The days are growing shorter, and the time of turning inward has arrived again. When you turn inward, you may encounter many things: your desires and wishes for the future, but also the fruits of the time that has passed. As I pause over the past few days to reflect on what 2025 has brought me and what 2026 may bring, I notice that a great deal is happening in the Voice Dialogue landscape at the moment. I feel filled with gratitude, and it makes me happy. So many beautiful things, among them: a short film in which Ruby Ochoa explains Voice Dialogue in a very engaging way; how Voice Dialogue is supportive when working with people who hear voices; the start of the renewed relationship coach training with Voice Dialogue; and the first Voice Dialogue Community Day on October 31.
2026 also has many wonderful things in store. We are working on a book about relationship coaching with Voice Dialogue, and we are organizing a meeting with Dirk Corstens about how Voice Dialogue can be applied when working with people who hear voices. This topic will also receive attention in our upcoming training programs.
I am curious about what 2025 has yielded for you and what you are longing for in 2026. I wish you a warm Christmas season and that in the coming year you may give beautiful form to your longings.
With much love,
Robert Stamboliev
VOICE DIALOGUE EXPLAINED IN 6 MINUTES
With this short film, Ruby Ochoa shows that she truly is a Voice Dialogue Master. Not only is it a very relatable and engaging film, she also manages to clearly convey the essence of Voice Dialogue in a short amount of time. In her generosity, she has made the film freely available to everyone: Voice Dialogue: Understanding Our Inner Selves. Many thanks, Ruby, for adding this beautiful contribution to the Voice Dialogue landscape!
HEARING VOICES AND VOICE DIALOGUE
What began as an experiment in 1988 has since grown into a solid and established branch within the Voice Dialogue landscape. It started with Professor Marius Romme of Maastricht University who invited me to give the first Voice Dialogue sessions to voice hearers and then train the staff. Over the years many professionals who work with people who hear voices have been trained in Voice Dialogue. Willemijn Cerutti and Maasja Ooms, in collaboration with psychiatrist Dirk Corstens, have created the beautiful documentary My word against mine on this subject. It was shown at IDFA this year. In the spring, the documentary will be screened in Dutch arthouse cinemas, and in the autumn it will be broadcast on Dutch television. It is highly recommended, also for other countries.
In 2026, Dirk Corstens and I will enter into conversation together to further explain how Voice Dialogue can support work with people who hear voices, and how Voice Dialogue facilitators can receive additional training to work with this group. As soon as a date has been set, I will let you know. You are most welcome!
RELATIONSHIPCOACHING WITH VOICE DIALOGUE
Sometimes you come to realize that something is still missing in the Voice Dialogue landscape. Although I had previously offered training in relationship coaching with Voice Dialogue, this area had faded somewhat into the background for me. This year, however, I realized that this knowledge still deserves to be passed on. Together with Silvia van der Werve, I therefore began working on capturing my approach in a book, filled with case studies.
This sparked so much enthusiasm that a new edition of the Relationship Coach Course with Voice Dialogue was launched right away. Last November, participants from different parts of the world came together in Schoorl to work on unravelling bonding patterns and facilitating relationships using Voice Dialogue. I look back on this with great warmth. It is so meaningful to train a new generation of relationship coaches who can truly make a difference with Voice Dialogue. It is, and remains, important work.
VOICE DIALOGUE COMMUNITY DAY
As mentioned earlier in the newsletter, a Voice Dialogue Community has been established, open to anyone with at least one year of training in Voice Dialogue. It is so important that we find ways to stay inspired together, to have a place where we can share our experiences and find practice partners. No matter how long you have been working with Voice Dialogue, continuing to discover yourself remains essential. After all, you are your own instrument, and the more parts of yourself you have consciously encountered, the easier it becomes to resonate and induce—and that only benefits the work.
On October 31, the moment arrived: the first Voice Dialogue Community Day became a reality. Several Master’s students presented their Master Projects, and there was space to get to know one another better through various speed-dating rounds. Especially the latter led to beautiful connections among community members. In addition, an initiative by Alex, Chris, and Ruby emerged to create structured practice moments. It is wonderful to see the vitality within the Community!
If you are not yet a member of our WhatsApp Voice Dialogue Community but would very much like to be, please contact me.
