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A Mind At Home With Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around
‘Very illuminating…on the cutting edge of current biological research’ Jon Kabat-Zinn
In A Mind At Home With Itself (her first full-length book since 2007), Byron Katie explains that emotions such as sadness, anger and resentment come from believing our stressful thoughts. When we learn to question the thoughts, they lose their power. And when this happens, our minds are free to turn towards others, and ourselves, with a spirit of generosity.
Byron Katie gives approximately 25 hugely popular workshops every year, all over the world. In addition she speaks at such organisations as Facebook and Stanford University and is also involved with a programme for cancer patients. Charismatic and compassionate, there’s good reason why The Times has called her events ‘riveting’, and Time magazine has named her ‘a spiritual innovator for the new milennium’.
In A Mind At Home With Itself (her first full-length book since 2007), Byron Katie explains that emotions such as sadness, anger and resentment come from believing our stressful thoughts. When we learn to question the thoughts, they lose their power. And when this happens, our minds are free to turn towards others, and ourselves, with a spirit of generosity.
Byron Katie gives approximately 25 hugely popular workshops every year, all over the world. In addition she speaks at such organisations as Facebook and Stanford University and is also involved with a programme for cancer patients. Charismatic and compassionate, there’s good reason why The Times has called her events ‘riveting’, and Time magazine has named her ‘a spiritual innovator for the new milennium’.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2017
1024 people are currently reading
2983 people want to read
About the author
Byron Katie
107 books1,148 followersByron Kathleen Mitchell, better known as Byron Katie, is an American speaker, writer, and founder of a method of self-inquiry called The Work of Byron Katie or simply The Work.
Katie became severely depressed in her early thirties. She was a businesswoman and mother who lived in Barstow, a small town in the high desert of southern California. For nearly a decade she spiraled down into paranoia, rage, self-loathing, and constant thoughts of suicide; for the last two years she was often unable to leave her bedroom. Then, one morning in February 1986, while in a halfway house for women with eating disorders, she experienced a life-changing realization. In that moment, she says,
Soon afterward people started seeking her out and asking how they could find the freedom that they saw in her. As reports spread about the transformations they felt they were experiencing through The Work, she was invited to present it publicly elsewhere in California, then throughout the United States, and eventually in Europe and across the world.
The Work has been compared to the Socratic method and to Zen meditation, but Katie is not aligned with any religion or tradition. She describes self-inquiry as an embodiment, in words, of the wordless questioning that had woken up in her on that February morning. She has shared The Work with millions of people at public events, in prisons, hospitals, churches, V. A. treatment centers, corporations, universities, and schools. Participants at her weekend workshops, the nine-day School for The Work, and the twenty-eight-day residential Turnaround House report profound experiences and lasting transformations. “Katie’s events are riveting to watch,” the Times of London reported. Eckhart Tolle calls The Work “a great blessing for our planet.” And Time magazine named Katie a “spiritual innovator for the new millennium.”
Katie is married to the writer and translator Stephen Mitchell, who co-wrote Loving What Is, A Thousand Names for Joy, and A Mind at Home with Itself. I Need Your Love—Is That True? was written with Michael Katz, her literary agent at the time. Her other books are Question Your Thinking, Change The World; Who Would You Be Without Your Story?; Peace in the Present Moment, with Eckhart Tolle, A Friendly Universe, and, for children, Tiger-Tiger, Is It True? and The Four Questions. On her website thework.com, you will find detailed instructions about The Work; video and audio clips; Katie's calendar of events; event registration; free downloads, including the Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet; interviews; apps for your iPhone, iPad, or Android; a free newsletter; a free helpline; and the online store. You might also want to visit Katie's Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages, and her live-streaming webcast page, livewithbyronkatie.com.
Katie became severely depressed in her early thirties. She was a businesswoman and mother who lived in Barstow, a small town in the high desert of southern California. For nearly a decade she spiraled down into paranoia, rage, self-loathing, and constant thoughts of suicide; for the last two years she was often unable to leave her bedroom. Then, one morning in February 1986, while in a halfway house for women with eating disorders, she experienced a life-changing realization. In that moment, she says,
I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment.
Soon afterward people started seeking her out and asking how they could find the freedom that they saw in her. As reports spread about the transformations they felt they were experiencing through The Work, she was invited to present it publicly elsewhere in California, then throughout the United States, and eventually in Europe and across the world.
The Work has been compared to the Socratic method and to Zen meditation, but Katie is not aligned with any religion or tradition. She describes self-inquiry as an embodiment, in words, of the wordless questioning that had woken up in her on that February morning. She has shared The Work with millions of people at public events, in prisons, hospitals, churches, V. A. treatment centers, corporations, universities, and schools. Participants at her weekend workshops, the nine-day School for The Work, and the twenty-eight-day residential Turnaround House report profound experiences and lasting transformations. “Katie’s events are riveting to watch,” the Times of London reported. Eckhart Tolle calls The Work “a great blessing for our planet.” And Time magazine named Katie a “spiritual innovator for the new millennium.”
Katie is married to the writer and translator Stephen Mitchell, who co-wrote Loving What Is, A Thousand Names for Joy, and A Mind at Home with Itself. I Need Your Love—Is That True? was written with Michael Katz, her literary agent at the time. Her other books are Question Your Thinking, Change The World; Who Would You Be Without Your Story?; Peace in the Present Moment, with Eckhart Tolle, A Friendly Universe, and, for children, Tiger-Tiger, Is It True? and The Four Questions. On her website thework.com, you will find detailed instructions about The Work; video and audio clips; Katie's calendar of events; event registration; free downloads, including the Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet; interviews; apps for your iPhone, iPad, or Android; a free newsletter; a free helpline; and the online store. You might also want to visit Katie's Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages, and her live-streaming webcast page, livewithbyronkatie.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
November 11, 2017
This is one of the deepest books by Byron Katie.
She uses personal examples from her experiences, opening up like never before.
If you’re new to The Work (Katie’s technique—four questions and a turnaround), I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting off with A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF.
As far as non-dual teachings go, Katie is about as radical as they come, with the exception, perhaps, of Tony Parsons.
What I love about Katie is that she provides more than some theoretical discussion on non-duality. She offers a clear practice in the form of what she refers to as “The Work.”
This is the experiential side of everything she talks about, and it is for everyone, even kids, if they are open to it.
The Work can be used (or seen) as a self-help technique, or it can be used as a big step in the direction of spiritual freedom.
While Katie does give an example or two of applying The Work, the practical aspect is not the focus of this book as it is with most of the other books she’s written. A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF describes in intimate detail the experience that is the freedom revealed through The Work.
It is similar in many ways, to a previous book she has written, A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY. Both books offer Katie’s interpretation of ancient texts translated by her husband, Stephen Mitchell.
Whereas A THOUSAND WORDS FOR JOY examines excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF probes one of the crown jewels of Buddhism, The Diamond Sutra.
This book knocks it out of the park, it really does.
She uses personal examples from her experiences, opening up like never before.
If you’re new to The Work (Katie’s technique—four questions and a turnaround), I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting off with A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF.
As far as non-dual teachings go, Katie is about as radical as they come, with the exception, perhaps, of Tony Parsons.
What I love about Katie is that she provides more than some theoretical discussion on non-duality. She offers a clear practice in the form of what she refers to as “The Work.”
This is the experiential side of everything she talks about, and it is for everyone, even kids, if they are open to it.
The Work can be used (or seen) as a self-help technique, or it can be used as a big step in the direction of spiritual freedom.
While Katie does give an example or two of applying The Work, the practical aspect is not the focus of this book as it is with most of the other books she’s written. A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF describes in intimate detail the experience that is the freedom revealed through The Work.
It is similar in many ways, to a previous book she has written, A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY. Both books offer Katie’s interpretation of ancient texts translated by her husband, Stephen Mitchell.
Whereas A THOUSAND WORDS FOR JOY examines excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, A MIND AT HOME WITH ITSELF probes one of the crown jewels of Buddhism, The Diamond Sutra.
This book knocks it out of the park, it really does.
January 11, 2020
Terrible book. A depressed, psychotic woman goes full-on dissociative fugue, and now suddenly she’s an enlightened Buddhist master? If she had a profound spiritual experience, then fine, tell me about your unique experience. But to pretend that she suddenly “awakened” to the hipster paradigm of eastern non-dualism, is just stupid. It’s cultural appropriation at its finest. You can disregard anything this author writes as one more piece in a long line of unoriginal, new age, pop-psych, faux-eastern spirituality nonsense that is mass produced in western society for people desperate for “non-religious” spirituality. It’s just as bad as J.Z. Knight pretending to channel “Ramtha, the enlightened one”; or Ester Hicks selling tickets to her performance of “Abraham”.
If you’re interested in real Buddhist philosophy, there are much better books out there. This sounds like it was written by someone who superficially wants to embrace the idea of non-duality, but can’t quite wrap their head around it. But then simultaneously wants to pretend to be an enlightened master in it. So the way she accomplishes this convoluted task is by rambling at length about nothing, and ending back at the idea that “nothing exists”.
“I Barged into the homes of strangers and explained to them that they didn’t really exist. But they had a hard time understanding what I was saying. So I tried to use other words to explain it to them, in a way that would facilitate their understanding (which, itself, doesn’t exist). But in the end, I learned to adopt the language, customs, and culture of the society of the person who used to inhabit this body, so that I could operate from within the dream of this wonderful place. But none of it really exists anyway. And that fills me with such ecstasy, blah, blah, blah...”
So what’s the takeaway? I guess that if your mind is pushed to it’s limit, it’ll finally crack. And then you won’t give a shit about anything anymore, and that’s a state of pure bliss. Or whatever.
If you’re interested in real Buddhist philosophy, there are much better books out there. This sounds like it was written by someone who superficially wants to embrace the idea of non-duality, but can’t quite wrap their head around it. But then simultaneously wants to pretend to be an enlightened master in it. So the way she accomplishes this convoluted task is by rambling at length about nothing, and ending back at the idea that “nothing exists”.
“I Barged into the homes of strangers and explained to them that they didn’t really exist. But they had a hard time understanding what I was saying. So I tried to use other words to explain it to them, in a way that would facilitate their understanding (which, itself, doesn’t exist). But in the end, I learned to adopt the language, customs, and culture of the society of the person who used to inhabit this body, so that I could operate from within the dream of this wonderful place. But none of it really exists anyway. And that fills me with such ecstasy, blah, blah, blah...”
So what’s the takeaway? I guess that if your mind is pushed to it’s limit, it’ll finally crack. And then you won’t give a shit about anything anymore, and that’s a state of pure bliss. Or whatever.
January 11, 2018
Uuuuuu. This one didn't hold water for me, alas. Because Loving What Is turned my world inside out. Perhaps because that was the first time I'd given letting-something-be-itself some thoughtful attention. This, however, feels like an effort to keep her good name in print. I tried to find the Diamond Sutra relevant, but no dice big time. (The introductory chapters are almost an apology for the whole book and the irrelevance of the Diamond Sutra. heh.) Also: with her earlier books you always have this tiny doubt: this is all well and good, but you can't really live like this can you? Here, you find out, no. You can't. I believe Byron Katie has glorious caretakers. And am grateful for that. And sad to find the edge of usefulness for her for me.
December 22, 2017
When I keep Byron Katie audio books on rotation in my car, I'm a happier person. They remind me of the joy inherent in embracing reality. Instead of muttering "Why is this #@%& person driving 55 in the left lane!?" I accept that it's time for me to slow down for a bit. I remember the times that I was the out-of-towner driving slower than others would like, and I feel affection for the person driving the car that's making me slow down.
This book consists of passages from the Diamond Sutra, read by Katie's husband, Stephen Mitchell, who interpreted them, followed by Katie talking about how she understands the passage and its real-world implications. The audio book features two other readers, a woman and a man, who question Katie. They also take turns taking the place of people with whom Katie has done The Work of questioning their thoughts. I found the section about the gay man whose mother should understand and accept him very enlightening.
I understand that Byron Katie isn't for everyone. It can be challenging to accept that reality is always right in the midst of disasters and the current political environment. But a person whose thoughts are causing his suffering is less able to serve than a person who lets go of the thoughts that cause his suffering. Maybe Katie is only for those of us whose suffering would be overwhelming without her teachings.
This book consists of passages from the Diamond Sutra, read by Katie's husband, Stephen Mitchell, who interpreted them, followed by Katie talking about how she understands the passage and its real-world implications. The audio book features two other readers, a woman and a man, who question Katie. They also take turns taking the place of people with whom Katie has done The Work of questioning their thoughts. I found the section about the gay man whose mother should understand and accept him very enlightening.
I understand that Byron Katie isn't for everyone. It can be challenging to accept that reality is always right in the midst of disasters and the current political environment. But a person whose thoughts are causing his suffering is less able to serve than a person who lets go of the thoughts that cause his suffering. Maybe Katie is only for those of us whose suffering would be overwhelming without her teachings.
April 12, 2018
I’ve read a couple of Byron Katie’s books, and they made so much sense but not this one!
It felt a bit like the Emperors New Clothes, I was supposed to find great meaning, in fact I read it twice but most of it was incomprehensible and rambling.
Reading it for the second time it became clear to me that in her great distress in 1985 Byron Katie actually suffered such a huge breakdown she woke up with amnesia which explains why she didn’t know her husband and children and had no idea of her identity. It must have been terrifying.
That she’s managed to turn it round and make a fortune out of her misfortune is amazing and all credit to her courage and determination to make a new life and career for herself!
I find inquiry and the Four Questions extremely helpful, they do work...to a point. However saying that nothing exists and that we do not exist is nihilistic and takes away meaning from life. Sometimes you can’t turn things around. Her Work works to an extent but there is a point where it stops. When people really go through terrible traumas like rape how are they supposed do say that they raped themselves and that it’s not true.
There were times when I just sat there after reading a chapter and thought “what a load of codswallop”! Then thought I’d missed the meaning and it was me that didn’t understand so plodded on. However I’ve had enough, I’m half way through my second reading and have given up. I won’t be trying again... it’s still codswallop!
It felt a bit like the Emperors New Clothes, I was supposed to find great meaning, in fact I read it twice but most of it was incomprehensible and rambling.
Reading it for the second time it became clear to me that in her great distress in 1985 Byron Katie actually suffered such a huge breakdown she woke up with amnesia which explains why she didn’t know her husband and children and had no idea of her identity. It must have been terrifying.
That she’s managed to turn it round and make a fortune out of her misfortune is amazing and all credit to her courage and determination to make a new life and career for herself!
I find inquiry and the Four Questions extremely helpful, they do work...to a point. However saying that nothing exists and that we do not exist is nihilistic and takes away meaning from life. Sometimes you can’t turn things around. Her Work works to an extent but there is a point where it stops. When people really go through terrible traumas like rape how are they supposed do say that they raped themselves and that it’s not true.
There were times when I just sat there after reading a chapter and thought “what a load of codswallop”! Then thought I’d missed the meaning and it was me that didn’t understand so plodded on. However I’ve had enough, I’m half way through my second reading and have given up. I won’t be trying again... it’s still codswallop!
October 21, 2017
I struggle with this one. On one hand, I disagree with the idea that nothing exists. I believe in universal truth-that things exist. But on the other hand, so much of reality is interpreted through the lense of our mind. The glass is either half full or half empty. The four questions seem like an extremely important way to determine what thoughts are stressing you out. I have used these questions a few times in my life since picking up this book and found it immensely helpful. So it’s odd but even though I disagree with the main premise “nothing exists”, I found myself really enjoying this book. And maybe that’s the point.
February 27, 2018
The author may very well be “enlightened”, but I found that she spoke in circles in this book. Repeating “nothing exists”, “You and I are in fact one” does not allow the reader to actually experience this truth.
I know that many have found her teachings helpful. What it may amount to is personal preference.
If you like the teaching style of Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, or Gangaji then this particular book may not be for you. If you like Krishnamurti then it might be.
I know that many have found her teachings helpful. What it may amount to is personal preference.
If you like the teaching style of Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, or Gangaji then this particular book may not be for you. If you like Krishnamurti then it might be.
August 8, 2017
Byron Katie shares with her readers her enlightenment and how four questions changed her life forever. It is so much more than just another book on mindfulness and I would just like to give the best compliment I could....the fact that so much of the writing was important enough for me to highlight.
She shows how we have to look at things and people in our lives from the perspective of the need to question things in our lives....that suffering comes either from being trapped in a painful past or anticipating a dangerous future.
Her four basic questions: (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? and (4) Who would you be without the thought? and the Work that she describes in this book can really be a turnabout for so many problems we face today.
An excellent read for anyone dealing with anxiety and worry in their lives.
I was selected to receive an ARC of this wonderful book and totally recommend it highly.
She shows how we have to look at things and people in our lives from the perspective of the need to question things in our lives....that suffering comes either from being trapped in a painful past or anticipating a dangerous future.
Her four basic questions: (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? and (4) Who would you be without the thought? and the Work that she describes in this book can really be a turnabout for so many problems we face today.
An excellent read for anyone dealing with anxiety and worry in their lives.
I was selected to receive an ARC of this wonderful book and totally recommend it highly.
September 29, 2017
Apparently the author experienced a breakdown resulting in her belief that she now has Buddha-like qualities to share with the multitudes. Co-author has transcribed her work with others, allowing her to reach even more people than she previously thought possible. This was not the book I thought I was reviewing; I was disappointed and did not finish.
April 6, 2020
I enjoy reading books about mysterious happening, psychic phenomenon, and the unexplained. I don't necessarily believe these things (hey, I'm an engineer) but concede that somethings have to make you wonder. I thought that A Mind At Home With Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around by Byron Katie would be an interesting addition to my readings but, sadly, I was disappointed. I'm not sure what occurred whether physical or mental breakdown of some kind, but to suddenly recover and be enlightened (even though she also says there is no such thing as enlightenment) was a big stretch for me. Throughout the book there was a lot of repetition mixed with contradictory statements that I found very confusing like There is no past and no future and no present! Having read a little on Buddhism I'm not sure what she is preaching is really Buddhism. And if she truly does things like give away her house and pet because someone asked for it, why does she sell books and charge for speaking engagements. I found myself saying "Really?" to myself constantly throughout the book. I did find a few thought-provoking ideas or different ways of looking at things which is why my rating wasn't one star, but the core messages in this book were a big miss for me. Not recommended.
July 14, 2018
Terrible. The introductory chapters made me not even want to read the book. They are full of excuses from the coauthor and frankly make very little sense as to why they even exist???. I think that her 4 questions are great...but the nonsensical quotes and statements were too much of a turn off for this science-minded Buddha loving gal! It actually made me question the validity of Byron Katie’s experience. Maybe she just figured out a good way to tap into the right market at the right time...I find little substance and lots of talking in circles in her “truths.” Obviously, I’m not a fan. I’ll take Thich Nhat Hanh and Lama Surya Das over this any day. I’m sorry I let someone talk me into this book! Ugh!!!
February 13, 2018
I am a big fan of "The work". I have loved Katie's previous books and have found her process of four questions and turn arounds to be an incredibly helpful tool for analyzing and disproving painful thoughts and feelings. This book however often left me scratching my head and wondering "what the heck was she just trying to say?"
Read
October 29, 2023Update 10/29/23🚫
No longer recommending this book.
Yes, I've had success with questioning my thoughts, but some of the alleged business practices I just read about, if true, deeply concern me. I can no longer recommend with a clear conscience.
Please be aware that everything below this post were my thoughts when I first read this book.
Stay safe out there. 💜
**********
This one made my brain feel like it was doing gymnastics. Wowza. Some of the deeper stuff about reality didn't feel 💯 percent right... not saying it's wrong though--just a gut-feeling thing. However, this was written and sorted very well, and I Ioved hearing things from a different perspective. My mind is always shifting, so maybe I'll buy into more of this in the future... or maybe not. I'm seriously grateful to Byron Katie for The Work; it has helped me like nothing else has for my negative self-talk.
No longer recommending this book.
Yes, I've had success with questioning my thoughts, but some of the alleged business practices I just read about, if true, deeply concern me. I can no longer recommend with a clear conscience.
Please be aware that everything below this post were my thoughts when I first read this book.
Stay safe out there. 💜
**********
This one made my brain feel like it was doing gymnastics. Wowza. Some of the deeper stuff about reality didn't feel 💯 percent right... not saying it's wrong though--just a gut-feeling thing. However, this was written and sorted very well, and I Ioved hearing things from a different perspective. My mind is always shifting, so maybe I'll buy into more of this in the future... or maybe not. I'm seriously grateful to Byron Katie for The Work; it has helped me like nothing else has for my negative self-talk.
August 10, 2022
Wow was this hard to get through. Not through any fault of the audiobook presentation, I will note. No, it's that for a book about releasing your focus on yourself as separate from other people it was almost unrelentingly focused on Byron Katie, both the person and the business.
So why keep reading it? The Four Questions* and the Turnaround** are so dang useful. They really can unlock some very locked up thinking. However, it turns out that this is a case where you don't want to drink the water straight from the well. Those worksheets? Recommended. This book? Not recommended.
*
Do these exercises in writing. It's hard to pin down what the mind is doing if you're trying to do so in your head.
Question 1: Is it true?
Question 2: Can you absolutely know it’s true?
Question 3: How do you react—what happens—when you believe that thought?
Question 4: Who would you be without the thought?
**
Write down your most selfish, petty, upset set of statements about what is happening. Examine the statements with the four questions, then try turning them around. "They don't listen to me" becomes "I don't listen to me" and "I don't listen to them" and "They do listen to me" and examine those with the four questions. Also find ways that turnaround is true in your life. (Not all turnarounds make sense for your situation, but this is the basic approach)
So why keep reading it? The Four Questions* and the Turnaround** are so dang useful. They really can unlock some very locked up thinking. However, it turns out that this is a case where you don't want to drink the water straight from the well. Those worksheets? Recommended. This book? Not recommended.
*
Do these exercises in writing. It's hard to pin down what the mind is doing if you're trying to do so in your head.
Question 1: Is it true?
Question 2: Can you absolutely know it’s true?
Question 3: How do you react—what happens—when you believe that thought?
Question 4: Who would you be without the thought?
**
Write down your most selfish, petty, upset set of statements about what is happening. Examine the statements with the four questions, then try turning them around. "They don't listen to me" becomes "I don't listen to me" and "I don't listen to them" and "They do listen to me" and examine those with the four questions. Also find ways that turnaround is true in your life. (Not all turnarounds make sense for your situation, but this is the basic approach)
July 30, 2019
I first heard about this woman from someone who attended her workshop last year. I was in the mist of my depression when I decided to order this book right around my birthday. I still cannot fathom the garbage that came out of this woman's mouth: A tiny little bug suddenly makes her depression go away. She turned into this new person who forgets everything around her, especially her husband and kids. She didn't understand what a soul was, which is something that an atheist would say rather than a buddhist. I can't remember anything else she says, but it was enough to turn me off and send it back to Amazon. If you really feel comfortable with this crazy woman and want to attend her overpriced workshop, be my guest.
October 8, 2019
Byron Katie walks through an accessible translation of the Diamond Sutra using practical examples of how the transforming beliefs in our thinking is what the ancient wisdom encourages us to do.
A wonderful book. Both the author's insights and the translation of the Sutra. Have listened to multiple times. Great work.
Highly recommend
A wonderful book. Both the author's insights and the translation of the Sutra. Have listened to multiple times. Great work.
Highly recommend
October 20, 2017
Loved that Katie is going deeper into "enlightenment" and freedom. More good examples of The Work in action and also Katie's experience of Waking up in Barstow.
I will read this again, Or more likely, listed to the audio book again. Inspirational.
I will read this again, Or more likely, listed to the audio book again. Inspirational.
June 12, 2020
I attended The Work weekend retreat many years ago and found the 4 questions quite useful in my personal and professional life. However, this is my first Byron Katie book and I really didn't enjoy it.
May 25, 2024
Incredible! Thank you, Byron Katie for sharing The Work with the world. I don't know what life would be like without it!
February 21, 2018
Couldn't get into it at all ---- concept was way above what my feeble brain could wrap itself around. Never finished it -- just took it back to the library.
January 21, 2019
Some good ideas wrapped in insanity.
March 5, 2019
Maybe it's just me but I couldn't even follow her train of thought even as the co-author is interpreting. Continually while reading, I'm thinking, "is she manic or schizoaffective?!?!" :/
July 20, 2020
Often we forget about reality and got caught up in dreams. The Work of Byron Katie helps us to relax and get back in touch with reality when we need it.
June 11, 2024
I only understand about 40% of what she says but I love it anyway.
Read
June 23, 2024Probably not for me, but if it helps others, that is awesome!
June 28, 2024
Ik heb hem niet uitgelezen want ik word hier geen beter mens van
February 7, 2023
This book is sending me.
I hate it and resist it.
I love it and am moved by it.
I want to fight it.
I want to keep rereading it forever.
Gonna do the work on those thoughts.
It probably deserves multiple stars but something fishy feels like it’s going on as well. There is still some dualistic thinking when she talks about pure mind.
Ugh. And wow. Those are the two feelings this book brings.
I hate it and resist it.
I love it and am moved by it.
I want to fight it.
I want to keep rereading it forever.
Gonna do the work on those thoughts.
It probably deserves multiple stars but something fishy feels like it’s going on as well. There is still some dualistic thinking when she talks about pure mind.
Ugh. And wow. Those are the two feelings this book brings.
April 29, 2018
I read this book straight after reading "Loving What Is" and was still none the wiser as to some of my deeper questions, such as - when does common sense come in, where do we draw the line? She actually gave away her house to a near stranger - as if any of us could do that! And her husband signed the papers. She also refers to her ex husband a lot, and uses his 'work' as a feature quite a few times, but doesn't explain how he came to be an ex; this experience may have helped a lot of readers. Likewise she never really gets into the idea that a lot of people are suffering because they are addicted to food. In the opening book it states that she was overweight - again, an untouched subject. It isn't enough to say "you don't have a body, don't worry what it looks like", when the reality is that you could eat yourself to death. I just feel there are a lot of missed opportunities in both books. And yet, the basic four questions did help me to resolve a few issues that have been ongoing, and I would borrow further books from the library when I have particular questions of my own. I did like the Buddhist element of this book, but I would be interested to know her interest in Buddhism. I guess what I would really like is an actual autobiography of her story - and yet, according to this book, she doesn't actually have one; nobody has a story.
February 15, 2020
I read this book very slowly, enchanted with the messages. Every time a bell rang inside me and the feeling of “that’s it” wrapped me like a warm blanket, I closed the book and turned to sleep. I slept soundly ever since reading one chapter every night.
Katie has a special super-power: she speaks to your soul, bypassing all mind, intellect and memory layers. It goes deep. What she says is more than the sutra itself and yet, less than complicated explanations for information that is already within you, just waiting to come up.
Did I “finish” this book? No. Ever. This one has been nominated the one I will read a couple of pages before closing my eyes at night. The feeling of gratitude I have after every chapter is so precious!
Katie has a special super-power: she speaks to your soul, bypassing all mind, intellect and memory layers. It goes deep. What she says is more than the sutra itself and yet, less than complicated explanations for information that is already within you, just waiting to come up.
Did I “finish” this book? No. Ever. This one has been nominated the one I will read a couple of pages before closing my eyes at night. The feeling of gratitude I have after every chapter is so precious!
April 19, 2018
Guess it's the wrong time for this book for me. I forced myself to get 20% of the way through it, but it seemed she was saying the same things over and Over and OVER and it was going in one ear and out the other. It felt pretentious and overly philosophical in an - ahem - boring kind of way. The Work, I guess, is not for me at this time.
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