Here is a personal experience sent to me by a reader regarding the work of Byron Katie. For more details on Byron Katie please click the link. In this example we see how someone with anxiety can deal with matters concerning guilt and shame, as well as unecessary worry.
“I had had a bad day at work. Someone I work with had made a complaint about me and it lead to a host of confusing and contradicting emotions which were causing me low level anxiety and interrupting my sleep and the enjoyment of my weekend. Basically, I felt cheated, out-raged, ashamed, guilty, and worried.
In the past I have had CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy). This therapy claims to help you deal with negative thoughts through a process of rationalisation. It can be useful but personally I don’t find it very powerful. That is to say that when a thought is really biting, really invading every moment, I can’t seem to shift it using CBT.
Byron Katie’s method is actually not that different from some aspects of CBT (as far as I can see). But unlike CBT there is no behavioral component and the questioning of negative thoughts is done using a simple four question script.
All you have to do is take the first aspect of the problem, in this case my belief that I did something wrong, and subject it to the four questions. This leads you on a process of investigation that can be very relieving.
In my next post we will look at how you identify the beliefs that are holding you back and how to use the four questions on them.
I don’t believe that this is a sure fire instant cure for anxiety. I do however believe that it is a very powerful tool which, if used properly, can really help a lot.
