly. The Insight path is not dogmatic; quite the opposite. It has certain methods and tools, but they don't cover everything; other paths may well be complementary and equally helpful. That's for you to judge. Anything that is empowering and is driven by love, compassion and inner knowing, is complementary. When things become dogmatic - "we are the only truth" - or in any way cult-like, then that's going in the opposite direction and it's best to stay clear of such things.

Firstly, order Part I, or order all five Parts for significant savings and if you feel confident this is a spiritual path you choose to follow for life. And also order a biofeedback monitor. We recommend the Emotional Response Indicator from Clarity Meters, a compact and easy to use device, or their Virtual Meter which runs on a laptop.

It's a small device that measures and indicates emotional arousal, via a hand-held electrode. There are many situations in which it is extremely helpful to be able to detect the presence of suppressed thoughts and feelings just below or at the borders of subconsciousness, particularly emotionally charged fears, conflicts and resistance. This is a tremendous aid in assessing which of many specific topics is most relevant to be handled next and at the same time, it shows if such material is also readily accessible. When thoughts and feelings are emotionally clear, on the other hand, they don't have this reactive undercurrent and can be trusted as one's intuitive knowing. Biofeedback provides the necessary element of neutral objectivity.

I personally provide email support. This is unlimited and for lifetime. The materials contain lots of frequently asked questions. We are also preparing a series of videos to demonstrate use of the biofeedback device, and to show how to use the main practical methods that are taught.

I took over the running of the Insight Project in 1993, after it's originator passed on. I benefitted tremendously from doing Insight myself. I continued research and completed it's development in 1998. In 2000 I started to deliver it via my Trans4mind.com website. The results of many successful students has been the reward.

It will be great to welcome you to the Insight Project, Orsolya!