"The Work"

Dear Boomers,
Has anyone read Byron Katie's "Loving What Is" or worked her revolutionary process called "The Work"?

Prayers 'n blessings,
brose

Hi Brose,
I have read the follow up book -- I Need Your Love, Is That True? I've also used "The Work" to a degree in my coaching practice. Sometimes it works, but frequently people resist the questions! LOL!

What is your experience?

Dear Casey,
I've only read the first 100 pages of "Loving What Is" but the idea of turning around tormenting thoughts is very appealing. The mind plays tricks that we can do without and be much happier for it.
After I've finished the read, I'll get back to you. I was just hoping I could be assured I wasn't wasting precious time.
Thanks.
Prayers 'n blessings
Brose

[ March 31, 2006, 06:21 PM: Message edited by: bonnierose333 ]

I haven't heard of these. I'm heading to Amazon to check them out. Thanks.

Dear Casey and Dotsie,
I'm a couple hundred pages into "Loving What Is," now. It seems 2 me that this method is more 4 snuffing out imaginary monsters rather than humanity's actual devils. When real, heartless people are the basic problem, there's nothing to turnaround; the stonewall your head is hitting against already is "What Is"! But Byron Katie's
idea is great, if simply reversing unproven thoughts.
What say U?

Lucille,
Yes, I understand what you are saying. I don't think Katie means to be attacking devils in the larger sense. My feeling is that she wants us to be sure of the truth before we do anything drastic. So it's really checking in and checking in that we are living by reality as it exists now, or are we living in our story. I use this method when someone I am coaching is "stuck" in their story. They can't get past their particular view of reality, but they must get past it in order to grow.

It can also help us be really clear in our communication with others. I was first taught this when I was having issues with my sister. In the process, I realized I had never clearly laid out what the issues were with her. I had constructed a whole personna around her based on little input from her. Now, we aren't buddy buddy, but since I clearly laid it out in a letter to her, we are back to communicating.

However, no matter how much I were to use this method with my alcoholic ex-husband -- he's still an active alcoholic and I'm glad he's the ex-.

Am I making sense?

Dear Casey,
I don't know who Lucille is, but I like Byron's simple, straight-to-the-point approach. I believe self-inquiry, self-realization, and turnaround will prove to be helpful. I also think univestigated stories unnecessarily and repeatedly fester old wounds. So, I guess "The Katie" book is time-worthy.
If you don't mind me asking, "What do you coach?"
Ciao,
Brose

Brose,
I have to laugh! I looked up briefly for your name and your tag line wraps around on my computer. The result is that Arlyne Lucille's last name is right at the bottom! Sorry about that!

I couch people (primarily women) who are ready to reconnect with their source wisdom and claim their power whereever they aren't using it fully. It could be in a relationship, at work, with children, with themselves, or even with the world at large. Part of this, of course, is telling the truth about what's really going on, which is where Byron's work comes in handy.

And I totally agree that people get stuck in their story. It's a significant part of the coaching process for me (and what makes coaching so different from therapy) to move them off of that story and forward.

Thanks for asking!

Dear Casey,
I finished reading Katie's book, "Loving What Is"; and, I plan to reread it. What I got out of it, is that we should stay in the (NOW) and not let our thinking rehash the past or borrow trouble from the future. I agree that I probably won't do "The Work" to the degree of writing everything down. But perhaps if I catch myself dwelling on the negative, I'll mentally ask those 4 questions and turn it around.
Byron's views remind me of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's, "Power of Positive Thinking" booklets and sermons.
Ciao,
B. Rose