Guru Ratings
Byron Katie
Bad.
Remember my ratings criteria. I’m not judging these gurus on “global” or moral values, but very specific criteria. Many of my favorite books would be rated “bad” by my criteria for self-help (probably, because they are not self-help books). My ratings don’t reflect how well an author met his own goals, but how well they met my criteria for useful, accurate self-help.
Loving What Is (2003)
Introduces Katie’s “revolutionary process for happiness,” called The Work. What is The Work? It’s this. Ask yourself 4 questions:
- Is it true?
- Can you absolutely know that it's true?
- How do you react when you believe that thought?
- Who would you be without the thought?
The book shows how to ask yourself these 4 questions to improve every arena of your life. It’s magic!
I Need Your Love—Is That True? (2006)
Katie says the best way to get love is not by needily seeking it, but by questioning your own thoughts and dependencies. Become confident in yourself and you will win the love you want. Or, you’ll realize you don’t need it.
Katie manages to stretch this old (and incomplete) idea across 250 pages of steps and exercizes. This is truly copy-and-paste self-help literature. Get a concise guide to cognitive therapy instead, like the one by Michael Edelstein.