For more than 30 years, Byron Kathleen Mitchell, better known as Byron Katie, has been delivering her simple message regarding how suffering is created and ended. The author of Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, Katie’s transformational method is The Work, which consists of answering “Four Questions”. The only tools it requires are an open mind, a pen and paper.

The Four Questions and the turnarounds, which are the way an individual directly experiences the opposite of what they initially believed, allow them to find answers within themselves. “A deep understanding that comes from a place within; from what you can trust, allows you to take ownership of the realization. When people realize the truth for themselves, they have confidence in it. We learn from teachers, but keep in mind that you are the teacher that you have been waiting for,” says Katie.

Individuals that engage in Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction as an ongoing practice commonly report alleviation of depression, resolution and even happiness in situations that were once debilitating. They also experience decreased stress in life, with less anxiety or fear, improved relationships, reduced anger, increased mental clarity, more energy and well-being, more peace and the ability to love what is.

“When you question a thought, you see around it to the choices beyond suffering. One thought at a time, you transform the way you experience your life,” advises Katie. This form of self-inquiry is also meditative. Anyone with an open mind can do it.

Sharon Plover, a certified facilitator of Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction, offers one-on-one personal facilitations and group workshops. For more information about her Jun. 17 workshop or to make an appointment, call 239-464-4433 or visit APerfectSoul.com or TheWork.com.