At some point in his life, Dr. David Bohm a leading quantum physicist of his time, came across a very special man Jiddu Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti had a very profound effect on Bohm's inquiry into the nature of the universe and the mind (Jiddu also had a profound impact on Bruce Lee). Upon meeting Krishnamurti, Bohm began to engage in discussion and inquiry with him on many subjects related to the proper use of the mind and thought. These talks took place over many years, at many different venues, and with many different groups of people.

Krishnamurti's insight or insights are very difficult for the average person to grasp. One might suggest they are too far “out there” for someone to have an immediate understanding of them. One could also suggest that Krishnamurti is not a very direct teacher and is daunting or confusing to listen to. In contrast, I think Bohm, and others that spent a lot of time with Krishnamurti, might suggest that Krishnamurti's teachings are TOO direct, and TOO clear.

Nonetheless it become obvious to Bohm that it would be helpful for others if transcripts and video tapes were made that gave the average listeners a conversation to follow. Through these conversations, Bohm is able to direct and translate Krishnamurti's dialogue, and this is helpful for others to follow along and learn to understand the content presented.

Bohmian Dialogue

We will begin with that rather than with trying actually to have a dialogue, since if you try to begin that way, everybody will wonder what is a dialogue and whether we are having one actually. Therefore we will be going off the point. So we will discuss dialogue for a while-what is its nature?~David Bohm, On Dialogue

After years of these kind of talks Bohm formalized and extended this practice into what is now known as Bohmian Dialogue. The 20 page paper he wrote is itself in a sense Bohmian Dialogue which Bohm spends time going into what this type of dialogue is and how it might be brought about.

Bohmian dialogue can be summed up as a process of communication without intent. Although this is a simple enough definition, to actually work with a group of people and to begin to open a conversation WITHOUT intent, is a very difficult thing to do. Each of us has our own motivations, our own beliefs, and our own methods, and so to move together as a whole, without any preconceived notion of what the content should be, can be nearly impossible for even a small group of people.

Bohm's formalized a method for practicing this as a group.

Optimal Taboo

I have written about optimizing a type of communication that has been dubbed “Taboo” and this practice is relevant to this observation of core beliefs. Essentially what those two articles explain is how to change the way we present a difficult topic to another person, or group of people, so that it doesn't encroach on their core beliefs, but still gets the intended point across. This is important because when we begin to express something that doesn't align with someone's core beliefs, it gets next to impossible for them to inquire into or accept the material being put forth. Sometimes there is a possibility of changing the presentation, or the dialogue, so that the meaning is still conveyed, but in such a way that the listener or the audience can still find the content palatable.

Bohmian Dialogue needs, or rather has this quality. It is a sort of slow and gentle search, for any content that the entire group, or the largest possible subset of the group, can all inquire into. “Gentle” might be a useful word here, because if we take this explanation as our goal and try to enforce it with too much vigor, this alone might destroy the possibility of Bohmian dialogue.

Group Support Meetings

Addiction recovery meetings also have this kind of quality. These types of meetings are often helpful because they are predominately attended by addicts. There are many misconceptions about addicts and their behavior and the division between addicts and non-addicts that these misconceptions create would cease the possibility for Bohmian dialogue without great caution and attention to this division.

It's easy to see how Bohmian dialogue could be helpful for addicts, if they could sit in a group and begin to enter into content together that each of the participants could relate to. One problem with addiction is the sufferer often loses touch with friends and family. It's one of our basic needs to be able to relate to others, and this is one area of our life that begins to fade as we fall to addiction.

The Future of Communication

This kind of communication is difficult for everyone at first. We lead busy lives and have busy minds. Bohmian dialogue means putting aside our preconceived notions, our goals, our thought and speech patterns, and opening up our awareness to whatever is going on in the present moment. Krishnamurti taught this to be the direction of “truth” which is left over when all falsehood is negated. Bohmian dialogue therefore can be considered a path or method for truth, that is to be achieved together, or as a group. It is an important protocol or tool for a society that wants to optimize its own harmony.

I believe that there is a direct correlation to our collective understanding of Bohmian dialogue protocols and our society's ability to properly address the complex problem of addiction. As we begin to understand and practice Bohmian dialogue we will be able to better understand and solve the difficult how to successfully recover ourselves and loved ones from deep social and psychological problems.