technique How to release
limiting identity beliefs
written by Andy Hunt W
hen we grow up we sort through masses of experience to come up with an understand- ing of the world and ourselves. Part of this understanding is of the aspects of our expe- rience we label ‘I’, ‘myself’, ‘me’ – names for parts of the person we are.
As we grow up and have experiences we begin to give our- selves, or accept them from others, qualities and capabilities. I am a good boy, I am helpful, I can’t do that, I am lazy and so on.
These beliefs about ourselves, our identity beliefs, can be help- ful or hindering.
‘Helpful’ beliefs: I am confident, I am a good person, I can cope ‘Unhelpful’ beliefs: I am lazy, I am bad, I am tired, I am scared
Notice that saying ‘I am tired’ is quite different from ‘I feel tired’, a feeling will pass and change into something else, an identity belief will stay with you through time and affect all your experience.
Most people don’t have any difficulty living with helpful iden- tity beliefs they find them supportive and agreeable. The unhelpful identity beliefs are much less appealing. They feel uncomfortable and they limit our ability to act and change. Beliefs are compulsive, they guide our perceptions and actions to reinforce themselves.
For example: if you have the belief ‘I am tired’ it functions as a description of your state and organises your actions and perceptions to focus attention on developing and noticing the tiredness it describes. It is a description and a mantra rolled into one, acting as a small scale, self fulfilling prophecy.
THE AAMET MAGAZINE I AUTUMN 2010 I
www.aamet.org 27
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