Seven Paths
Your brain is organized into levels and with that comes different levels of thinking and being. When working to better understand our brain, the ways we think, and the behaviors we have created, we must look at each level (Figure 1). These organizational systems within our brain and thinking don’t just stop there, they can be universally applied to how for instance; an educational system, a business, or a relationship is formed. Our beliefs are closely held generalizations we create that are centered around the experiences we have and our relationship to them. These generalizations then go on to influence the world around us, our behaviors, our capabilities, and our identities. They generally fall into 3 categories:
- Casual Relations
- Things you think? Things you believe?
- Meaning Relationships
- Does it mean that I am a weak person?
- Does it mean that I have an opportunity to really learn something?
- Limits
- Where is the limit? How far can I go?
- I believe that I can affect my health with my beliefs and with my mind up to a point, but above this point I can’t.
Out of these generalizations, problems of a belief can arise and further fall into 3 types of belief issues:
- Hopelessness– What I’m trying to go after is not possible, there is no hope.
- Helplessness– I’m not good enough, I don’t have the capability.
- Worthlessness– I have what it takes, but do I deserve it?
Beliefs will function at a different level than concrete reality and will serve us to guide and interpret our perceptions of reality, often by connecting them to our criteria and value systems (Figure 2). Beliefs are notoriously difficult to change through typical rules of logic and rational thinking. Therefore looking at them from a different perspective is needed.
