61 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Going deeper...., October 25, 2008
This review is from: Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie (Paperback)
This book is a series of dialogues taken from workshops and seminars, so you get a good flavor of what it would be like to attend one. The dialogues, like The Work, aren't spectator sports. Reading her technique without trying it gets zero results, and reading these dialogues without 'playing along' may also yield very little results. However, if you dive in as an active audience member, these dialogues take you deeper than you may have gone doing The Work on your own.
I first discovered _Loving What Is_ a few years ago when I was going through a tough time, and couldn't get my brain out of the hamsterwheel of 'why did this happen?' 'what did I do wrong?' and most of all 'why can't I get over this?'. In less than an hour of doing The Work, my entire perspective changed. It was almost miraculous. Needless to say, I've been a believer ever since.
This isn't to say I agree with everything Katie says. And I do find her calling everyone 'sweetheart' a bit wearing. She says in one book (and again in this) something to the effect that if her kids ever tell her they won't miss her when she dies she'll celebrate because they'll be 'free.' That's a little harsh, to me. I don't aim to go that far! But that doesn't mean that I can't go a long way on the journey with good results.
The Work isn't easy, and it takes a certain amount of patience and mental flexibility to do it right. In a sense it's a relief to read these dialogues because you realize you're not the only one who reaches these walls in your thinking; and you get to see how Katie helps them break through, which you can then apply yourself.
If you're new to Byron Katie's works, there is a tiny appendix and the Judge Your Neighbor form in the book, but I don't think that's quite enough--doing the 'turn it around' statements is tricky for beginners and the appendix doesn't focus on those. You can learn by careful study of the dialogues, but you may find her website or her earlier books to be more helpful. If you've got her other books, don't pass this one over as quickly as you might. It served as a needed reinforcement for me, and in her parts of the conversations there are plenty of wonderful insights--mine is already heavily underlined.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Byron Katie is amazing!, November 22, 2008
This review is from: Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie (Paperback)
Greetings,
I found this book very useful as a supplement to her online blog. I think I would have been confused by the book had I not already been familiar with her work. There is no substitute for watching her in action. Her kind, empathic approach does not come across in the written script of her work. What is useful about the book is it gives me a way to deeply reflect on some of the ways she handles struggles and resistance from her clients. I'm a business coach, so I find this book a useful way to dissect her work, her theory, and the way she works with clients. I think her four questions are brilliant and I use them with my clients.
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11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I have all of her books and audio sets too, January 6, 2009
This review is from: Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie (Paperback)
If you've never heard of Byron Katie I highly recommend reading her books. She is an amazing person. This particular book is a transcript of her converstions with people who have filled out an inquiry worksheet. I can read the same converstion again and again and get instant insight into my own stories that I'm believing. I savor every dialog. I am so grateful to have learned about inquiry--so much so that I am filling out this survey!
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