SpiritualWiki - ByronKatie

Byron Katie (*1942) aus Kalifornien landete als ein seelisches Wrack in einer psychiatrischen Einrichtung. Es geschah, nachdem sie erkannt hatte, dass alles Leid, das in ihrem Leben bisher existiert hatte, auf Vorstellungen basierte, denen sie Glauben geschenkt hatte. Sie erwachte aus einem langen Alptraum und entdeckte ganz neu, was Leben wirklich heißt. Nach ihrer Rückkehr nach Hause entwickelte sie ein System aus vier Fragen und deren Umkehrungen, das ihr half, nicht wieder
in alte Muster zurück zu fallen. Sie nannte es The Work. Es hinterfragt Leid bringende Gedanken. Katie hatte nämlich ent-
deckt, dass Überzeugungen sehr tief sitzen und größtenteils unbewusst wirken und dass es deshalb sehr leicht geschehen kann, dass man wieder in alte Leidensmuster eintaucht. The Work half ihr, den Moment, so wie er ist, zu lieben. Tiefer inne-
rer Frieden, Stille und Freiheit sowie spontane Verhaltensänderungen sind nur einige der Effekte, die sich aus The Work ergeben können.

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Wesentliche Fragen/Aussagen aus The Work

Ist das wahr?
Kannst du wirklich wissen, dass es wahr ist?
Wie geht es dir, wenn du an diesem Gedanken festhältst?
Wer wärst du beziehungsweise wie würdest du dich fühlen, wenn du nicht so denken würdest?
Kehre deine Aussage um.

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Zitate zum Thema Byron Katie

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Zitate von Byron Katie

Empfehlungen

Wenn du die Liebe deines Leben sehen willst – schau in den Spiegel. Zitiert in: Zitate zum Nachdenken

Wenn Sie sich ehrlich auf unangenehme Erfahrungen freuen können, gibt es nichts mehr im Leben zu fürchten.
Zitiert in: Anleitung für The Work, präsentiert von Byron Katie Incorporated, 2002

Wer der Realität widerspricht, verliert – jedoch nur jedes Mal.
Zitiert in: B.Katie: Jedes Mal, via Melchizedek Forum, Devino M., 26. Juni 2018

Wenn ich ein Gebet hätte, dann wäre es dies:
Lieber Gott, bewahre mich vor dem Verlangen nach Liebe, Anerkennung oder Wertschätzung. Amen.
Zitiert in: meinpapasagt.de

Die Angst vor dem Tod ist der letzte Deckmantel, unter dem sich die Angst vor der Liebe verbirgt.
Moritz Börner, the work of byron katie. Das Ende des Leidens, S. 34, Work of Byron Katie Foundation, Niederlande, 2002

Das "Ich" liebt nicht – es will etwas. Quelle unbekannt

Ich liebe Regeln und Pläne und Religionen, weil die Menschen sich damit eine Zeitlang sicher fühlen. Ich selbst habe keine Regeln. Ich brauche sie nicht. Ich empfinde stets ein Gefühl der Ordnung, während die Dinge in Bewegung sind und sich verändern. Ich bin diese Harmonie, genau wie Sie. Das Nicht-Wissen ist er der einzige Weg zur Erkenntnis.
Es sagt mir, wohin ich als nächstes gehen muss, weist mir die Richtung, als gelebtes Leben. Weshalb sollte ich mich der spontanen Schönheit widersetzen, indem ich versuche, ihr eine künstliche Ordnung aufzuzwingen?

Bedeutungen, Regeln, die ganze Welt von Richtig und Falsch sind bestenfalls nebensächlich. Ich verstehe, weshalb so mancher glaubt, nach bestimmten Regeln leben zu müssen. Ohne sie, so meint er, geriete alles außer Kontrolle. Ohne Regeln, so meint er, würde sich am Ende jeder als Mörder entpuppen. In meinen Augen tun strenggläubige Menschen ihr Bestes. Es macht ihnen große Angst, zusehen zu müssen, wie sich die Welt in scheinbarem Chaos entfaltet, ohne in dem Chaos Gott [das Leben] in seiner unendlichen Intelligenz erkennen zu können. Sie glauben, die Welt und der Geist bräuchten eine Struktur. Und es freut mich, dass diese Struktur für sie funktioniert (sofern dies tatsächlich so ist). Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Gründerin der Methode "The Work", Autorin, Eintausend Namen für Freude. Leben in Harmonie mit dem Tao, S. 82, Arkana HC, 25. Juni 2007

Gottes Wille und dein Wille sind dasselbe, ungeachtet dessen ob du dies bemerkst oder nicht.
Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Gründerin der Methode "The Work", Autorin, Eintausend Namen für Freude. Leben in Harmonie mit dem Tao, Arkana HC, 25. Juni 2007

Ich entdeckte, dass ich litt, wenn ich meinen Gedanken glaubte, aber nicht litt, wenn ich ihnen nicht glaubte und dass dies für jeden Menschen zutrifft. So einfach ist Freiheit. Ich habe entdeckt, dass Leiden freiwillig ist. Ich habe eine Freude in mir gefunden, die nie mehr verschwunden ist, nicht für einen einzigen Augenblick. Diese Freude ist in uns allen, immer. Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Gründerin der Methode "The Work", Autorin, Erkenntnis nach einem lebensverändernden Erwachenserlebnis aus einer 10-jährigen Depression, Februar 1986

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Byron Katies Stellungnahme zu Thesen des Films The Secret

The Secret: Du kannst haben, was auch immer du willst.
The Work: Du kannst wollen, was auch immer du hast.

The Secret: MEIN Wille geschehe. Ich weiß, was das Beste für mich ist.
The Work: DEIN Wille geschehe. (= DEIN Wille ist geschehen.) Das Beste für mich ist das, was tatsächlich geschieht.

The Secret: Du kannst deine Gedanken kontrollieren.
The Work: Du bist nicht der Denkende. Es ist nicht möglich, deine stressbelasteten Gedanken zu unterdrücken. Wenn du sie jedoch in Frage stellst, so fallen sie von dir ab.

The Secret: Du kannst deine positiven Gedanken als Realität verwirklichen.
The Work: Die Realität ist bereits das Beste, was sich ereignen könnte. Sobald du das (an)erkennst, hast du Narrenfreiheit.

Quelle (engl.): ► Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Autorin, The Difference between
The Work and The Secret, präsentiert von ByronKatie.com, Blogeintrag, 22. April 2007

Siehe auch:
► The Secret
► The Secret – Referencing Byron Katie and David R. Hawkins. Goal oriented and ME oriented phrases in the bestselling movie (DVD)

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Den inneren Frieden wahren – Byron Katie

Umkehrung von Urteilen
Drei Angelegenheiten: meine, deine und Gottes
Befasse dich nicht mit deinen Angelegenheiten
"Löse" dich von deinem Körper und deiner Geschichte
Sprich in der Gegenwartsform
Spül' das Geschirr.
Auf die Stimme des Körpers hören
Erstatte dir selbst Bericht.
Wörtliches Verstehen
Äußere dich aufrichtig und wortwörtlich
Schau dir das Schauspiel an.
Schau dir weitere Fassungen des Schauspiels an.
Übe polares Denken.
Ein Weg, um sich selbst liebzuhaben
Aufrichtigkeit als Ausgangsposition
Frage nach dem, was du willst – gib dir selbst, was du willst.
Sei dir deines Selbst gewahr.
Sei dir selbst dankbar.
Der Spiegel der Eitelkeit
Jenseits von Rechtfertigungen
Geschenk der Kritik

Quelle: ► Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Gründerin der Methode "The Work", Autorin,
21 Methoden zur Wahrung des inneren Friedens von Byron Katie, gesammelt von Mary Lynn Hendrix, undatiert

Siehe auch: ► Frieden

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Quotes by Byron Katie

Personal avowals

I woke up not believing any of my thoughts. In this, everything was erased forever, and only joy was left (if anything). Whenever a thought appeared, I was immediately aware that it wasn't true. There was nothing. I saw that nothing
was true, and everything was true. Realization has no value until it's lived. That's how it is born into the world.
Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, cited in: Arjuna Ardagh [LoC 455] (*1957) British US American spiritual teacher, author, The Translucent Revolution, New World Library,
15. June 2005

I don't do thoughts. They do me – until I question them. Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, Michael Katz, co-author, I Need Your Love. Is That True? How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them Instead, reprint, 28. November 2006

You can want whatever you have.
Blog entry by Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author,
The Difference between The Work and The Secret, pre-
sented by the website thework.com, 22. April 2007

The bottom line is, if someone says something about me and it upsets me, it's true. Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, cited in: AZ Quotes

Thy will be done (=Thy will is done). What's best for me is what actually happens.
Blog entry by Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher, author, The Difference between The Work and The Secret, pre-
sented by the website thework.com, 22. April 2007

You are not the thinker. It's not possible to suppress your stressful thoughts. But when you question them, they let
go of you. Blog entry by Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher, author, The Difference between The Work and The Secret, presented by the website thework.com, 22. April 2007

Reality already is the best thing that could be manifested. When you realize this, you’re home free.
Blog entry by Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher, author, The Difference between The Work and The Secret, pre-
sented by the website thework.com, 22. April 2007

God's will and your will are the same, whether you notice it or not.
Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, Stephen Mitchell,
co-author, A Thousand Names for Joy. Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are, Three Rivers Press, 1. April 2008

Love is what we are. Why do we look for it so hard?
Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, Stephen Mitchell,
co-author, A Thousand Names for Joy. Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are, Three Rivers Press, 1. April 2008

Reference: en.Wikiquote entry ► Byron Katie

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Zitate von anderen Quellen über B. Katie

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Byron Katies Tochter Roxann über ihre Mutter

Byron Katie "ging zu Twelve Step Meetings, um ihre Erfahrung mitzuteilen. Sie war jedoch nicht eingeladen und das war der Unterschied. Da waren sehr traditions-
gebundene Leute und meine Mutter kreuzte einfach auf und zwang sie, an ihrem Leben, an ihrer Erfahrung teilzuhaben. Aber diese Menschen waren noch nicht reif genug, so etwas zu hören. Sie schrieben ihr hinterher Briefe, zitierten die Bibel und nannten sie eine Hexe". Christin Lore Weber, Schrei in der Wüste Das Erwachen der Byron Katie, Zitat von Byron Katies Tochter Roxann über ihre Mutter, S. 203, J. Kamphausen Verlag, 2. Auflage 2000

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⚡ Critical quotes on Byron Katie

Personal avowals

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Note:

Dutch astrologer Janaki is a former follower of Byron Katie who has exposed her as a typical New Age guru who is proclaiming "The End of Suffering."

That afternoon in the workshop, Katie was speaking. I was sitting on the floor, staring at her beautiful face. I can't remember what she said, but I know I had never heard such words before. They were like a healing for my soul, which had felt in pain for as long as I can remember. At some moment tears were flowing down my cheeks. […]
There is so much out there to help make the mind's prison more comfortable. For me, this is exactly what The Work or any kind of self help method will do for someone: it rearranges the furniture in the mind's prison, offers a momentary relief and makes it more comfortable. Anything that promises more, is misleading, at least according to me. […]
To actually seek out something that will do this, is a very wise and intelligent decision. Just like it is a wise and intelligent decision to visit a dentist when you have a toothache. But visiting a dentist doesn't mean that toothaches will never come back, just like doing any of these self help methods (including The Work) doesn't mean that suffering will permanently
end. […]
I have thoroughly walked the guru path and have seen it happen over and over again and not just with my own gurus.
We have seen this with Osho, with the Maharishi, Andrew Cohen and countless other Indian masters, but also with Scientology, Jim Jones, and the Reverend Moon.
E-book by Janaki, Dutch astrologer, former follower of Byron Katie, Byron Katie & Janaki, PDF, originally 52 pages, updated to
74 pages, reissued by the website mortentolboll.weebly.com 24. July 2009

I remember going to a Byron Katie presentation once with a friend who suffered from depression. This was when I had entered the "disillusioned" stage of my journey with The Work. One of Byron Katie's messages is to "love what is." My friend and I both just basically laughed off this idea, and the strange thing is, I have a suspicion that deflecting that message might have been the healthiest response we could have had at the time. This is because, if one has PTSD,
or in the case of my friend, depression, "loving what is" may not be the lesson most targeted to one's greatest needs
for psychological health. The message "love what is" could be interpreted in such a way as to make people already
suffering from unhealthy levels of passivity even more passive. It could undermine the development of one's will.
Blog article (1 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, The Work of Byron Katie Could Accidentally Cause Problems In Psychologically Vulnerable People, Guru Analytics, presented by the blogspot New Synapse, April 2014

Byron Katie earns ~$250,000 per day for her events. Katie's The School for the Work is a 9-day retreat and costs $3500, excluding accommodation. The event location is a spa resort and has 300 rooms. On average The School attracts 300-400 people each time and is run twice a year in California.
Volunteers who pay a discounted rate to attend, mainly staff the School.
Katie sells future schools, the turnaround house ($20.000) her books, cd’s. t-shirts, other merchandise and her facilitator course. She nets a cool $1,225,000 for each 9-day School she offers, based on 300 people attending.
That's without any product sales income.
Deleted blog entry Spiritual Swindlers?, presented by the blogspot aktv8d.com, Bator Master, 13. July 2017

In [Rick Ross'] blog, the participant described characteristics of the sessions that are typical of mind-control cults. For instance, this participant said they were forced to undergo a 36 hour fast and were fed a rich organic diet that made many people vomit which they were told was evidence of the “cleansing” power of the Work. They were made to put in long days (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on most days) with only brief breaks for meals and were forbidden all contact with family or the outside world. They endured long and "intense" confessional sessions and excessive probing into trauma-
tic moments in their lives. Participants were also invited to criticize Katie, and then, when they did so, they were shunned by the group.
These kinds of control tactics are all associated with cults and are designed to break down a person's psyche in order to brainwash them with new ways of thinking and perceiving the world.
This particular participant went on to say: "Although The Work is presented as for anyone of any religion, once I became a part of Katie's captive audience, it became very clear that was not so. Ka-
tie claims to have no beliefs, because she is 'clear' and lives in 'reality' or 'heaven,' her belief system is actually very strong, very distinct, and very anti-Christian. And, anyone whose belief system doesn't match hers is treated like the 'unenlightened' sap who needs to keep questioning his/her thoughts until they can see things Katie's way."
Blog article Why You Should Steer Clear of Byron Katie's "Work", presented by Women of Grace, S. Brinkmann, 9. November 2011

[Paraphrased] list of observations on Byron Katie
- Byron Katie lacks respect for normal human interconnection.
- Byron Katie lacks empathy.
- Byron Katie adheres to inequality (towards her delivery teams].
- Byron Katie practices a one way street (is unwilling to learn from others as well).
- Byron Katie appears as not part of the human family.
- Byron Katie is not seeing others fully.
- Byron Katie represents a dysfunctional and unavailable mother figure.
- Byron Katie is ignoring human development and developmental psychology.
- Byron Katie lacks the scientific approach.
- Byron Katie appears to be partially mentally ill.

Blog article (1 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, The Work of Byron Katie Could Accidentally Cause Problems In Psychologically Vulnerable People, Guru Analytics, presented by the blogspot New Synapse, April 2014

[Slightly paraphrased] concerns around The Work having cult-like characteristics
- Glamour
- Guru worship / Guruitis
- The group displays unquestioning commitment to its leader.
- Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged.
- Mind-altering practices
- The leader is not accountable to any authorities.
- The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary.
- The group is preoccupied with making money.

Blog article (3 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, My Insights about The Work of Byron Katie from 2001 to 2014, Guru Analytics, presented
by the blogspot New Synapse, 10. February 2014

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – of which Katie's material is totally derivative – is a well-established therapeutic mode. However, evidence that the effectiveness of CBT has been declining has bolstered the growing opinion in clinical psychology that no particular intervention is better than any other, and that the most important predictor of therapeutic success is the quality of the therapeutic relationship. Katie, by contrast, markets her product — "The Work" — as a magic bullet.
Note the benevolent aggression of Katie's body language. She leans forward, makes intrusive eye contact, smiles in an alpha way that demands a defensive smile – easily confused with relaxation – in response.
Note signs of Katie's somatic control: talking to the subject but really to the crowd, nodding as though she's heard it all before and nothing could possibly surprise her (grandiosity), the implicit agreement that she can interrupt anyone at any time (because she's not there to listen but to tell).
Blog article by Matthew Remski (*1971) US American blogger, poet, author, Byron Katie's Domination Technique: a Case Study,
10. July 2017

The gendered aspect of this conservatism (and its regressive reliance on patriarchy) is clearly on display than in this classic post [by Byron Katie] from 2012:
- There's never a mistake in the universe. So if your partner is angry, good. If there are things about him that you consider flaws, good, because these flaws are your own, you're projecting them, and you can write them down, inquire, and set your-
  self free. People go to India to find a guru, but you don't have to: you're living with one. Your partner will give you everything you need for your own freedom. The Work of Byron Katie, Facebook comment, 130 comments, 675 shares, 15. June 2012

Blog article by Matthew Remski (*1971) US American blogger, poet, author, Byron Katie's Domination Technique: a Case Study,
10. July 2017

Article by Be Scofield, US American activist, web designer, DJ, producer, blogger for magazine Tikkun, writer,
A Critique of Byron Katie's The Work, presented by the publication The Guru, 24. October 2019

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Reversal of the victim ⇔ perpetrator constellation

The Work is similar to a method known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in that it focuses on correcting our mental patterns. CBT, however, focuses on correcting actual cognitive distortions like "everyone thinks I'm ugly" whereas The Work tries to
"correct" valid thoughts about real-world situations that Katie believes to be "negative" or judgmental. She wants people
to stop believing the perfectly normal and healthy thoughts that arise in response to injustice, abuse or trauma. She
thinks being upset or angry at your abuser is causing your suffering, not the abuse itself. This is where The Work
gets dangerous. When used like this it can blame those in pain for their own suffering and often requires
people cut off important parts of their inner lives and spiritually bypass difficult emotions.

In Katie's view, nothing in the world no matter how awful it is can cause us to suffer. Only our minds are real and thus
only we can cause ourselves to suffer. "Harm is nothing more than believing your thoughts" she states. This is an ex-
treme form of philosophical idealism, the notion that only minds exist. She's essentially taken the new age cliche "Pain
is inevitable, suffering is optional" and monetized it with her four-question system. As this passage from her book A
Thousand Names for Joy illustrates, Katie literally believes the worst thing that could ever happen to someone is a
belief.
"Nothing terrible has ever happened except in our thinking. Reality is always good, even in situations that seem
like nightmares. The story we tell is the only nightmare that we have lived. When I say that the worst that can happen is a belief, I am being literal. The worst that can happen to you is your uninvestigated belief system."

Katie's extreme view of thoughts equal reality is further illustrated in this quote referencing the holocaust, "When I'm wal-
king to the gas chamber, other than what I'm thinking and believing, what an amazing day!" Katie believes "everything outside you is a reflection of your own thinking" and thus terrible situations such as walking into a gas chamber become merely mental illusions that can be easily corrected by denying the awful reality of what is occurring.

Merely telling students to no longer believe the thoughts that stem from trauma and abuse doesn't address the reason
they are experiencing those thoughts. Any momentary relief a student will receive from temporarily switching off their
thoughts will be short-lived. If the core wound is not dealt with the person will not find freedom from the painful or trau-
matic experience.
They will find that those thoughts revisit them regularly.
Healing occurs when someone is met where they are with empathy, care, and connection. By claiming a student is not really suffering and dismissing their pain as a "story" or "belief in their thoughts" Katie is trivializing their experience. She regularly does this live, on stage with abuse victims and trauma survivors. Katie is missing an opportunity to deeply listen and instead invalidates their reality. [...]
What these new age teachers mean is that healing can occur by using quick fix mental techniques. A Course In Mirac-
les, for example, describes a miracle merely as a shift in perception from fear to love. But those who understand
the process of healing know that shifting a perception, denying a thought or suppressing an emotion won't address the
real underlying problem.

What Katie has done is essentially monetized her trauma, as Matthew Remski, author of Practice and All is Coming. Abuse, Cult Dynamics, And Healing In Yoga And Beyond, describes it. The suppressing of her pain and thoughts be-
came an unsubstantiated pop-psychology healing method used by millions. Mixed with her new age spiritual influen-
ces she crafted The Work which quickly became an authoritative self-help process and text.

There are numerous instances of Katie on stage blaming sexual abuse victims, denying racism, stifling efforts for social change, denying the reality of verbal abuse and accusing people of things they didn't do. She probably believes she is helping but the consequences of her applying The Work unconditionally to every situation can make things worse for
some of her students, potentially leaving them confused and further traumatized.

According to Katie, this woman is abusing both herself and her step-father merely by thinking critical thoughts about her abuser. Katie is requiring abuse victims to state live on stage in front of hundreds of people that they abused their abu-
sers. […]
What's really happening is that an abuse victim is blaming themselves for "abusing" their abuser. On top of this awkward exchange, they are being misled to think it is "spiritual" to tolerate abuse. Katie tells them that their abusive uncle is a Buddha and "God in disguise." [The victim] is then told that the cause of their suffering is the resistance to the abuse. […] Denying someone's reality like this and making them question their own reality is undoubtedly a form of gaslighting.

Katie outright denies the reality of verbal abuse. "There's no such thing as verbal abuse. There's only someone telling
me a truth that I don't want to hear. If I were really able to hear my accuser, I would find my freedom." In one video she says "aggressives come for us, not to hurt us, to open us." This quote from Katie further illustrates her belief about the benefit
of an abusive partner.
"There's never a mistake in the universe. So if your partner is angry, good. If there are things about him that you consider flaws, good, because these flaws are your own, you're projecting them, and you can write them down, inquire, and set yourself free. People go to India to find a guru, but you don’' have to: you’re living with one. Your partner will give you everything you need for your own freedom."

Katie's husband was so verbally abusive to her that people would leave the house in fear of him. She says he was her Buddha, teaching her profound spiritual lessons that she truly needed to grow. […] Anyone who has ever been screamed at knows intimately the lasting impact it can have in your body and psyche. The effect of long-term partner abuse is even more serious.

Karla Helbert is a psychotherapist familiar with Katie's method and believes it is harmful. She […] warn[ed] students who may be misled.
"As a psychotherapist – who works with people who've had severe trauma, my opinion is that Byron Katie is dangerous. She has no training in supporting people who have been traumatized. She blames and shames them and calls it The Work. In her book Loving What Is, she has a woman agree that as a child she was responsible for her sexual abuse and invited it. It's appalling and psychologically and spiritually dangerous. I can't believe no one has sued her. Her method of questioning our own thoughts, challenging our own beliefs is sound and a good prac-
tice – ultimately the basis of Jnana yoga – but when it comes to the flip, turning the statements toward yourself and the way this can easily turn to blaming a victim/survivor is horrid."

As Helbert mentioned, there can be a place for examining and reframing certain types of thoughts. And even victims of abuse may experience relief after doing The Work. The problem is that it is often only a temporary shift that undoubtedly returns once the student no longer suppresses or denies the difficult emotions and thoughts. Regardless, Katie has no training in CBT or psychotherapy either, so the efficacy of her work, even when applied to cognitive distortions, is ques-
tionable.

As a result of this erroneous conflation of the absolute with the relative realm, Katie has led millions of people to believe disassociating from their thoughts and feelings is a valid form of spiritual growth. If only healing were as simple as a shift
in perception, or the reversal of difficult thoughts.
The Work is ultimately a double betrayal.
1. Wounded participants are being deceived because they're sold a system that most likely won't help them.
2. They are gaslighted to such an extent that they are coerced to say on stage in front of hundreds that their abusers never abused them, that they abused themselves and that they abused their abusers.

Following Katie's logic ultimately leads to a predicament: we can no longer try to change the world because challenging reality causes suffering.

A former senior staff member of many years named Janaki broke away from Katie after realizing how dysfunctional she was. She went on to write a 72-page document detailing her time working with Katie. She warns of The Work becoming like a religion and of Katie adopting a messiah-like complex.
"It seems to me that The Work has become a religion that is now taking on global forms, especially when I see how it is being marketed through Katie's various websites and her weblog. The four questions have become the holy bible […]"
"Many years ago, I sat with Katie in her room one morning. She was talking about the future of The Work and she said, 'I have seen it Janaki, it is going to be like the Sermon on the Mount'. I felt so in awe of her at the time. Here
I was sitting with someone equal to Jesus Christ, having tea on the balcony."

Janaki says that other staff members and core followers believe that Katie exists in a state of flawless perfection as well.

Janaki points to different sources of The Work:
- the work of Ken Keyes [especially the turnaround technique],
- Ramana Maharshi,
- A Course In Miracles and
- other spiritual new age books.

She claims to have spoken with someone who lived near Katie in her early days who told her that Katie's basement was filled with boxes of spiritual books that allegedly "had underlined sentences in them and contained notes in Katie's hand-
writing." This disputes the assertion of her husband Stephen Mitchell, who has stated, "Anyone who knows Katie knows that she doesn't read books."

Taken as a whole, Katie's project begins to fit the description of a cult:
- A spiritually awakened charismatic figure who claims to have no thoughts and that exists in a pure state of awareness,
- the use of behavior modification, thought reform, shaming techniques, confessionals,
- the stifling of criticism, and
- the manipulation of the environment to break down individuals.

The result is a new person who has shed their previous identity and has merged with Byron Katie and her system.

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Links zum Thema Byron Katie

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Veranstaltungshinweise – The Work

Veranstaltungstermine mit Byron Katie im deutschsprachigen Raum

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Literatur

Byron Katie (*1942) US-amerikanische spirituelle Lehrerin, Gründerin der Methode "The Work", Autorin
- Byron Katie, Lieben was ist. Wie vier Fragen Ihr Leben verändern können, Goldmann Arkana, München, 12. Auflage
  4. Juli 2002
- Byron Katie, Michael Katz, Ich brauche deine Liebe. Stimmt das? Liebe finden, ohne danach zu suchen, Goldmann Verlag, 4. Auflage 6. September 2005
- Byron Katie, Byron Katie über Liebe, Sex und Beziehungen, Goldmann Arkana, München, 4. Auflage 12. Juni 2006
- Byron Katie, Byron Katie über Selbstverwirklichung, Goldmann Arkana, München, 3. Auflage 12. Juni 2006
- Byron Katie, Eintausend Namen für Freude. Leben in Harmonie mit dem Tao, Arkana HC, 25. Juni 2007

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Literature (engl.)

Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author
- Byron Katie, Michael Katz, co-author, I Need Your Love. Is That True? How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appre-
  ciation and Start Finding Them Instead, reprint 28. November 2006
- Byron Katie, Stephen Mitchell, co-author, A Thousand Names for Joy. Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are, Three Rivers Press, 1. April 2008
Matthew Remski (*1971) US American blogger, poet, author, Practice and All is Coming. Abuse, Cult Dynamics, And Healing In Yoga And Beyond, Embodied Wisdom Publishing, 14. March 2019

⚡ Critical literature exposing Byron Katie

Free of charge E-book by Janaki, Dutch astrologer, former follower of Byron Katie, Byron Katie & Janaki, PDF, originally 52 pages, updated to 74 pages, reissued by the website mortentolboll.weebly.com, 24. July 2009

Exposing Byron Katie as a typical New Age guru

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Externe Weblinks

Wikipedia-Einträge Byron Katie

The Work PDF-Datei Arbeitsblatt "Urteile über deinen Nächsten" zum Ausdrucken, undatiert
Text 21 Methoden zur Wahrung des inneren Friedens von Byron Katie, PDF, gesammelt von Mary Lynn Hendrix, undatiert
The Work PDF-Datei The Little Book (deutsch) Byron Katie International, 2013

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External web links (engl.)

Wikipedia entries Byron Katie

Official website The Work of Byron Katie

⚡Critical articles on Byron Katie

Blog article Why You Should Steer Clear of Byron Katie's "Work", presented by Women of Grace, S. Brinkmann, 9. November 2011
Blog article (1 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, The Work of Byron Katie Could Accidentally Cause Problems In Psychologically Vul-
nerable People, Guru Analytics, presented by the blogspot New Synapse, Heidi Hanson, 10. February 2014
Blog article (3 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, My Insights about The Work of Byron Katie from 2001 to 2014, Guru Analytics, pre-
sented by the blogspot New Synapse, 10. February 2014
Blog article (4 of 4) by Heidi Hanson, Understanding Guru Personalities – A Comprehensive Analysis of The Work of Byron Katie, Guru Analytics, presented by the blogspot New Synapse, 12. February 2014
Blog article by Morten Tolboll, Danish globetrotter, philosopher, blogger, A Critique of Byron Katie and her Therapeutic Tech-
nique The Work, presented by the website mortentolboll.weebly.com, ~2015
Blog article Byron Katie's Domination Technique: a Case Study, presented by the blogspot matthewremski.com, Matthew Remski (*1971) US American blogger, poet, author, 10. July 2017

Power dynamics happening on stage when The Work is being applied.

"A concrete reality of oppression is absorbed and neutralized by the technique.
Are sexism and racism values of CBT? No: they're values of patriarchal control."

Article by Be Scofield, US American activist, web designer, DJ, producer, blogger for magazine Tikkun, writer, A Critique of Byron Katie's The Work, presented by the publication The Guru, 24. October 2019
Article by Be Scofield, US American activist, web designer, DJ, producer, blogger for magazine Tikkun, writer, A Critique of Abraham Hicks & the Law of Attraction, presented by the publication The Guru, 11. November 2019

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Audio links (engl.)

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Video links (engl.)

Video interview with Byron Katie (*1942) US American spiritual teacher known for "The Work" method of self-inquiry, speaker author, Bridging Heaven & Earth Show # 67 with Byron Katie and Kate Wolf, presented by online TV show Bridging Heaven & Earth, Show # 67, host Allan, YouTube film, 58:50 minutes duration, posted 1. Juli 2007

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