The Work of Byron Katie

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Using yourself as your own wisdom-keeper and yourself as the one who knows you best, you can use the four questions offered by The Work of Byron Katie to discover what you really need, what actions to take, and to dissolve painful, repetitive beliefs you keep thinking. For this work, you need to be willing to slow down, investigate your own thinking, and not expect an instant cure....even though this sometimes happens!

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. I would thoroughly read "Loving What Is" before beginning, it is such a helpful overall description of the inquiry work of Byron Katie, which I've found to be the simplest method of personal investigation I've encoutered. Then as customer I would at least have the feel of this particular tool to approach suffering in the human experience. I would also trust my own process as best I could, noticing when I don't, and returning to trusting again.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. For people looking to hire a coach/counselor to help solve a problem, I think for this particular method of sefl-inquiry or a more cognitive behavioral approach, the consumer should ask: What kind of results do people experience who practice inquiring into their own stressful beliefs? What will I need to do to receive the greatest benefit? In what ways do you, the professional, use this in your own life?

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. My work stands out quite dramatically from the traditional model of wise person delivering knowledge or advice to the one who doesn't "know" the answer. For me, the client is the one bringing along their own unique treasure chest of elegant and perfect wisdom, no matter what age or background. They hold the answers that are Goldilocks-just-right, as no one else can who has ever lived in history. I am only the one, as apparent "professional", who asks questions and offers my own experience and through this sharing, awareness happens. There is no right way. There is no wrong way. I help unpack the treasure chest along the way.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Clients as me how they can solve this problem they have of eating too much, worrying about money, smoking cigarettes, being scared of the future, feeling angry with my children, feeling stress of any kind around my parents, boss, work, neighbors, spouse. They ask me if I can relate to their pain. I say yes. I have experienced enormous pain around many life experiences and I now feel great peace the majority of the time. I know what to do when I feel discomfort or dischord. I inquire into what I'm believing, that I think is true but tough, unmanageable, difficult. Inquiry means that I use the four questions called The Work to ask myself all about my perceived beliefs: 1) is it true? 2) can I absolutely know it's true? 3) How do I react when I believe that thought? 4) Who would I be without the thought? and then I turn my belief around to the opposite and see what that concept is like for me instead.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I have a big list of stories that I find breath-taking and beautiful from working with amazing people from all over the world. I like to collect testimonials when they are sent, unsolicited. One recent lovely story is with a wonderful woman who is frustrated with an income that is lower than she wants. She pays her bills but has zero in savings. She experiences repetitive envy of a competitor in her field who makes twice as much money. We found beliefs under this vision of envy of this competitor like "she knows something I don't know", "I'm missing something", "she is doing something better than me"....All of these taken to inquiry create a new vision. What if this client is not missing anything? This could also be true. What if she is fully knowing of everything she needs to know to make more money already? It's just as possible. What if the competitor is not doing anything better, just different? The client is now free to stop concentrating on the competitor, but to enjoy her game of life, to enjoy her own company and her own business. Out of this space was born two new big ideas about how to grow her business....and she's doing them.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I became certified in The Work of Byron Katie in early 2007, I became certified as a life coach with Accomplishment Coaching in 2008, I have a master's degree in Applied Behavioral Science in 1997, I continuously study human development, change and philosophy through reading everything I can get my hands on around these topics.