If you have been suffering from mild to severe depression, I would encourage you to explore the works of Byron Katie, in particular her book Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life (2002). I discovered Bryon Katie when our neighbor Brian, a happy-go-lucky, kind individual, who has a obvious joy for life, loaned me his copy of Katie's book. Look at the cover of this book and you see a face of a woman who has lived through a thing or two.
Byron Katie (American speaker, author, 1942-), spent much of her thirties severely depressed, and she is the first to admit to having spent over ten years of her life, crippled by depression, to the point that some days she could not leave her bed. Once day, quite simply, she came to the conclusion that suffering is optional, and that it had a lot to do with what thoughts she believed. And from this day forth, she claims to have found a joy within that has never disappeared. Today, she is a force to be reckoned with. She helps hundreds of thousands of individuals who are seeking to stop their suffering, by using a process of self-inquiry, which she calls The Work.
Im relatively new to The Work, but Id say its all about thought flipping. Usually, whenever a person is feeling down or depressed, its safe to say they are probably not thinking happy thoughts. Katie invites a person who is angry or sad or depressed to question their thoughts, and, upon finding a upset thought, to ask: Who would I be without this thought?
Her four questions are as follows:
1.Is it true? 2.Can you absolutely know that it's true? 3.How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? 4.Who would you be without the thought?
Turning around a statement involves flipping it to the opposite, the other and self (and sometimes to "my thinking"). For example, the thought: I am angry at my husband because he lied to me about our finances can be turned around to: "He lied to himself about our finances." (or I lied to him...").
I recently shared The Work with a friend, who challenged me on how The Work could bring about change when years of therapy hadn't. He who called me the next day to thank me. Joy.
You might want to do what I did, which was to search for Byron Katie on Youtube, so that you can she her in action. She calls everyone honey or sweetheart and is known for having an intense gaze and presence, and a funny sense of humor.
The Work invites you to stop Suffering by and to Love What Is by:
Identifying thoughts that cause suffering (pain, anger, stress) Questioning these thoughts (not trying to change them; its more about awareness) Loving what is (resolution, happiness, integrity)
Byron Katie (American speaker, author, 1942-), spent much of her thirties severely depressed, and she is the first to admit to having spent over ten years of her life, crippled by depression, to the point that some days she could not leave her bed. Once day, quite simply, she came to the conclusion that suffering is optional, and that it had a lot to do with what thoughts she believed. And from this day forth, she claims to have found a joy within that has never disappeared. Today, she is a force to be reckoned with. She helps hundreds of thousands of individuals who are seeking to stop their suffering, by using a process of self-inquiry, which she calls The Work.
Im relatively new to The Work, but Id say its all about thought flipping. Usually, whenever a person is feeling down or depressed, its safe to say they are probably not thinking happy thoughts. Katie invites a person who is angry or sad or depressed to question their thoughts, and, upon finding a upset thought, to ask: Who would I be without this thought?
Her four questions are as follows:
1.Is it true? 2.Can you absolutely know that it's true? 3.How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? 4.Who would you be without the thought?
Turning around a statement involves flipping it to the opposite, the other and self (and sometimes to "my thinking"). For example, the thought: I am angry at my husband because he lied to me about our finances can be turned around to: "He lied to himself about our finances." (or I lied to him...").
I recently shared The Work with a friend, who challenged me on how The Work could bring about change when years of therapy hadn't. He who called me the next day to thank me. Joy.
You might want to do what I did, which was to search for Byron Katie on Youtube, so that you can she her in action. She calls everyone honey or sweetheart and is known for having an intense gaze and presence, and a funny sense of humor.
The Work invites you to stop Suffering by and to Love What Is by:
Identifying thoughts that cause suffering (pain, anger, stress) Questioning these thoughts (not trying to change them; its more about awareness) Loving what is (resolution, happiness, integrity)
