The Purpose of The Work is Peace
But sometimes my clients find that they get drawn into the pain again when doing The Work, and don’t know how to get back out.
The purpose here is to find balance, not create more negative emotions.
Of course, experiencing negative emotions is a part of doing The Work. But it has only a short time and place: mainly in question 3 (how do I react?).
Here’s What I Do To Minimize Negative Emotions When Doing The Work
1. I keep my answers to question 3 somewhat short. All I need to see in this question are the basics of how I react. By reporting how I react, I can see the effect of believing a particular thought. Once I get it, I can move on to question 4. No need to dwell on it too long.
2. I keep my focus sharply on answering the questions. The main way I get back into the negative emotions again is when I start getting into my story. Then there’s no hope again. The advantage of doing The Work in written form is that you can catch yourself right away when you start trailing off into story. And you can bring yourself back right away. If I’m looking for examples and I don’t find one, I look for a while, try my best, and move on. Or I ask others for help. But if I go into stream of consciousness writing then I go back down into the hole.
3. I look for more examples of the turnarounds. Sometimes, it takes 4 or 5 or more examples before I get it. The turnaround examples are usually the most positive things I experience when doing The Work.
Let Me Know if this Works for You
I invite you to try my suggestions above, and let me know your experience. If you have something to add, let me know that too.
In my experience, there is no fear I cannot face with The Work. And nothing I can’t turn around to find the good in it. That for me is the value of The Work.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“Whenever you invite me, I’ll jump into your dream. I don’t have a reason not to. I’ll follow you through the tunnel, into the darkness, into the pit of hell. I’ll go there, and I’ll take you by the hand, and we’ll walk through it together into the light. There’s no place I won’t go. I’m everything, everywhere. It’s all a dream. I’ll show you. That’s what’s so sweet about the four questions—they don’t care what the story is. They just wait for you to ask them.” — Byron Katie, Question Your Thinking, Change the World.
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