below the initial write-up of the work of byron katie as an excellent inquiry process, you will find:
• an effective inquiry shortcut from me • how to work with the mind as taught by abraham-hicks
The Work of Byron Katie is my (non!)drug of choice for working with people on their thoughts because it has radically transformed my way of being in the world. It continues to keep me clear and enable me to meet whatever comes up in my thinking that takes me out of peace and unconditional love toward myself and others. It's not that I'm unflappable or experience no pain. (I'm not even trying to eradicate pain, which I consider a natural part of life—really different from constant suffering exacerbated by thoughts that reinforce and perpetuate that suffering!). It's still sometimes stunning to me that I now move through life from a stance of such joy and trust and self-love, so that it stands out for me—there's a jolt--when I'm irate or discouraged or critical. I notice it when I'm ruffled rather than carrying it around all day, day in and day out, like it's normal. Thus, any unwanted reaction or emotion shows me I've got something new to question—or, as Katie says, to meet with understanding.
Katie, the originator of The Work, teaches that nothing that ever happens to me is inherently stressful. My stress comes out of the thoughts I have about what happens to me. If someone else speaks to me with anger, there's no problem until I'm offended and give the anger back. (Katie says that defense is the first act of war!) If I lose the job or someone walks out of my life, there's no problem if I say, "I've been spared" and look for the benefits to myself. (And I can engage in such mental processes even as I feel pain, allow the pain, let it take its right time to dissolve. If I'm judging my feelings, I can question and release those judgments.) I can take anything that frustrates me in how others behave and use it as a mirror to look at myself more carefully and to make sure I'm the one living by my values. (It's not my job to mind the values and consistency of others.)
What are the blanket beliefs about life out of which I operate unconsciously? I need to be perfect, I can't do what I love, There's never enough time, There's something about me that keeps me from love. I can locate these and question them . . . so that I can have a peaceful, loving, expansive life that isn't dictated by a false limiting concept—a lie I tell myself and believe. When I'm not run by concepts, I get to be alive and alert in the moment, living a dynamic, immediate, felt experience of life. I get to be present and open to revelation, healing, magic.
We all have a story about ourselves, about other people, about how life works. And we have no other option but to live out the life that this story describes. Katie's provocative question is, Who would you be without your story?
The Work consists of four questions and a turnaround—a way of rephrasing our stressful thought so that we can look at it from other angles and expand our way of seeing. After that, our vision comes closer to the truth and to the infinite potentiality of the Universe. The four questions are:
Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it's true?
How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without the thought?
To learn more about The Work, watch brief video clips of Katie doing inquiry on any number of topics (scroll down for listing once you're on the video page), and explore the many free resources offered on her website, go to thework.com. Note that more specific links to Katie's amazing free resources appear in the right column.
To learn more about how The Work has impacted me personally, read my story.
You can also download a pdf worksheet on that page.
Would you like a simple alternative to inquiry? Abraham-Hicks suggests reaching for a better-feeling thought. The idea is that if a thought makes you feel bad, that's because it's not aligned with what your inner being knows to be true. So simply reach for something that feels better. Do keep it real (this is not about fooling yourself).
So if, for example, you were thinking that you're ruining your career (and feeling terrible about that), then you might reach for what feels better that's still true. You might tell yourself: * My career has seen some ups and downs, and this looks like a down spot. * It could be that I'll be fine. It's even very likely. * Right now, I feel bad about things and that's not a good time to evaluate or make predictions. * I'd like to think about things that feel good and simply focus on making myself feel better. * I'm not ready to retire or give up on my career, so I'll pick this back up later. Now is not the time. * In fact, my career has been a journey, and the journey is ongoing, and it simply is where it is right now. * Experience has shown me that the rough patches I go through end up offering gifts of healing and evolution. I can believe that. I don't need to figure out or see what those gifts will be right now. In fact, that's not even possible.
