Change of a Belief System
A strategy to let go of limiting beliefs and adopt new ones.
- Person A identifies a belief about themselves that they don't like—any belief that, if they didn't have it, they would have more behavioral flexibility—more choices. They do not share the content of beliefs B and C.
- Person B works out the submodalities of the strong, unwanted belief.
- A then identifies a choice where each alternative is acceptable, such as: "I could have fish and chips for dinner, or maybe I'll find something else on the menu that looks more tempting. It doesn’t matter which I choose." This is the belief we call wishy-washy.
- B works out the submodalities of the wishy-washy belief.
- B then guides A through the submodalities of the unwanted belief, changing them one by one into the submodalities of the wishy-washy belief. Determine which change makes the biggest difference. Be sure to restore the submodalities to their original state before proceeding to the next change.
- A then identifies a belief they would like to have, one that would be more useful than the old belief. This new belief is framed in positive terms, viewed as a process rather than a goal. Include an ecology check: "How would this belief, if they had it, affect others; their work? Does the belief align with their values and the values of those close to them?" If necessary, modify the new belief to meet these conditions.
- Transform the new belief into the submodalities of the wishy-washy belief.
- Then B instructs A (using the notes from Step 5) how to weaken the old, strong belief and then bring it back as a wishy-washy belief. For example, if the submodality that made the biggest difference in Step 5 was distance, B would instruct A to move the old belief further away and then bring it back to the same distance as the wishy-washy one.
- Then let the new belief (images and sounds) snap into the configuration of the old belief.
- Do a test and a future pace. B asks A what they now believe about themselves. If A now has this new belief, what will they do that they couldn’t do before? A goes through a sequence of the new behavior.
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