Beliefs in Neuro Linguistic Programming

Beliefs can limit us or empower us. NLP teaches us how to change limiting beliefs, and choose empowering beliefs.

In NLP terms, beliefs act as filters on our perception of the world. That is to say that what we believe colors how we see the world. How we see the world impacts on how we feel about the events around us, which in turn impacts on how we behave.

Hence our beliefs impact on how we perceive the world, how we fell about what happens around us, and how we behave. Given all this it is obviously important that we have beliefs that support us, rather than limit us.

Neurolinguistic Programming explains that beliefs have a "structure" in our minds. We represent beliefs as a certain set or sequence of internal representations and states, ie we have certain mental images, internal dialogue, sounds and feelings that code our beliefs. And our disbeliefs.

Changing Beliefs in Neurolinguistic Programming

Because beliefs are coded as a sequence of internal representations, we can change our beliefs (and disbeliefs) simply by recoding the representations (or the submodalities associated with them).

Of course, if our beliefs are supported by external events around us then we cannot change our beliefs in this way. Or possibly we can, but they will quickly be reinstalled in their old form.

Fortunately most of our beliefs are not supported by external events, they are instead support by external events as filtered through the self same beliefs. That is to say that in most cases beliefs are self supporting.

Let's take a simple example, suppose we believe we are bad at baseball:

Changing Beliefs in Neurolinguistic Programming

Because beliefs are coded as a sequence of internal representations, we can change our beliefs (and disbeliefs) simply by recoding the representations (or the submodalities associated with them).

Of course, if our beliefs are supported by external events around us then we cannot change our beliefs in this way. Or possibly we can, but they will quickly be reinstalled in their old form.

Fortunately most of our beliefs are not supported by external events, they are instead support by external events as filtered through the self same beliefs. That is to say that in most cases beliefs are self supporting.

Let's take a simple example, suppose we believe we are bad at baseball:

• So we believe we are bad at baseball. This belief acts as a filter for our experiences past and future. As we look back on our baseball experiences the limiting belief will tend to filter out those times we played well, and instead focus on the times we played poorly.
• The next time we play, our limiting belief and memories of how poorly we play will make us tense and nervous and we are more likely to play poorly again. Hence the belief is self perpetuating and self fulfilling.
• Suppose we change this belief. It will be easier for us to find those times when we have actually played baseball quite well, in spite of our beliefs.
• This new belief and our newly found memories will be more likely to make us confident and relaxed the next time we play, making it more likely that we will play well, and hence have a new positive reference experience.