About The Work

The Work is a simple yet powerful way to identify and question

the thoughts that cause all the suffering in the world.

It’s a way to understand what’s hurting you,

and to address the cause of your problems with clarity.

After suffering through a severe depression for almost 10 years,

Byron Katie, founder of The Work, experienced a life-changing realization.

She discovered that what had been causing her depression

was not the world around her, but rather the beliefs she'd had about the world.

Instead of hopelessly trying to change the world to match her thoughts

about how it should be, she could question these thoughts,

and by meeting reality as it is, experience unimaginable freedom and joy.

Her process of self-inquiry, called The Work, was born out of this realization.

Read Katie's Story

The power of The Work... it does the miraculous. The Work does what human beings have never been able to do before intentionally. We fall into revelations, we live our lives like epiphanies, we have them. They are gifts. And through revelations we experience something that is life-altering. The Work is a way to do this.

Byron Katie,
Founder of The Work

"The root cause of suffering is identification with our thoughts, the 'stories' that are continuously running

through our minds. The Work of Byron Katie cuts

through these illusions like a razor-sharp sword."

Eckhart Tolle,

Author of The Power of Now

"I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn't believe them, I didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always."

—Byron Katie

"No one can give you freedom but you."

— Byron Katie

People who do The Work as an ongoing practice commonly report:

Alleviation of depression: Find resolution, even happiness, in situations that were once debilitating.
Decreased stress: Live with less anxiety or fear.
Improved relationships: Experience deeper connection and intimacy with your partner, your parents, your children, your friends, and yourself.
Reduced anger: Understand what makes you angry and resentful and become reactive less often, with less intensity.
Increased mental clarity: Live and work more intelligently and effectively, with integrity.
More energy: Experience a new sense of ongoing vigor and well-being.
More peace: Discover how to become “a lover of what is.”