I came across The Work of Byron Katie at a conference back in 2002. I was drawn to her presentation and curious about this approach. What I saw happen with the audience and with the particular individuals who chose to engage the process in front of the group was truly remarkable! There was an ease, a simplicity, and a steadfastness to the process that yielded palpable results. I was intrigued and began to use The Work of Byron Katie to alleviate my own stressful thoughts.
Later on, I was introduced to a psychotherapist who trains others in how to adapt this protocol for working with clients in session. I began to guide clients through a process based on The Work and its simple, efficient inquiry process. I have found it to produce noteworthy results for any number of clients over the years. Some clients are drawn to use it on their own, outside of sessions. There are a number of resources available at Byron Katie’s website that can be found at: http://thework.com/tools-do-work. There are also videos one can watch of others practicing with a variety of subject matters, and one is almost sure to find issues similar to one’s own. Other clients have preferred to simply go through the process with my guidance during session, and indeed — the presence of a facilitator can make a significant difference, especially when facing deeply entrenched beliefs.
Recently, I suggested The Work of Byron Katie to a client in session, and as we went through the steps for the first time, my client remarked: “Wow! My head is spinning and it’s as if it just went blank.” I let her know there can sometimes be obvious physical effects of this practice, as the mind lets go of familiar and yet stressful beliefs that are no longer needed. She was reassured, and she marveled at the clear impact the exercise had produced as she chose to disengage from a habitual thought pattern — moving from stress to a sense of spaciousness and freedom.