After following the technique carefully for some time, I can report the following. Here is its essence: you can deepen your powers of insight and develop a meaningful writing practice by doing the following regularly, several times a week, thirty-five minutes at a stretch:
(1) Light a candle
(2) Play Baroque music (the slower stuff)
(3) Write on unlined paper
(4) When meaningful, ambiguous or loaded terms emerge in your writing, always ask "What do I mean by _____?", which is the "proprioceptive" question. Proprioception is usually used to refer to our sense of where we are in our own bodies, but the authors adapt it to refer to a sense of orientation in our own minds.
The first two are meant to create a sense of ritual. Nice, but hardly necessary. The unlined paper is meant to convey a sense of freedom and spontaneity, and strikes me a useless requirement. The touchstone of the authors' method, and really the only necessary part, is the persistent reflection on what one means by the terms one uses, both as one works through each individual "Write," and as one regularly sets pen to paper day after day, month after month, year after year.
The guidance this book provides on introducing precision and clarity into one's writing and one's thoughts is useful. A structure that gently encourages insight can hardly be harmful. But many individuals who keep journals for an extended period of time, or who cultivate an unwritten meditation practice, are already writing proprioceptively without candles and Baroque music.
The authors' enthusiasm about their technique is odd for something that seems frankly a touch mechanical; the spirits that they invoke are denatured and bland. To write well, write often. The candle is entirely optional.
Linda Metcalf and Toby Simon have developed a simple, kind practice that is absolutely transformative. I feel newly armed with a practice that will help me develop my connection to the meaning inherent in my creative work, my professional life, and my personal life. I cannot recommend Proprioceptive Writing enough!