A top question that psychotherapy clients ask is how to handle overwhelming and negative thoughts and emotions. Thinking and feeling are an essential part of being human, but learning to deal with the mind and flow of emotional energy makes the difference between self-mastery and feeling lost, hopeless and victimized.
A great place to self-start on this topic is with The Work, by Byron Katie. Everything Katie shares is available for free online, including a great many videos of her working with people who are suffering and teaching them how to question their thoughts.
The following is one of my favorite videos of The Work in action. It is Byron Katie working with a gay man who is struggling. You don’t have to be gay to appreciate and learn from this beautiful exchange.
Learning to question your thoughts isn’t new. Byron Katie didn’t invent it. For instance, Advaita Vedanta, a classical Hindu school of philosophy, taught Inquiry as a guiding principle. Ramana Maharshi is one of the famous Indian gurus (teachers) of this line. He became enlightened at only 18 years of age. I recommend the teachings of various Indian sages, especially for deeper inquiry into the nature of the Self, but the style can be dense and isn’t for everyone.
‘We’re all born knowing the truth, but by the time you’re four or five years old, they’ve beaten it out of you.’ – Attributed to Bob Dylan
However, Katie created a simple four question method that is very approachable by Western minds. And what is most important is that you find something that inspires you to learn, grow, and reach for higher levels of self-understanding and consciousness. This is the journey of inner evolution and is the way to positively shift the world. It is the path to reconnect to your inner wisdom, peace and wholeness. You start with you and your immediate world, and it affects the whole.
I also include links to Byron Katie’s top books and where to find her videos on the Resources for Self-Help page.
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Shared by Emily Marshall, Intuitive Psychotherapist specializing in Emotional Energy Transformation. Online & in-person therapy in Boulder, CO. Pay from the heart, get the support you need.