When I saw the pictures of Byron Katie on her book jackets, my first reaction was -- this woman is insane. She looks very disturbing to me, and quite phony. Just based on the pictures I would never in a million years read her books.

You might think "insane" is too harsh, but I think there's something in her eyes that, to me, just instantly raises the "wacko" red flag. Also, because of the nature of her books, her appearance is very incongruous to me. She looks like a Miami Beach widow on the make. This is the woman who lives purely in her spirit?? With that hair??

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vlinden
You might think "insane" is too harsh, but I think there's something in her eyes that, to me, just instantly raises the "wacko" red flag. Also, because of the nature of her books, her appearance is very incongruous to me. She looks like a Miami Beach widow on the make. This is the woman who lives purely in her spirit?? With that hair??

Let's not forget about the facelift. ;)

Thing is, I've been watching the videos of Byron Katie on YouTube with new eyes. (I'm one of the poor saps who got sucked into her crap but finally woke up - thanks to this forum.) I say the woman is sharp as a tack and knows what she's doing. Here's an example:
Video of Byron Katie

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jj52
NOW I can see that picture and see that there is really something wrong with it. She really is lying with her eyes.

Sure looks that way to me too, JJ. As the song goes, "you can't hide your lying eyes."

In my experience, all of these new agey type culty groups have their own demographic audience.
So Byron Katie is appealing to a certain segment of the population, from their materials, it appears to be mostly women, and women who are in a lot of pain, and women who MAY have a bit of the "disease too please" and be "too nice", and who are also HIGHLY SUGGESTIBLE TO HYPNOSIS and can go into a Trance from a toilet paper commercial.

That to me does not make them bad or weak, but actually more sensitive, loving, too trusting, and even Creative.

One could go through each LGAT culty group, and see the different demographics.
Its like cars, some want a Jaguar, some want a hybrid, some drive a bike, or a Harley motorcycle.
Some LGAT's are full of sharks and professional salespeople!

Without ever personally seeing the BK demographics, one can get a pretty good sense of them.
Am I right?
Are there lots of really "nice" people there, who are Loving, and kind, and supportive?

Or is it a bit more fake and exploitative at the LGAT? Are the fake unpaid probably illegally named "staff" manipulative to the clients?

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Jon Willis
Anyway, that's my experience of The Work - in response to something that Anticult asked in an earlier post, I'm not a huge fan of it being called The Work. Feel self-conscious about capitalizing now, but for me that's just about avoiding confusing between work and the process called The Work.

I look forward to seeing what's posted.

Jon

Jon, I used to be a huge fan of the work. Btw, I, unlike you, WON'T initial-capitalize the term anymore, because I find it way pretentious AND because I've found Byron Katie's approach to be downright harmful for me in the long run. How long have you been doing the work anyway? Is it at all possible that there might be something "off" about it? Even one thing? Can you consider that deeply and answer honestly?

While I was hooked on the work, I could only see the "good" aspects of it. Kept screening out anything "not good." But eventually I woke up.

Hi Helpme2times,

I've been using The Work for almost a couple of years - pretty intensively at times, which has tended to be my way with most things in life :-)

In response to your questions:

Is it at all possible that there might be something "off" about it? Even one thing? Can you consider that deeply and answer honestly?

Sure - I've seen a lot of different models for looking at stuff and for me The Work is one of the cleanest I've seen. By my nature I don't tend to believe something without proof (question everything). One thing I would say is that if my motive is slanted, for example I come to it wanting to prove or disprove something, as opposed to just examine it objectively, that throws it out.

And I do like to distinguish between The Work, which for me is the 4 questions (and some sub-questions) plus the turnarounds - a very clean formula for inquiring - and what anyone else says about their experience, including what Byron Katie talks about.

So, I'm assuming from your posting that you found something that was 'off' about it - what's the 'not good' stuff that you've experienced as a result of using The Work?

With love,

Jon

OMG...was made aware that this guy Stever Robbins, made a post on the Byron Katie skin cancer scare-blog.

Are Stever Robbins and Byron Katie in bed together? (so to speak)
[www.google.com]

Stever Robbins is...dear lord save us all. Where to start...
he is one of these uber-super-duper-super-super-mega-marketers, Life Coaches, super-salesmen, internet propagandists, NLPers.....

Lock up your daughters, close the stores early, lock your valuables in your safes, cross your legs...
Stever Robbins is coming!!! arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Dear god, this guy takes the cake...and eats it too...and charges you 10 grand for eating your cake...and then...

NOTICE ON HIS Steverrobbins.com WEBSITE:

Quote

In his spare time, Stever's hobbies include comedy improv, swing dancing, singing, interactive theater, Ericksonian hypnosis, and strategy board games.

You see him slip in ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS? That is an in-joke, to folks who know, and it is funny. That is like slipping in 'nuclear weapons arms dealer" as a hobby beside quilting.

Clearly, Stever Robbins has done The Dumb Work, and/or uses it to promote his own uber-shilling.
He is most likely the guy behind the entire Byron Katie global internet strategy.
He probably showed them how to use YouTube and the internet to use secret covert ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS on all those innocent folks out there. I can hear it now...."hey lets use YouTube to do Ericksonian Hypnosis on people!!". Truly sickening and beyond irresponsible.

WARNING:
Byron Katie abuses ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS.
Stever Robbins abuses ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS.
Carol L. Skolnick abuses ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS.

ERICKSONIAN HYPNOSIS is like doing brain surgery on people without their awareness.
Dr. Milton Erickson used it to help people.
Now all of these washed-out NLPer's, turned something good, into something evil, and they don't give 2 shits, or 1 shit. Its just fun to them. Its a big in-joke. Its outright unethical abuse.

Brain surgery without a license, by unqualified, self-serving supersalesmen.
You literally have to stay far away from people who are so unethical to abuse Erickonian Hypnois on you. Its covert robbery, its extremely dangerous when abused in the wrong hands...like the list above.

[excerpt for text analysis]

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Stever Robbins:
I inquired into "Cancer exists" and "cancer is a death sentence." My mother died from cancer and life is much, much freer without that word. (Though it's given me ample opportunity to do The Work!)

Katie, for my own selfish reasons, I'd like to see you stick around in your body for a while longer. And should you have cancer? Of course! What an amazing opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of us how a free mind deals with it ... andn ow that you've done the BLOG entry and demonstrated, please feel free to do the "ex-cancer" story as well.

Much love to you, Stephen, Roxanne, and the rest,

Stever

Posted by Stever Robbins | March 2, 2008 7:14 AM

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Jon Willis
Hey there,

My name's Jon - as you'll see from my user profile. I'm intrigued by what's going on here - I admit I don't know much about cults, as I've never been involved in one, at least not consciously :-)

I use The Work regularly (the process of asking the 4 questions and trying out the turnarounds), which I do see as something quite separate from anything that Byron Katie says. I've found it very useful and beneficial so far (been using it for almost 2 years now).

I've not been to The School or any weekend intensives - so far I've found that I have got enough out of the books, CDs and stuff available for free online.

I must admit when I first started with The Work I was a real pain in the ass for family and friends - constantly talking about it. It was similar to how I was with life coach training a few years before that.

Using The Work to look at my beliefs about other people, such as "He / she should do The Work" has worked for me, as I realized that was simply my own arrogance about what other people should and shouldn't do. It helped me to see what a pain in the ass I had been - with the coaching before The Work as well.

I guess it's human nature when something seems to work so well to want to shout about it - The Work helped me to mature around that. I do still share it with people from time to time, but from a place of 'well, this works for me.' None of my friends or family have taken it up, which I'm quite happy with - prior to doing The Work on these kind of beliefs I was much more in people's faces and obnoxious with the life coaching thing.

Anyway, that's my experience of The Work - in response to something that Anticult asked in an earlier post, I'm not a huge fan of it being called The Work. Feel self-conscious about capitalizing now, but for me that's just about avoiding confusing between work and the process called The Work.

I look forward to seeing what's posted.

Jon

Hi Jon. I look forward to hearing what you have to say after you've read the posts. Please read our other thread as well.

[forum.culteducation.com]

I can relate to what you're saying about how "The Work" has helped you. It helped me in the beginning, too. I learned a lot about myself and felt that I was a better person for having found it. I can't pretend that I didn't benefit from it for awhile. That's partially what moved me to attend The School for The Work.

Too many times I've heard people rationalize and minimize the destructive aspects of Byron Katie's "work" because they also had positive, life-changing experiences with it. I'm certainly not going to argue that "The Work" does help people, especially in the beginning (prior to attending her seminars.)

I think that's what makes it so blinding and enticing. Who would believe that this woman who developed this amazingly useful tool could be actually be guilty of mind-crimes that have lasting, debilitating effects on the people who trusted her to teach them how to find happiness?

I did not understand Thought Reform and manipulation at all before the School. Since then, I've read everything I can get my hands on, and I still don't half as much as some of the people on this forum. I'm learning a great deal here, and getting free from Byron Katie's mind-trap.

I hope you will find something of value here, too.

-jj

Jon...please now enter into the parlor of reality...

Please read the threads to catch-up on the facts of reality, as its all there.

The 4 Questons of The Work have already been debunked in detail. There are philosophically false, and psychologically damaging. It's a mind-trick.

Also, lets please stick to the facts. The 4 Questions are what Byron Katie says the work IS, after the cockroach spoke to her. You know that.
(but of course that is false too).

The books, CD's and videos are a HOOK, to draw vulnerable people into The School. Its not always about me me me me. Its about those who get hurt by The Fake Work.

You can capitalize The Work, or write it backwarks, call it The Wall, The Ralph, it doesn't matter.

Personally, all I see in the post is the soft-sell method of Testimonial.
That is designed to get someone to get a book, or watch a YouTube video, or whatever, and get then hypnotized by the Master Hypnotist Byron Katie.
That is the soft salespitch...grab a book, watch a video...come to the free seminar,

soft-sell, even anti-sell.
Just too slick and by the BK book.
Its called MOVE THE WORK by Byron Katie, and probably Stever Robbins, the marketing Guru of hypnosis.
[www.thework.com]

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Jon Willis
Hey there,

My name's Jon - as you'll see from my user profile. I'm intrigued by what's going on here - I admit I don't know much about cults, as I've never been involved in one, at least not consciously :-)

I use The Work regularly (the process of asking the 4 questions and trying out the turnarounds), which I do see as something quite separate from anything that Byron Katie says. I've found it very useful and beneficial so far (been using it for almost 2 years now).

I've not been to The School or any weekend intensives - so far I've found that I have got enough out of the books, CDs and stuff available for free online.

I must admit when I first started with The Work I was a real pain in the ass for family and friends - constantly talking about it. It was similar to how I was with life coach training a few years before that.

Using The Work to look at my beliefs about other people, such as "He / she should do The Work" has worked for me, as I realized that was simply my own arrogance about what other people should and shouldn't do. It helped me to see what a pain in the ass I had been - with the coaching before The Work as well.

I guess it's human nature when something seems to work so well to want to shout about it - The Work helped me to mature around that. I do still share it with people from time to time, but from a place of 'well, this works for me.' None of my friends or family have taken it up, which I'm quite happy with - prior to doing The Work on these kind of beliefs I was much more in people's faces and obnoxious with the life coaching thing.

Anyway, that's my experience of The Work - in response to something that Anticult asked in an earlier post, I'm not a huge fan of it being called The Work. Feel self-conscious about capitalizing now, but for me that's just about avoiding confusing between work and the process called The Work.

I look forward to seeing what's posted.

Jon

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2008 08:18AM by The Anticult.