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About
Katie ---- The
Work ---- Events
---- Books
---- School
---- Resources
---- Facilitators
---- Store
--- Contact
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This is the ultimate inner adventure. Unlike every other school on earth, this one isn't for learning-it's for unlearning. You'll spend nine days losing the fear-based stories you've innocently clung to all your life. They might be stories like "I'm not good enough" or "I need a partner" or "I'll never get over it" or "I have to be in control." Who would you be without those stressful stories? At the School you'll discover that your stories are everyone's, and everyone's stories are yours. You'll be welcomed into a joyous, diverse, supportive family where you can be completely yourself without fear of judgment, perhaps for the first time in your life. You'll facilitate your classmates' Work as they open up to themselves. And then you'll trade places, and they'll do the same for you. This is an immersion experience-an immersion in freedom. Imagine a place where you can laugh from depths of joy you never knew you had, or cry with the release of held-back grief, and know that in either case you are fully loved and accepted. Imagine that the person sitting next to you, whom you have never talked to before, asks you to facilitate her Work, and that fifteen minutes later you are friends who trust each other absolutely. The curriculum at the School is a living, evolving process, changing with the needs of the participants and on the basis of past students' experiences. Katie herself is both your teacher and your student, sharing questions and answers with an openness rarely found among leaders of her stature. The exercises and activities are designed to mirror the transformation Katie went through after her awakening to reality. You will work on issues such as gender, body image, addiction, money, and relationships. And in each case, you'll discover that you are not alone and you have nothing to fear. Each day during the School you may find yourself feeling freer and happier than the day before. Old habits may fall away like outworn clothes. You may find yourself eager to get up in the morning so that you won't miss a moment of this unfolding challenge. You may find it impossible not to smile at people. A morning walk, a cup of tea, or a stroll through a hotel lobby will remind you ever afterward of the time you spent here. When you leave the School, there's a very good chance that you'll view it as the most important nine days you ever spent. When you arrived on day 1, you came lugging a lifetime's baggage. When you leave on the morning of day 10, you'll be pulling a much lighter load. Most importantly, you'll know how to keep the baggage from piling up again. You'll have a new commitment to doing The Work as a daily practice. You'll know how to do The Work with partners as well as on your own. Once back in the everyday world, you'll maintain instant contact with our worldwide community. This is really the School of You; it's a school where you'll always belong.
"On the first evening of the School, I sometimes ask the participants what they want to take home. They say things like 'I want peace of mind' or 'I want to be free' or 'I want to be a more loving person' or 'I want to be less anxious about my problems' or 'I want to be less self-absorbed' or 'I want to live without fear' or 'I want to be happy, whether I have a lover or not.' By the end of the School, they all say that they have found a way to end their suffering and that they got even more than what they originally wanted. People come out so changed that their families are entirely grateful, and often astounded. The Work has awakened within every participant who comes with an open mind, and there is nothing that they can do to shut it down. Once the four questions are alive inside you, your mind becomes clear, and therefore the world you project becomes clear. This is more radical than anyone can possibly imagine." - Katie
School graduates receive life-long membership in our community at The Institute for The Work of Byron Katie.
Benefits include the hotline, the round-robin, and the forum. Learn more >> Katie and staff hosted a conference call to answer questions about the School. Listen to the call to learn more about the School. How long do I need to have done the Work before I attend the School? No prior experience with The Work is necessary. Some of our attendees have been doing The Work on their own for years. Others have never formally worked through the four questions and turnarounds, and may have only heard of The Work by reading this website a few weeks before a School. Quite a few people attend more than one School over the years, and each time it is a new student who is attending. The School will have a profound impact on you, no matter where you are in your journey. And there's no question of seniority. This is the School of You, and it has no grade levels. It's just you and the four questions, facilitated by your schoolmates and Katie. Who will be our teacher or teachers? In another sense, the School is nothing but teachers. You will be your own teacher, lifting yourself to levels of understanding and joy that may astound you. Every classmate you work with will be your teacher, too, and you will be theirs. Katie likes to say, "I am your student." She means it. What happens on a typical day at the School? You will get up early—the day starts at 7 a.m. You'll
gather with the whole group for a couple of different types of morning
meditation and share your insights casually. Then Katie may introduce
a topic for discussion and invite you to write a Worksheet reflecting
your beliefs about that topic. You might break into pairs to facilitate
each other—that is, to ask the four questions and listen with unconditional
acceptance. As the day goes on, there will be more Worksheets on related
issues, and some special exercises to help you bring your underlying beliefs
into the open. The day ends at 9 p.m. or later. And don't be surprised
if you become so enthusiastic about the day's Work, so moved by your self-discovery,
that you stay up late with your newfound partners, talking and writing
like excited students—which, after all, is what you are! Most of your Work at the School will consist of going deeper and deeper with the help of the four questions. Much of the time you will write your answers on Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheets or One-Belief-At-A-Time Worksheets. In the process, you will gain valuable experience in facilitating others in The Work. Facilitation is not psychotherapy; it is simply doing the Work in pairs. But it can make a surprising difference in the texture of your Work experience, as well as expanding your community of fellow Workers. Another important part of the curriculum consists of exercises that Katie has developed over the years to help you live The Work within the School setting. Many of the exercises are interpersonal; others consist of encounters with yourself. These exercises address subjects such as fear and terror, death and dying, physical body and health, men and women, sex, prejudice, God, grief, relationships, diet and addictions, why we can't succeed and how to succeed. Occasional outings also belong in the category of exercises. They're challenging, fun, safe, and often mind-blowing. The surprise is part of the adventure. Wait and see! What is social life like at the School? You'll live and work among a couple of hundred of the most fascinating, open-minded, open-hearted people you've ever met. And they'll all be serious about doing their Work and facilitating yours. Your interactions will be so rich that you'll remember many of them all your life. You may come to view your fellow classmates as family. Sightseeing? Hanging out in the hotel bar? Nights on the town? The School is so much better than that! Where do the students come from? All over the world. At a recent School in Los Angeles, we had students from Canada, Mexico, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Curaçao, Indonesia,—not to mention West Virginia, Utah, Texas, Nebraska, Hawaii. We could go on and on. What is the food like? Great! You'll enjoy three meals a day in a large dining room, choosing from a wide variety of dishes. The vast majority of the dishes are vegetarian, and often vegan. Organic ingredients are used whenever possible, and individual dietary requests can be accommodated if doctor-prescribed. Breakfasts include eggs or a similarly hearty main dish; one or more hot cereals; several types of fresh and dried fruit; and nondairy as well as dairy milks. Lunches and dinners feature at least two main dishes, a plentiful array of salads, and numerous side dishes of vegetables, legumes, and grains. Our chefs love to express their creativity in a setting as joyful as ours. What happens after I graduate from the School? We have designed a constantly evolving set of post-graduation activities to help you make The Work a permanent part of your life. You'll be able to stay in touch with classmates and to keep deepening The Work through the Institute for The Work, a special community for School graduates. You'll be able to participate in telephone partnerships, round-robin sessions, conference calls, and inquiry circles. You'll be eligible to train for certification as a Work facilitator. Many graduates form independent groups to do The Work in their communities or by phone. Chat groups for School graduates are also popular. The School is a continually extended welcome. How will attending the School help me in my profession? Licensed professionals such as marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, alcohol and drug-abuse counselors, nurses, teachers, massage therapists, and acupuncturists can receive continuing education credit for attending the School. For details, scroll down to the Continuing Education Credit section on this page. Those in the helping professions are deeply impressed by how quickly and efficiently The Work can help a client untangle a problem that may have resisted therapy for years. War veterans with PTSD and survivors of abuse have proven remarkably able to liberate themselves, through The Work, from years, even decades, of suffering. When you, as a professional, help a client experience this kind of breakthrough, you will know one of the deepest fulfillments someone can have: the joy of guiding another human being to freedom. And if you're not in one of the helping professions? If you're a businessperson, an educator, an artist, a homemaker, a student? The Work can help you cope with the stresses that accompany any career: interactions at the workplace; uncertainties about vocation; procrastination; the upheavals of success and failure. The Work is the ultimate education, and the School of You has campuses in every area of life. How will the School change my life? That's up to you! The one thing that can be said with complete confidence is that it will change your life, and always in a positive way. Many of our graduates find their mental, and even physical, well-being increased. Their ability to manage stress is markedly improved. They become better listeners, better communicators, better friends, better family members. They become more creative in the face of life's changes. Interestingly, these quantum leaps may take you by surprise. You may find yourself responding calmly to a situation that used to rattle you, and think, "Hey, in the old days I would have blown my stack! Look how well I'm dealing with it now!" Your loved ones may say, "Wow, you've changed." And the longer you stick with The Work, the more that kind of realization will become a familiar experience. How much does attending the School cost? Prices for all BKI events are listed on the registration page of our Store. Limited scholarships are available - see below >> If you have a strong compelling desire to attend the School for The Work, and work for a non-profit organization, or in the education and/or the mental health field, and are unable to attend School because of financial circumstances, Byron Katie International offers full and partial scholarships and tuition assistance to those who qualify. Click here to learn more >> Continuing education units/contact hours are available for licensed professionals. Byron Katie International is currently approved as a provider of continuing education contact hours for the School for The Work and for the weekend intensives. CEU: The School for The Work California Licensed Clinical Social Workers *Please note that there is an additional fee for teachers only. Our provider numbers are listed below. These numbers are recognized by many states other than California. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for approval, please ask us. These courses are designed for professionals. However, anyone is welcome to attend. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors: Byron Katie International is approved by the NAADAC Approved Education Provider Program (Provider #362) for 50 contact hours. California MFTs and LCSWs: This course meets the qualifications for 50 hours of CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (Provider #PCE-1283). Counselors: Byron Katie International is recognized by the National Board of Certified Counselors to offer 50 CE hours of continuing education for National Certified Counselors. We adhere to NBCC Continuing Education Guidelines (NBCC Provider #5914). Nurses: Byron Katie International is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP 13091 for 50 contact hours. Teachers: 5.0 contact hours with California State University, Hayward. Acupuncturists: Byron Katie International is approved by the California Board of Acupuncture for 50 CE credits (Provider # CEP 279). Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers: Byron Katie is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education provider under Category A (Provider #333231-00). CEU: Weekend Intensive Byron Katie International offers 14 continuing education units/contact hours to the following licensed professionals at our Weekend Intensive: California Licensed Clinical Social Workers *Teachers receive 1.5 contact hours (equivalent to 15 CEUs) and must pay an additional fee of $81. For more information on continuing education, please
contact us at info July 25 - August 3, 2008 Scholarship application available here >> School graduates may apply to staff the School:
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The Work in Action
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