I just got VERY triggered simply from reading one of the Work facilitators'/coaches' web pages.

With a BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN EDUCATION, Dawn Rockwell claims she can work with the following issues, one of which I've bolded because it's what triggered me (unfortunately I've had direct dealings with the topic in my life)...

"Enlightening lives of individuals having issues around:

Anger
Caregiving a parent
Death
Divorce
Family
Gender
Money
Raising a child with special needs
Rape/incest
Relationships
Sexuality
Success and failure
Weight, diet, and body image"

Ms. Rockwell further says...

Why I’m Qualified to Support You In Your Learning

• I earned a Bachelors degree, from Wheelock College, Boston, Massachusetts, (1975) in Education.

• I spent much of my adult life teaching my own children. I homeschooled them, as well as myself. I have come to see how much I have grown and learned, staying open to the many different techniques and styles of ways to be happy and at peace in the world . I discovered early in my parenting how beliefs play a major role in our development, emotional, physical and spiritual. This is so fascinating to me.

Over the past 15 years I have been exploring the personal growth and development fields:

• I have attended an 8 week Living the Dream Program at The Option Institute in Sheffield, MA. I learned about the value of questioning, in a non-judgmental way our limiting beliefs. I got a chance to see for myself how this process can help me to be accepting of myself and others and thus take me beyond what I thought was possible.

• I am trained in the Option Process Dialogue, having participated in their four-week intensive Mentor Training: Learning the value of Powerful Questioning from an unconditionally loving space, providing opportunities to change beliefs and feelings and behaviors.

• I am a graduate of The Byron Katie School, learning skills to facilitate others in their personal growth work. I have staffed many of the schools and other programs, both here and in Europe. I am a Hotline Facilitator for the Byron Katie Web Site. | View my Byron Katie Network Facilitatator profile |

• I am a graduate of The Newfield Network Life Coach Training Program. I learned about Ontological Coaching, how to be a different observer in the world. I ran 4 workshops, sharing information about being an Observer, and using our Language, our Body and our Emotions to make concrete changes in our lives and get better results.

• I have completed Level 1 and Level 2 of the NVC/Compassionate Communication course.

• My experiences of having a child with special needs, losing two siblings within a period of seven years, being a caregiver to my mother in the last stages of her life, and dealing with divorce, has taught me the power of compassion and the value of giving service to those in need.

• I have enjoyed using these skills with my Hospice patients (I have been a volunteer for 2 years) and their families, as well as in my Women’s Group, Special Needs Parenting Group and my own Little Sister from the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters Program (where I was also a volunteer for 10 years)

I have great passion for the facilitating, mentoring, and coaching work that I do. Listening and questioning have helped me so much in my own life. It feels natural to me to help others in their lives.

I have a broad background with a wide variety of people, situations, facilities and services. I have extensive experience communicating with and influencing:

Medical Professionals • Accountants • Women’s Groups • Hospice Workers and volunteers • Parents • Children • School Officials • Tenants • Temporary employees • Holistic Practitioners • Fund Raising • Public Relations • Receptionists • Switchboard Operators • Hospital Staff • Grieving Family Members • Funeral Directors • Art, Craft, Flower, and Food Shows • Sales people • Elderly• Restaurants • Promoters • Judicial Departments • Challenging Coaching Clients • Grocery Store Managers • Banks • Hospice Clients & their families • Workshop Organizers • Co-ops

~ ~ ~ ~

I feel really horrified that Dawn Rockwell and others like her feel that they can take on stuff like rape and incest. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it is extremely difficult and complex to work with sex abuse issues. It's been so hard to deal with that I've come extremely close to killing myself more than once. I'm lucky to be alive.

Reality Check--TodayMay be the Day Oprah Interviews Cockroach Lady

'One morning Gregor Samsa awoke to find he had been turned into a gigantic cockroach'.

Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka.

Helpme mentioned earlier

"Byron Katie is to appear on Oprah Winfrey's "Soul Series" radio show on Monday, July 28th, August 4th, and August 11th at 4am, 10am, 4pm and 10pm (all times Eastern)"

It may just be coicidence but lets remember context. Our friend cult city showed up right at the very instant when we all caught on that O plays a doubled standard.

She promotes/showcases insta-enlightenment gurus with non existent resumes such as ETolle but O herself would never hire administrative assistants with the same spotty work histories. We had also quoted some adverse criticism from some Stanford students who listened to O's commencement speech and were put off by her egoism.

[forum.culteducation.com]

It was in that context, with those insights sizzling on the RR.com griddle, that cultcity showed up. So lets not forget those.

And, as Anticult reminded us, BK has this disclaimer in relation to the very people she promotes. So keep it in mind when watching her latest Messiah-Flavor-of-The-Month

[forum.culteducation.com]

Posted by TAC on July 22d

"But notice that even though Byron Katie is trying to use Oprah as an endorsement, she is forced to post that Oprah is NOT endorsing Byron Katie. But Katie knows New Agey people don't read disclaimers.
But Oprah makes sure she protects her own ass, by forcing people to post these disclaimers.

(Posted on Byron Katie website)
"Oprah & Friends is a trademark of Harpo, Inc. Neither Oprah & Friends ®, Inc. nor its affiliated companies are responsible for nor do they endorse the advertising or other content contained on this website."

And to cultcity...we cannot answer the questions you posed. It would be beyond our collective competance.

Too get your questions answered, you need to go and pay for the services of an attorney, someone referred to you by the bar association---not a referral originating from anyone whose hopes, fantasies, finances are in an way tied to BK or to some other guru or group.

And if you think this advice from me is helpful and supportive, I suspect that 'helpful and supportive' is just words put in your mouth during training designed to squash down any pattern of anxiety that could disrupt the trance of idealization you're in.

___________

It appears so very many of us want evidence there is wonder in life, that science, terrorism, convulsions of the economy and the horrors of power politics have not banished the possiblity of healing and even of magic.

Those longings are apparently part of being human, and are not only legitmate, but are perennial..they will always be with us.

But...the ways those yearnings can be exploited to lead us into ugly alleys where we sign disclaimer forms and get disarmed in relation to those who would inspire our craving for wonder, only to exploit us in the instant that we are dazzled, wide eyed---that, not our wonder, but that exploitation of our wonder for nefarious purposes is what is wrong.

How to combine adult wisdom and alertness with our capacity for wonder so that inner adult and inner child work collaboratively, and not at odds is the real goal, not corrupt projects which seduce our inner children away from the genuine wisdom and protection of our inner parents, trick the child into considering parental protection oppressive---and then lead that child into oppression infinitely worse than being sent to bed at 8pm.
-------------------------------------------------------------------



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2008 11:49PM by corboy.

Its amazing that Dawn Rockwell also feels she can deal with every possible problem on earth?
Her list seems to cover every possible area of possible human PAIN.

If someone can make people believe they can HEAL their PAIN, that is a business.
That is the way people who run these programs think.
They literally show graphics that...
1) find the customers PAIN (that list)
2) preferably find a way to magnify the awareness of that pain. (eg: The Work)
3) Big Claim: claim you are able to quickly HEAL their PAIN with your Services and Products.
4) Close the sale. (contracts, pay in advance, etc)

That is exactly how the people who run these types of programs think and speak.
Its a business, the business of PAIN.
Pain = Profits.

Notice also how Dawn Rockwell says she STAFFED a Byron Katie SCHOOL. Notice the trick language?
That sounds like a "JOB".
Staffing a School.
Anyone putting that type of linguistic deception into their resume would be fired. As soon as you see that type of fudging, then it makes you wonder how much of the other stuff is fudged?
Its not "staff". She was PAYING to VOLUNTEER for a for-profit SEMINAR. Its not a "School".

Dawn Rockwell should say..."I paid to volunteer at the 9 Day Byron Katie for-profit Seminar".
But clearly Byron Katie trains them to talk like this, as Carol Skolnick, and many others do the same thing. They abuse the word "staff".
Don't they understand how deceptive that is, and how it sours people when they find out you are bullshitting them, and using trick language?
That is called lying on a resume.

Quote
helpme2times
With a BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN EDUCATION, Dawn Rockwell claims she can work with the following issues...

"Enlightening lives of individuals having issues around:

Anger
Caregiving a parent
Death
Divorce
Family
Gender
Money
Raising a child with special needs
Rape/incest
Relationships
Sexuality
Success and failure
Weight, diet, and body image"

Ms. Rockwell further says...

Why I’m Qualified to Support You In Your Learning
...
• I am a graduate of The Byron Katie School, learning skills to facilitate others in their personal growth work. I have staffed many of the schools and other programs, both here and in Europe. I am a Hotline Facilitator for the Byron Katie Web Site. | View my Byron Katie Network Facilitatator profile |
...

Quote
corboy
Reality Check--Today May be the Day Oprah Interviews Cockroach Lady

Thanks for this reminder. I'm going to see if I can find anything out about it...

Okay, here's a link to Oprah's interview with Byron Katie:

[[url=http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahandfriends/oss/20080728_oaf_oss]Ending Your Suffering[/url]]

This is how Oprah advertises the talk:

"Are you ready to end your suffering? According to spiritual teacher and best-selling author Byron Katie, happiness is within your reach. Oprah talks with Byron about her inquiry process called "The Work," which she says alleviates depression, decreases stress and improves relationships—all by answering four powerful questions that will turn your life around."

Notice how it starts out with the grandiose promise to "end suffering" and then backpedals with "alleviates depression, decreases stress and improves relationships".

Okay, let's see if I can stand to listen to the thing...

Fortunately it's only 7 min. and 43 sec. long.

Oprah says that Eckhart Tolle says about The Work, "It is a great blessing for our planet... It acts like a razor-sharp sword that cuts through illusions and enables you to know for yourself the timeless essence of your being."

Oprah: "He goes on to call your book, 'Loving What Is', the key to knowing your natural state, which is joy."

BK on Eckhart: "He's, he's a dear friend. He's a dear friend for everyone."

When asked how did she find The Work, BK said to Oprah: "Well, actually I was living a very confused life. I was so full of self-hatred, I didn't believe I even deserved a bed to sleep in, so actually, Oprah, I slept on the floor, next to the bed. And one morning..."

Oprah: "I know, I read that in the book, but how did you get to that point?"

BK: "Well, I was believing my thoughts, which is what my work is about, not questioning what we believe. And I was believing my thoughts."

Oprah: "Your work takes the message that Eckhart speaks of in 'A New Earth' to the next level. It's about putting it in process on a daily basis."

BK: "Yes. It's like Eckhart is 'what' and The Work is 'how'. [Catchy, huh?!] And we've had these masters throughout the centuries and centuries, but how do we do it? You know, it's, well, The Work is 'how'." [So BK knows something better than all "these masters throughout the centuries and centuries"?]

BK: "Victims are violent people, I've come to see, and I was such a victim, and therefore violent..." [Iffy logic there, I think.]

Oprah: "...you're sleeping on the floor, and tell us what happened."

BK: "Well actually as I lay asleep on the floor, one morning, um, actually a cockroach crawled over my foot, and I opened my eyes and in place of all that darkness was a joy that I just simply can't described [sic]. But what I realized, the thing that is really important, that I realized, is that when I believed my thoughts I suffered, but when I question my thoughts I don't suffer, and I've come to see that this is true for every human being."

Re the cockroach-sparked epiphany, BK further says: "And then all of a sudden, thoughts bombarded. It's like, bombarded 'it'. And, and, in that moment I began just to laugh..."

"It was like this wasn't a me, I didn't even see 'it' as a human being, there was no name for anything, so no belief about anything".

Oprah asks for more clarification.

BK: "I think that it's referred to as the gap between thoughts and, and for me, I have tested that and, uh, today I can't find a gap between thoughts because if, if I think, you know, I was thinking and or we could say there was a thought, and then there was another thought, it's only THAT thought that said I was, that is telling me, that I was silent at all."

Boy, BK really sputtered at the end! I found her barely comprehensible.

I'm not sure if there is more to come from Oprah and BK. I'm happy to report that I found the interview to be a big "so what". I dunno that's it's gonna grab that many people. I really hope that's the case.

Haven't listened to the interview yet, will do so later.

But its very interesting that Byron Katie says The Work "alleviates depression, decreases stress".

That is due to this thread on the Rick Ross Forum.

Byron Katie (the Work) Complaints, California Board of Psychology, FTC
(as of March 03, 2008, they have reposted and CHANGED at least 6 CLAIMS)
[forum.culteducation.com]

Before this thread, Byron Katie was claiming on her main website that The Work ELIMINATES depression and stress.
After this was pointed out here, and what came from that, they changed it. It all captured in this thread in real time.
So Byron Katie knows what is going on in this thread, and is tap-dancing to try and avoid getting in trouble for making medical sounding claims, among many other things.

(her other websites still claim that The Work ELIMINATES depression and stress. I guess she figures she can get away with those ones, as they are less public and looked at by people already involved in her following. She wants to maintain the extreme claim, as that is the Big Claim salespitch. Hopefully the FTC is looking into those claims.)

ALSO:
Byron Katie is very clever, notice how she flatters Oprah with the Eckhart praise and comment that he is a DEAR FRIEND to her and everyone. This is pandering to Oprah, as she has been so criticized for the Eckhart Tolle promotion, people calling him her weird Guru, etc. Katie is so slick, she smooths that one over like a real pro, and give herself credibility by saying she is a good buddy of Tolle, and that Tolle is a wonderful friend of the planet, etc. (always flatter the King and Queen, as they say).
Its really just massaging Oprah's soft-spot, in an indirect way, by praising what she is praising...


But just reading the text above about the cockroach...that is a waking hypnotic induction.

You see, as she tells the Story, it appears in your mind.
Asleep on floor, eyes closed, (hypnosis), cockroach (shock-disgust), OPEN EYES, JOY, then she sells The Work as being the way to happiness.
Then if it gets confusing, that is by design. Creating Confusion is the #1 technique of Byron Katie, it draws people in, and makes them wonder, and puts them off-balance. Byron Katie is highly skilled, and knows exactly how to Target her audience.

If she has more interviews, she will compress her entire method into those interviews.

The Cockroach Induction is very well done. It is unforgettable, which is why she tells that Story like that, and it condenses her entire pitch into one short story, which is the stake in the ground, which she then links all of her other Stories to.

I just checked Oprah's message boards to see if there was any discussion of Byron Katie. Couldn't find any.

But I did find this thread criticizing Oprah:

[[url=http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/23282]Oprah, The Chameleon![/url]]

I don't agree with the religious aspect of the person's post, but I DO agree with the critique!

Oprah and her people are quite smart, of course.
Oprah has said the public is "not ready" for Abe-Hicks, right?
So she knows that her public will revolt if she pushes her New Age weird culty stuff at them too hard on the TV show.
So instead, in the summer, she "floats" it in using radio and online sources. That is a softsell, coming in through the backdoor, the screendoor at the back of the house.

It seems Oprah has found her formula to promote her culty stuff, using the radio and online, and TV for larger PR.

The Byron Katie Borg will probably hit the Oprah message boards at some point...they could have been "suggested" to not post there, so it doesn't seem like "selling".
Byron Katie and her people are very good at underselling on one hand, and making outrageous and possibly illegal claims on the other hand, like The Work Eliminates Depression.

Byron Katie will milk the Oprah beast for years to come.

someone gave me this book to read...

Change Your Life in Seven Days: The World's Leading Hypnotist Shows You How, by Paul McKenna

This guy is too much.
He is not the worlds leading hypnotist, obviously.
He doesn't change anyone's life in 7 days.
There was a big controversy over his alleged "PhD".
His entire book appears to just be bits of other people's books with the wording changed.
He talks about Korean war Brainwashing on page 19.

The only reason its worth mentioning, is that all he is doing is NLP and hypnosis.
He appears to have some type of deal with Richard Bandler, from NLP.

There is something really off-balance with this guy, little hints here and there, the way he talks about women, the way he has copied other people's material and passes it off as his own, his ridiculous claims...very slimey.

So this guy is much more crass and blatant than Byron Katie, but he is really doing the same thing as she is doing.
Most of these "speakers" are really quite good hypnotists, especially the ones who pretend they are not doing hypnosis on people.

On page 88-90 of the book, "Change Your Life in Seven Days" by Paul McKenna, he gives a salespitch of the 4 Questions by Byron Katie, and lists them, so the NLP hypnotists are in close business relationships with Byron Katie, like Stever Robbins, and others.
All the hypnotists can see that Byron Katie is an expert at covert waking hypnosis.

My library has that McKenna book. I'm gonna check it out!