Shifting Our Internal Experience – A Look at “The Work” of Byron Katie

Shifting our Internal Response – a Look at “the Work” of Byron Katie
by Lisa Guyman
 
On the path of life I’ve found some authors/teachers to be particularly impactful in helping me shift my thinking and thus my emotional response to whatever is happening. One of favorites is Byron Katie. She is the originator of “the work” and the author of “Loving What Is” and “I Need Your Love – Is it True?”. In “the work” you answer some very simple questions about whatever is upsetting you and then you examine the beliefs that you hold around the ‘upsetting’ subject until it turns itself around. It is quite a simple, but yet a profound process.

When we examine our beliefs (i.e. the stories we tell ourselves about the events happening in our lives) we often realize that our beliefs are filled with lots of unquestioned and faulty assumptions. By turning our beliefs inside out, we often find that beneath our fearful thoughts and emotions is actually a place of love and peace. Byron Katie says we can “stop scaring and upsetting ourselves” by questioning anything that is bothering us

I feel a sense of peace and lightness almost anytime I do “the work” with myself which really isn’t work at all. I use Byron Katies inquiry questions whenever I am triggered around something that is going on. Most of the time I’m able to see the unnecessary drama in whatever is bothering me and in doing so I shift into a better feeling place.

The bottom line is that we are responsible for how we feel – no one can hurt us, no one makes us happy or unhappy, no one can make us feel loved or unloved. We get to do all this for ourselves. It is actually quite empowering work. The source for bliss and peace is within and when we find a way to love ‘what is’ we are often, ironically, bombarded with wonderful things on the outside too. This is the law of attraction at its finest.

If you’d like to learn more about Byron Katie’s work visit www.thework.com. Watch her videos or read one of her books. I imagine you’ll be glad you did.

Wishing you love and peace as you traverse the landscapes of your life.