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Suffering is part of the human condition. We create our own stories and believe them, however painful and untrue they may be. But it doesn’t have to be this way! We can find freedom from emotional, mental, and physical pain when we take the time to be quiet and ask some simple yet life-changing questions. I studied Buddhism for a long time and have always been interested in self-exploration. My guest on today’s episode, Byron Katie, has created a powerful shortcut for unpacking and slowing down the mental processes that cause suffering, and her work has been one of my greatest tools for personal inquisition and growth.

In 1986, at the bottom of a ten-year spiral into depression and self-loathing, Byron Katie woke up one morning in a state of joy. She realized that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Her simple yet powerful process of self-inquiry, which she calls The Work, consists of four questions and the turnaround, which is a way of experiencing the opposite of what you believe.

Byron has been bringing The Work to millions of people for more than thirty years. Her public events, weekend workshops, intensives, and nine-day School for The Work have brought freedom to people all over the world. Her books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True?, A Thousand Names for Joy, and A Mind at Home with Itself. You can visit thework.com for more about Byron and to access the resources we talk about in this episode.

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