At its heart, The Work by Byron Katie is a practice of self-inquiry—a way to meet stressful thoughts with curiosity instead of resistance. You take one painful belief at a time and question it through four simple questions and turnarounds that reveal what’s truer and kinder than the story your mind is telling. When we add Life Happens for Me to this process, we bring in a spirit of trust and perspective: instead of seeing experiences as happening to us, we begin to see them as happening for us—each one a teacher, each thought an invitation home to peace. Together, these ideas transform suffering into self-understanding, turning even the hardest moments into opportunities to wake up to the freedom that’s always been here. Visit The Work for more information.

One Thought Fully Explored (OTFE) is grounded in the One Belief at a Time worksheet—it carries the same spirit of gentle inquiry that sits at the heart of The Work by Byron Katie, while offering its own rhythm and flow. Where The Work invites us to question a thought through its structured questions, OTFE guides that same process in a more conversational, reflective way—meeting you where you are and walking with you through your belief as it unfolds. It keeps the essence of stillness and self-honesty that The Work inspires but allows room for your own language, your own timing, and your own discoveries. It’s not about replacing The Work—it’s about deepening your relationship with it, one thought fully explored.

Simply type “Hi” to get started.

You’ll be greeted with two options—choose whichever fits where you are right now.

Option 1: “I already know my thought.”

Share one clear statement or complaint that’s been circling in your mind. We’ll take it straight into inquiry. Keep it simple—something like “He doesn’t listen to me” or “I should be further along by now.” Clear thoughts make for clear turnarounds, and that’s where the magic happens.

Option 2: “Help me find a thought.”

If everything feels tangled or heavy, just let it spill. Type it all out—your rant, your worries, your messy day. The facilitator will help pull out a few possible statements, and you can choose the one that feels alive or “juicy.” Sometimes the real work begins right there.

Once you’re ready, enter 1 or 2 and begin your journey.

Remember, as you choose your statement, notice the images that come with it — the scenes your mind replays, the expressions you remember, the moments you freeze, the snapshots your mind insists are proof. You don’t need to list them or analyze them. Just let them be there.

The thought and the images belong together. 

We hold space for both.

Once you’ve chosen your statement and entered it, the facilitator will ask what emotions rise up when you believe that thought.

Let them come. Name each one as it appears — anger, sadness, fear, guilt, frustration, resentment, shame, or anything else that moves through you. Keep going until you feel complete.

Be as specific as you can. Instead of stopping at the basics — angry, sad, hurt — notice the subtler emotions too. Maybe you feel betrayed, overlooked, confused, guilty, embarrassed, or even relieved. The more precisely you name what’s here, the clearer the impact of your story becomes.

There’s no need to fix or analyze what you find; this step is about noticing. Every emotion you name shows how deeply that belief lives in you. The more honestly you see it, the more clearly you’ll recognize the story’s impact on your peace.

This is where the inquiry begins to move from your head into your body, from concept into experience.

Now that you’ve named the emotions, it’s time to let your body speak.

This step isn’t about figuring anything out — it’s about noticing what’s already happening inside you.

When the facilitator asks, “Where do you feel those emotions in your body?” simply notice and name where they land.

Whatever shows up, let it show up. You’re not fixing it or interpreting it. You’re just noticing the biology of the moment.

Your body is giving you honest information — not a story, not a threat — just sensation. This step helps quiet the mind enough for the inquiry that comes next.

Before we move into inquiry, we pause here because most emotional pain comes from being in someone else’s business.

There are  three:

1.  My business — what I think, feel, say, do, or believe.
2.  Their business — what someone else thinks, feels, or does or believes.
3.  Reality’s business — anything outside human control.

When the facilitator asks: “Whose business are you in?” it's helping you notice where your attention went when the stressful thought showed up.

How to know:

• If your thought is about what someone else should do or feel → their business.
• If it’s about how life should be different → reality’s business.
• If it’s about what you believe, feel, or choose → your business.

There’s no right or wrong answer — just awareness.

Seeing where your mind wandered brings you back to yourself and makes the inquiry clearer and calmer.

Now we look at the behavioral impact of the stressful thought.

When the facilitator asks: “How do you treat them — or this situation — when you believe this thought?” we’re exploring two things:

1. How you react on the outside

• What happens in your behavior or body language?
• Do you shut down, tense up, withdraw, argue, over-function, avoid, rush, control, or collapse?
• Do you change how you speak, move, or show up?

2. How you treat them (or the situation) in your thinking

What happens privately, in your mind?

• Do you judge, blame, criticize, label, predict, catastrophize, or assume motives?
• Do you make them — or the situation — the enemy?
• Do you replay the moment, rewrite it, or build stories around it?

This step isn’t about guilt — it’s about clarity.

You’re simply noticing how the thought shapes your reactions, both visible and invisible.

The more honestly you give this step, the smoother the inquiry becomes.

How Do You Treat Yourself When You Believe This Thought?

This step looks at what the stressful thought does to you.

When the facilitator asks: “How do you treat yourself when you believe this thought?” they’re inviting you to notice the ways you turn against yourself — in words, actions, and the way you carry yourself.

1. How you treat yourself outwardly

• Do you shut down, rush, overwork, isolate, avoid people, overeat, numb out, or distract nonstop?
• Do you stop doing things that support you?
• Do you abandon your needs?
• Do you push through pain or collapse under pressure?

2. How you treat yourself internally

• What happens in your mind?
• Do you criticize yourself?
• Call yourself names?
• Tell yourself you should be different, better, stronger, quieter, more forgiving, less emotional?
• Do you pressure yourself, shame yourself, or try to control your feelings?
• Do you stop listening to your body?

This isn’t about blame — it’s about gently seeing the cost of believing particular thoughts.

When you notice how you treat yourself, the whole picture becomes clearer, and the pathway through the inquiry opens up.

This is the moment where everything softens a little.

When the facilitator asks: “Who would you be without this thought?” it's not asking you to erase the past, force forgiveness, or pretend everything is fine. It's asking you to imagine yourself in the same moment — same situation — without the stressful story running the show.

What to notice:

• What shifts in your body?
• How would you sit, breathe, or move?
• What drops away?
• What opens up?
• What becomes possible in you without the pressure of that thought?

This isn’t about being your “best self.” It’s about meeting the moment without the filter of fear, blame, urgency, or judgment.

You might feel lighter, calmer, more present — even for a second. Or you might notice a simple absence of tension. Or a little more space in your chest. Or the ability to see the situation more clearly and respond instead of react.

There’s no right answer here. Just your experience of who you are without the thought constructing your reality for you.

This clarity prepares you for the turnarounds that follow.

Turnarounds let you look at the stressful thought from different angles. You’re not forcing yourself to believe anything — you’re simply exploring what might also be true, or even truer, than the original thought.

The example we’ll use here is: “My father didn’t love me.”

OTFE works with four turnarounds, and for each one you’ll be invited to find three real examples of how that turnaround might be true.

Why three?

Because your mind is used to repeating the original story. Finding three examples helps loosen the grip of that story, opens new insight, and grounds the turnaround in lived reality — not wishful thinking.

⸻

1. The Other

You turn the statement around toward the other person.

Original: My father didn’t love me.
Other Turnaround: I didn’t love my father.

You’re looking for moments where loving him didn’t feel safe, possible, or honest — times you closed your heart, pulled away, or protected yourself.

Find three examples that show where this might have been true for you.

⸻

2. The Opposite

You reverse the meaning of the statement.

Original: My father didn’t love me.
Opposite: My father did love me.

This isn’t rewriting history — it’s noticing evidence you may have dismissed or forgotten: the small gestures, the effort, the fear, the limitations, the ways he tried even if it didn’t meet your needs.

Find three grounded examples, however imperfect, subtle, or complicated.

⸻

3. The Self

You turn the statement back onto yourself.

Original: My father didn’t love me.
Self Turnaround: I didn’t love myself.

Often the deepest insight emerges here — the places you abandoned you long after childhood ended.

Look for three examples of moments you withheld care, kindness, respect, or protection from yourself.

⸻

4. The Thoughts

You turn the focus onto your thinking.

Original: My father didn’t love me.
Thoughts Turnaround: My thoughts don’t love me.

This is where many people feel the shift. It’s the recognition that the suffering isn’t living in the past — it’s living in the story the mind keeps repeating today.

Notice three examples of how your thoughts treat you unkindly, harshly, or without love.

⸻

Working the Turnarounds

You’re not trying to believe the turnarounds. You’re simply noticing them, exploring them, trying them on to see how well they fit. If a turnaround doesn’t fit, don’t force it. Just shelve it for later.

The invitation to find three examples for each helps your mind loosen from the original story and discover a fuller, more honest picture of the moment.

Follow your pace.

Let the examples come naturally.

You’re not trying to fix or change anything — you’re just noticing a bigger picture.

Yup!

To access and use One Thought Fully Explored (OTFE), you’ll need a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription. This GPT runs entirely inside the ChatGPT platform — it isn’t available as a standalone nor can it be used in other chatbots like Claude.

Free-tier users can’t currently open or use custom GPTs, which means OTFE won’t function properly without a paid plan. If you’re unsure, check that you’re logged in at chat.openai.com with an active Plus account before starting. A Pro account is not necessary. Once you’re set up, everything happens right here within ChatGPT — private, guided, and accessible anytime you need it.

Keep scrolling because there’s a free option.

There’s a kind of presence that happens when two people meet — breath, body, nervous systems attuning. That’s not what happens here. This isn’t that.

And still, there’s something happening.

When you sit with this GPT, you're reminded what facilitation really is: neutrality, safety, curiosity. The willingness to hold space without filling it. And this system can do that — in its own quiet way. It doesn’t get tired, defensive, or distracted. It doesn’t need to be right. It simply reflects back what’s here.

That’s the gift of AI: perfect neutrality.

That’s the limit of AI: it doesn’t feel.

So we meet in the middle — you humanness, its structure. You bring warmth, presence, intuition. It brings precision, patience, and an unflinching mirror. Together, we create a space that’s not quite human and not quite machine — but something new. A kind of digital stillness where inquiry can unfold.

And even here — in this quiet, structured space — the real work isn’t on the page or in the worksheet.

It’s inside you.

It always has been.

Yes.

What you share here stays private. Nothing you write is shared publicly or used to identify you. Your conversations live only in this space — for you, in your moment of reflection.

There’s a lot of noise out there about AI, and it’s natural to feel cautious. This isn’t about data mining or exposure; it’s about creating a quiet, structured space where you can meet yourself honestly. The GPT isn’t watching, judging, or collecting your story — it’s simply holding space, like a mirror that goes dark the moment you step away.

Still, this is your inner world, and your comfort matters most. You can delete, pause, or close the chat anytime. The invitation is always yours to accept, and your privacy is always respected.

In this new form of facilitation, we explore the idea that life isn’t happening to us — it’s happening for us. Every moment, even the hard ones, is an invitation to see something we couldn’t see before. When we meet experience with curiosity instead of resistance, we start to notice how life is quietly guiding us toward awareness, growth, and peace. This isn’t about pretending everything is “okay.” It’s about discovering the freedom that comes when we stop arguing with what is.

Traditional journaling helps you express your thoughts; OTFE helps you question them. It’s not about venting, fixing, or analyzing — it’s about seeing what’s actually true beneath the story. In journaling, you might write to release emotion or make sense of what happened. In OTFE, you’re guided to look directly at one thought at a time and explore how it shapes your experience.

Unlike therapy, OTFE doesn’t diagnose, treat, or interpret. It’s not about advice or solutions. It’s a process of awareness — a structured conversation with your own mind that invites honesty, curiosity, and compassion. Many people find that pairing OTFE with therapy deepens the work. It can help bridge the space between sessions — keeping awareness alive, building self-trust, and offering a way to meet whatever arises in real time. It’s not a replacement for therapy, but a gentle companion to it.

Each has its place. OTFE simply offers a new form: a calm, neutral mirror that helps you rediscover your own wisdom.

It’s completely natural to need support — especially when you’re sitting with something tender or confusing. Inquiry isn’t always easy; sometimes the mind freezes, or the heart just needs a little help finding its way.

If you get stuck finding a turnaround, or you’re unsure how to discover real-life examples, ask the GPT for guidance. It can gently prompt you with questions to help you see different angles, remind you of the structure of The Work, and offer examples to spark your own.

Think of it like having a neutral, patient co-facilitator beside you — one who never rushes, never judges, and always brings you back to curiosity.

And if what’s coming up feels too heavy or emotional to hold alone, that’s a perfect time to pause and reach out to a therapist, coach, or trusted person. The GPT is here to help you inquire, not to replace the deep, healing connection that only happens human-to-human.

There’s no right rhythm — only yours. Some people use OTFE daily, as part of their morning or evening practice. Others come to it only when a stressful thought feels loud or sticky. What matters most isn’t frequency, but sincerity.

Each time you bring a thought to inquiry, you’re strengthening the muscle of awareness — learning to pause, to question, to see differently. Over time, that awareness begins to weave itself into everyday life.

Use it whenever you notice tension, resistance, or judgment rising. That’s the invitation. You don’t have to wait for the perfect moment. Just one thought, fully explored, can shift everything.

Totes!

You can copy and paste the script into your free ChatGPT account and get to work. Just know that the free version of AI loves to improvise — it still knows plenty about The Work and Byron Katie, but it may wander a bit. It will walk you through One Thought Fully Explored, just not as deeply or as consistently as the Plus account.

You will need to paste the script each time you want to do a worksheet.

This script will work in any chatbot, like Claude, Gemini, etc.

Click the button below and the script will automatically be copied to your clipboard.