Are your thoughts really true?
Whether you observe your subconscious self-talk clearly or not, there’s a simple and powerful method to work with your conscious thoughts about yourself and other people.
The method is developed by Byron Katie and called “The Work”.
“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. That joy is in everyone, always.”
– Byron Katie
Do the work
a) Pick a thought, a statement that you have about yourself or someone else.
b) Ask yourself the 4 following questions:
- Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to 3.)
- Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (Yes or no.)
- How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
- Who would you be without the thought?
c) Based on the insights of this inquiry, find “turnarounds”; different ways to put your original statement, different viewpoints and ways to look at a situation. Turning your original thought around may change your interpretation of reality in important ways.
Check out the entire process HERE.