Mental Strength and Changing Beliefs

There are several methods for changing limiting beliefs, i.e. Time Empowerment® and visualization are two great methods.   Both of these methods have a visual competent to them and may be difficult for some. 

One more technique comes from Robert Dilts version of the belief change pattern.

A “belief” for this purposes is a strongly held idea about the world, about people or about oneself.  Your beliefs show up all around you in the results you create.  Take a look at your wealth, relationships and even your health.  All of these are living example of what you believe. 

A great belief for the example I’m about to get into is“I know it’s not true, but I still believe it.”

Ever think this before?

The Dilts pattern, involves laying out pieces of paper in a circle on the floor and standing on them.  It’s best if you have a large open space, but even a small living room or office will work.

The rough description of the process may or may not be suitable for you to use it on yourself or someone else.  Do to the nature of the technique it’s difficult to go over the entire technique.

The labels on the pieces of paper on the floor are:

1)     Want to Believe

2)     Open to Doubt

3)     Currently Believe

4)     Open to Doubt

5)     Trust

6)     Used to believe (Museum of Personal History)

In addition, there should probably be a “meta-position” between 3) and 4) and I guess between 2) and 3). The meta-positions are simply spots where you pause to remember what’s happened so far before you go on.

After you have placed all the papers (positions) on the floor.

1. Stand in the ‘Want to Believe’ space, think of the ‘new belief’ that you would like to have more confidence in. Holding this belief in mind move into the ‘Open to Believe’ space.
2. Feel what it is like to become more open to believe this new belief. When you intuitively feel the time is appropriate, step into the ‘Currently Believe’ space concentrating on the new belief you want to have.
3. If there are any conflicting or limiting beliefs that come up in the ‘Currently Believe’ space, hold them in mind and move to the ‘Open to Doubt’ space.
4. Ecology Check: Go to the ‘Trust’ space and consider the positive intents and purpose of both the new belief and any conflicting or limiting beliefs. Consider whether there are any changes or revisions you would like to make to the new belief. Also consider if there are any parts of the old beliefs that would be worth retaining or incorporating along with the new belief.
5. Return to the old limiting or conflicting beliefs that you left in the ‘Open to Doubt’ space, bringing the insights you had from the ‘Trust’ space and move them into the ‘Used to Believe’ space, your ‘Museum of Personal History’.
6. Step back into to the ‘Currently Believe’ space and focus on the new beliefs you want to strengthen. Experience your new sense of confidence and verbalize any new insights or learning’s that you may have discovered during this process.
7. Ecology Check Again: step into the ‘Trust’ space and consider the changes you have made. Know that, because this is a natural, organic and ongoing cycle, the process can continue evolve and that you can make any necessary adjustments in the future in the way that is most appropriate and ecological for you.

After going around the circle once, repeat a second time.

At each of the positions of the circle, it’s important to really experience the state that goes with that position. One of the reasons why many people have difficulty with this process is they can’t think of something they are doubtful about. 

I suggest as an example “How doubtful are you that you’re going to get raise today?”  Or “How doubtful are you that you’ll hit the lottery today?”  I think you get the picture right?    Choose something that has real significance for you…something that will really let you get into the experience of being in doubt.

It’s important to note that the idea of the process is to replace an unwanted belief by a belief you want to have. A lot of traditional approaches to changing beliefs think in terms of extinction or removal of the belief or behavior. With mental strength training one of the basic rules is that the way to get rid of a limiting belief or behavior is to replace with an empowering belief, one that will assist you on taking action and creating personal success.

Psychologists say things like “It takes months to unlearn a habit.” This is simply B.S, if you replace the liming belief and habit by a more desirable one. If you find a better way to drive to work, how many times does it take before you stop automatically turning down the old street?

Not many!

The Universe abhors a vacuum and if you simply remove a limiting belief anything can and will come in to replace it.  So by replacing the belief yourself you’re taking control how you want to behave and how you want to create your reality. 

To help with this process selecting a “mentor” or role model can be very useful and identify the empowering beliefs you want to install.

After a while you’ll become so proficient at this process that you’ll be able to do it in your head.  And for know I recommend actually physically performing the process.

A side note:  This process can also be used to change values….but more on that later 🙂

Limiting beliefs can hold us back while empowering beliefs can help us achieve our personal success.  By using your mental strength to examine the results you’re getting you can identify those beliefs and behaviors and replace them with exciting and powerful ones!

I go into more about beliefs and how to change them in the e-book “Develop the Mental Strength of a Warrior”  

Let me know what you think about this process in the comments below, or by clicking on “comment” in the upper right corner of this post.