The Four Questions (from Bryon Katie’s “The Work”)

I often ask myself “What am I believing right now?” when I find myself feeling stuck in an unhelpful thought or feeling.

By identifying the belief behind my thought, my awareness increases and I can improve my sense of agency and having more choice in how I move forward with my thought process, response, and behaviors.

I will say, this is one of those questions that gets easier to find an answer the more you play with it.

Sometimes, we discover we are operating on a limiting belief that is no longer serving us.

Byron Katie’s “Four Questions” is a great tool to take a look and adjust our unhelpful thoughts. While some beliefs may benefit us in certain times or situations in our lives, sometimes they they no longer serve us. I can help clients break down limiting beliefs in hypnotherapy sessions and I also want to share Byron Katie’s method for those of you who want to do her method on your own.

Here’s how Byron Katie’s Four Questions work:

First, identify the statement or belief.

Next ask these questions, one by one. Find a quiet place to do this, ask the question, listen and wait and notice the answer.

Question 1: Is it true?

Question 2: Can I absolutely know that it is true?

Question 3: How do I react, what happens, when I believe that thought?

Question 4: Who would I be without that thought?

(These questions and more of Byron Katie’s content can be found at https://thework.com/instruction-the-work-byron-katie/)

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I personally like to add an additional step to this and say “What am I choosing to believe now that isn’t that?” To help me step into an even more helpful resource state.

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Have you played with Byron Katie’s Four Questions or her other practices? I’d love to hear from you. Comment here or connect with me on my free Facebook group https://fb.com/groups/reframeyourbrain.

While just one tool like this might not be enough to fully break down subconscious limiting beliefs, I encourage you to play with it and share with me or others what you discover. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to work together to help go of unhelpful blocks or beliefs or make important changes to your thought-habits or behaviors.

If you would like to be added to my email list, please reach out at keridwyn.com/contact.