THE WORK - BYRON KATIE
What is The Work of Byron Katie?
"A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but the attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering.” Byron Katie
How many of the thousand misfortunes we have imagined have actually occurred? This is how one could summarise this quote from Byron Kathleen Mitchell, her real name.
The Work offers a simple and effective method of introspection that allows us to put an end to the mental confusion that creates unnecessary suffering and separates us from the truth inscribed in the reality of a situation that is happening in the here and now, in the magic of the moment.
What if we took the time to question our thoughts? Wouldn't be a good idea to pause and clarify the inner dialogues that create so much disorder and turmoil in the world and within ourselves? What if we stopped identifying with our thoughts for a moment? What would happen then? Through this process, I invite you to take a comprehensive and benevolent look at the inner dialogues that pollute your daily life.
Why do The Work of Byron Katie?
To stop suffering unnecessarily. To free yourself from the mind by using it wisely. To stop harmful inner dialogues. To live the magic of the present moment!
The Work can bring about many changes in your life and offers you the opportunity to create:
- Peace where there is stress
- Trust where there is fear
- Freedom, where there is unconscious conditioning
- Harmony, where there is conflict
- Lightness instead of heaviness
- Repair where there is a disturbance
- Clarity where there is confusion
When should I do The Work?
This method can be used whenever a negative emotion arises that causes suffering and is in conflict with what we want to experience: Frustration, anxiety, shame, fear, stress, anger... and whatever the issue is: relationships in the broadest sense, love, work, money, illness, death and more.
Every emotion is a message circulating in our nervous system. It invites us to begin the process of identifying what is real in us and what is against it. To take a look at what is causing our inner dialogues and suffering. By writing down what is going on in our minds, subjecting it to the four questions, and doing the turnarounds, everyone can find within themselves the answers that are consistent with their truth.
"Byron Katie's work is a great blessing to our planet." Eckhart Tolle
This practise is a skill that we can apply to all of our life experiences. It is not tied to any pre-established belief or dogma.
What happens in a session of The Work?
The Work can be practiced alone, but it is more beneficial to be guided through the process, especially as you learn to apply it. I will guide you until you feel comfortable and can do it on your own armed with a solid foundation of the method and practice.
It is an invitation to introspection and meditation as you search for your truth, which unfolds from session to session. The first step is to identify a situation in which you have felt hurt, stressed, sad, frustrated, disappointed, or angry, and to observe the story that plays out in your mind when you are confronted with these feelings.
Our mind is constantly judging. When it's not haunting us, it's taking care of our relationships, our environment, and the situations life throws at us. The point is not to condemn it by suppressing its thoughts, but to use its abilities to come to self-knowledge ... the truth that we all carry within us.
When the mind expresses itself through your pen and comes to life on a piece of paper, the people around you become powerful reflectors pointing to what has not yet been understood or made conscious within you.
In short, it's not about changing your thoughts but allowing you to choose them among other options by allowing your emotional intelligence, the intelligence of your heart, to grow within you. Putting The Work into practice, in a sincere approach that is completely in tune with your individuality, will reveal the truth that is necessary to lead you to a new awareness that is more complete, sensitive and free to feel in the way that suits you best.