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How to change or eliminate an old, outdated belief
By
Bruce A. Moen
from
his book “EXPLORING THE AFTERLIFE, VOYAGE BEYOND DOUBT”
What I've
written in this appendix is intended to provide a means of changing beliefs.
People often ask me how to accomplish such a seemingly difficult task. For me
such changes were necessary to further my goal of exploring the Afterlife.
Whether or not you need to change your beliefs is strictly a matter of your
personal choice. I've included this information in the spirit of providing
assistance to those who desire to do so.
The method I give here is one taught to me by Rebecca. It assumes you are
willing to consider the possibility some part of you holds a belief which is
currently limiting your ability to perceive and experience. It assumes you
desire to change or eliminate such a belief. The most basic assumption of this
method is that some aspect of yourself is holding the belief for you. At some
point in the past you decided, consciously or unconsciously, the belief was
useful to you. You asked some aspect of yourself to hold that belief and cause
it to be applied at any time that aspect felt appropriate. It wouldn't
necessarily be required to make itself or the belief known consciously, just
apply the effect of the belief at appropriate times.
A simple example might be a belief that falling can injure your body. Through
experience in the physical world, most of us have come to believe this. I've
stored that belief within an aspect of myself. So whenever I think about putting
my body in a position where it could fall a great vertical distance, some aspect
of me resists. This is a useful belief-based-limitation, affecting where I'm
willing to put my body. Try to get me to stand on a tightrope sixty feet off the
ground, and I feel resistance to doing so. I might not be aware of the specific
beliefs involved, but I will still feel resistance. The aspect of myself holding
that belief will do whatever it can to stop me from climbing up onto that
tightrope. My arms and legs may suddenly feel too weak to climb. I may become
frozen in fear. That aspect I've entrusted to hold that belief will do whatever
it can to stop my body from getting on the tightrope. A simple, silly example
perhaps, but what follows might help explain the concept of changing a belief.
CHANGING A BELIEF
Suppose I wanted to learn to walk that tightrope. I'd have to change those
falling injury beliefs at least as far as tightrope walking is concerned. To
illustrate the method I'm suggesting, I'll use an imaginary conversation with
the aspect of myself holding the beliefs about bodily injury due to falling.
We'll start with me at the bottom of the ladder I have to climb to get to the
tightrope. I'm feeling weak-kneed and paralyzed with fear. To begin the belief
changing process, I'd close my eyes, relax and begin my conversation to uncover
the belief. Focus 10 or Focus 12 would be good choices to relax into.
"I'd like to speak to the aspect of myself preventing me from climbing this
ladder."
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"I want to climb this ladder. Why can't I?"
"Are you kidding! That sucker goes at least sixty feet up in the air! If I let
you climb this ladder you might fall and wreck our body!
"Where did this belief come from?"
"You took on beliefs about that at a very early age, little falls little injury,
big falls big injury. This could be a really big fall!"
"How are you applying this belief in this case?"
"This belief applies to this situation so I'm sending out signals of fear to
paralyze our body so you can't move it."
"But I really want to learn how to walk a tightrope!"
"Not if it's going to wreck our body, no way!"
"I appreciate that you are holding these beliefs for me and acting to limit my
activity in accordance with them, but in this instance the belief doesn't
apply."
"Why not?"
"Because I desire to learn about tightrope walking!"
"So?"
"So I'm going to take responsibility for the safety of our body. I'm going to
move very slowly up the ladder and be very careful to hang on and not fall off."
"But, preventing that very thing is my function! That's why I hold and apply
this belief for you!"
"You can continue to act as I've come to believe about falling and injuring our
body in every other case except this ladder climbing right now. In this case
we're going to change those beliefs. I take responsibility for this change."
"But, but . . "
"It's what I desire."
"Okay. I'm still going to signal a little fear just so you don't forget to be
careful, but not enough to paralyze our body."
"Thank you, you've understood my desire to change this belief."
At this point I've discovered the belief causing the problem, met the aspect of
myself responsible, and expressed my desire to change my beliefs to learn
something I want to learn, tightrope walking. That aspect has relinquished
control to the point I can climb the ladder.
Let's move to halfway up the ladder.
"Are you sure you desire to do this? Where up pretty far. If you slip and fall
our body is going to get messed up bad."
"Look! I desire it! Signals of fear you're sending from that old belief
interfere with concentration needed to safely climb. If you don't change it your
meddling thoughts may be responsible for me losing concentration. If I slip and
fall you'll be responsible! We both want to complete this climb without injury
to our body, so be quiet unless you have something constructive to say."
"Okay. Watch out for the third rung up. It's a little slipperier then the rest.
Otherwise everything's okay."
When I get to the third rung up, "You're right. I can feel it's a little slick.
I'll take special care on that rung. Thank you for your input."
So I keep climbing up the ladder toward the platform. I get to the platform and
I'm about to take my first steps onto the tightrope. My knees start to feel weak
and wobbly and I can't release my death-grip on the platform railing.
"Hey, I told you I desire to learn about tightrope walking. Why can't I move?"
"The ladder was one thing, that rope is different. It's pretty easy to fall off
that skinny little rope."
"You're right. I might fall off the rope."
"We might fall? From way up here?"
"Yes we might, but if you'll look below us you'll see there's a safety net. We
can fall without injury to our body."
"But . . . but . . . I'll have to experience falling? Everything about the
belief I hold for us is based on never letting our body fall. Never, never,
never!"
"Well, in this case it's safe to fall. In this case, on a tightrope with a net,
change that belief to falling is okay. I've taken responsibility and prepared
for that possibility. We can safely fall into the net."
Now I've identified another facet of the belief and stated my intent that it be
changed.
"But, but . . "
I force myself to take two steps out on the tightrope. I'm maintaining my
concentration and balance just fine when . . .
"But what if you lose your balance and we fall and get hurt! I can't let you do
this! I'm going to freeze up every muscle in our body with fear to stop you! . .
. . Whoops!"
The aspect's method of controlling the body, using fear, that's always worked
before just caused me to lose my balance and we're falling toward the net. After
landing in it safely and bouncing a few times . . .
"That was absolutely terrifying! Body doesn't seem to be injured anywhere. Lucky
for us the net was there."
"It wasn't lucky. I took responsibility and arranged for the net to be there.
That's why you can change the belief in this specific case. We were doing fine
until you tried to take over control."
"Yeah, guess the usual paralyze with fear method isn't going to be effective to
protect our body in this situation. Maybe I should try something else? Wait a
minute, you're climbing up the ladder again? Didn't you get enough the first
time?"
"No I didn't. I desire to learn more about tightrope walking!"
"Really?"
"Yes, and I suggest this time you put your efforts to control the body into
something besides paralyzing fear."
"Like what for instance?"
"Like, maintaining my body weight balance once we get on the tightrope."
"Oh, okay. I'll put all my efforts into balancing body weight directly over the
tightrope."
. "Great! That's how tightrope walking is done. It's all about learning to
subconsciously control balance on the tightrope. That's the change I want you to
make to my belief in this case. Balance on a tightrope prevents falling and
injury!"
Now I've stated my intent that a new belief replace the old one that conflicted
with learning to walk a tightrope. A silly example perhaps, but it contains all
the elements of the process to change an outdated belief. They are:
1. Recognize you're being limited. You can't do what you desire to do.
2. Ask to communicate with the aspect of yourself responsible for the limiting
belief.
3. Engage that aspect of yourself in conversation, dialogue with it.
4. Understand what the belief is and how it operates to limit you.
5. Express the desire to change the belief in the situation you desire to learn
about.
6. Attempt to do what you desire to do again.
7. Continue to dialogue with that aspect of yourself as more facets of the
limitation of the belief come up.
8. Repeat this process until you can walk the tightrope without even thinking of
maintaining your balance. Then you know that aspect has incorporated the desired
change in your belief.
ELIMINATING A BELIEF
Sometimes a
limiting belief needs to be eliminated rather then changed. Early on, my belief
that physical-world-like senses of sight and hearing were necessary to explore
the nonphysical world completely blocked my perception of that realm. It's an
example of a belief that had to be eliminated, not just changed.
Those of you who recall reading about my experience during my first Lifeline
program in Voyages Into the Unknown, may remember my perception was
blocked. I expected, believed, I would get to Focus 27 and see and hear There
just like I do Here. Instead I found myself in a complete void. I couldn't see,
hear, smell, touch, taste or sense anything. As far as I could tell there was
absolutely nothing and no one in Focus 27. Until my belief in using analogous
physical world senses was eliminated, my nonphysical world perception remained
completely blocked. The process for eliminating an old, outdated belief is
similar to changing one. I'll use the same dialogue method as above to
illustrate the process.
I was extremely frustrated by my lack of perception in the nonphysical world. I
was convinced the Lifeline program was a scam and Focus 27 was like the story of
the emperor's new clothes. Nobody in the program wanted to admit they couldn't
see or hear anything There, so they claimed they did. Rebecca suggested what I
was trying to sense were very subtle energies, perhaps requiring a different
form of sensing. After relaxing into a Focus 10 state my conversation with the
aspect of myself responsible for the limiting beliefs could have gone something
like this.
"I want to communicate with that aspect of myself which is blocking my
perception of the nonphysical world."
"What do you want?"
"I want to perceive clearly in the nonphysical world."
"So, what do you want me to do about it?"
"First, tell me why you're blocking my perception?"
"I hold and apply the belief that: if I can't see it or hear it, it can't be
there."
"And that's why I can't perceive non-physically?"
At this point I've identified the conflicting, old belief.
"Yep! It's nonphysical! Can't see it with my eyes, can't hear it with my ears,
it can't be there."
"How does that belief block my perception?"
"It's like an equation in mathematics. If eyes can't see it and ears can't hear
it then I make it not there."
"You make it not there?"
"Of course, that's my function! I make sure whatever is there can't be perceived
to fulfill the belief I hold for you. It's just as real as two plus two equals
four. Eyes can't see it plus ears can't hear it equals block its perception."
"Simple as that?"
"Yep, just as simple as that!"
Now I've identified how the conflicting belief functions to block my perception.
"I want to change that belief."
"Can't just change it, this one is hard wired in."
"What do you mean?"
"This a very old, core belief. It's been around so long it's connected to too
many other beliefs in the system to change only it. All other beliefs based on
or connected to such core beliefs will have to be changed also. It could take
eons to find all those connections and undo them if we do it carefully and in
small steps."
"But I want to change this belief now, what do I do?"
"Eliminate the core belief that feeds and holds all the connected beliefs in the
system together. Cut the stem of a plant off at the root and all the leaves die
too. See what I mean?"
"Yes and I still want to eliminate it."
"Could have unpredictable, far reaching effects. This one's deep core. It
supports so many others when they die the whole system may crash. This could
cause an identity crisis! You could feel very disoriented for a while, it might
even feeling like dying! The aspect of our identity holding this belief will
die, geez, that's me! I don't want to do this, I don't want to die!"
This is acknowledgment that who and what I believe myself to be, my identity,
includes the beliefs I hold.
"I want to eliminate it and replace it with a new function you can hold for me."
"You don't want that belief anymore? You don't need me to hold and apply that
belief for you anymore?"
"That's correct. Before this point in my life I thought I needed that belief to
be operative. I'd like to express my gratitude to you for fulfilling your
function so well all these years. You've been performing a valuable service.
Thank you for doing that for me, but your function is no longer necessary. I
release you from your duty to fulfill that function starting right now."
"Okay. Glad to have been of service."
"Now I'd like to institute a completely new function."
"Okay. What would you like?"
"From now on a new function will be operating. That function is: Whenever I
desire to be aware of nonphysical energies they are to be brought into my
awareness by whatever ability there is to sense them.
Again, I've stated my intent for a new belief, what it is to be and how it is to
operate.
"Can I have an example so I'm sure I know what you mean?"
"If I intend to be aware of the presence of a Guide in the nonphysical world,
you are to bring that Guide clearly into my awareness. If I intend to
communicate with anyone or anything in the nonphysical world, you are to bring
it clearly into my awareness."
"So if you intend to be aware of anything in the nonphysical world, my function
is to bring it into your awareness as clearly as possible by whatever ability
available?"
"Yes and if development of a new perceptual ability would facilitate matters
that's part of your new function also."
"Very well, I'll hold the belief that is possible and perform that function."
"Thank you. I'd like to express my gratitude to you for agreeing to perform this
new function."
In the very next Lifeline tape exercise I became aware of the presence of a
Guide in Focus 27. As this function continues to operate, my ability to perceive
in the nonphysical world grows. Each time I encountered a limit to that
perception ability the process above can be used to eliminate it. That process
made the new function progressively stronger. Sometimes, as in the chapter
titled, Last Voyage with Doubt, the belief I eliminated erased more
connected beliefs than I realized it would. The resulting identity crisis was
indeed a stretch of bumpy road.
To outline this process for eliminating an old, outdated belief and remove its
blocking effect:
1. Recognize you're being blocked. Realize you're blocked from doing what you
intend to do.
2. Ask to communicate with the aspect of yourself responsible for holding the
belief causing the block.
3. Engage that aspect of yourself in conversation, dialogue with it.
4. Understand what the belief is and how it operates to block you.
5. Express gratitude to the aspect of yourself that has carried out the blocking
function up to this point.
6. Release that aspect of yourself from continuing to hold that belief and carry
out the blocking function.
7. Carefully frame the wording and intent of the new function if you desire to
replace the old one. Sometimes a new function is not necessary. If it is, it
might be necessary to give the intent of the new function considerable thought.
Think through the implications of your choices. Use positive wording for the new
function. I desire clear perception is an example of positive wording. I don't
want my perception blocked is not a positive wording of the same desire. Use
present tense wording for the new function. Whenever I want to perceive it is
brought into my awareness, is present tense wording. My perception is going to
get better, is future tense wording. A function with such future tense wording
my act to keep better perception in the future and not allow it in the present!
Wording can be tricky.
8. In a meditative state, Focus 10 for example, express your new, carefully
worded function and your desire it take affect.
9. Express your gratitude for this new function being carried out.
10. You only need to do this once, then expect your desire to be fulfilled.
From experience I know both of these processes work. You can use them to change
or eliminate old, outdated beliefs and their effects. Be aware that you might
feel a sense of disorientation with the dissolution of an old belief. That old
belief was a part of your former identity and it takes a little while to get to
know the new you. I've experienced feelings of disorientation, loss of identity
and in core belief cases, a feeling like I might die. I've discovered this is
connected to the fact that an aspect of my identity does indeed die and is
replaced by a new aspect. Part of me actually dies. This was scary until I
figured it out.
It might feel a little strange to talk to yourself as I'm suggesting. That may
be another limiting belief to investigate. As you continue to use these
processes, from my experience, examples of progress and growth in your
experience will happen.
AFTERLIFE BELIEF
One more
question, did you want your belief of no afterlife existence to be true? Why
were you hanging onto it so strongly?
As I was going
through the process of exploring whether or not we have an Afterlife I guess I'd
say I wasn't that conscious of ALL the beliefs I held against our Afterlife
existence. In fact I would have said I was pretty certain we did continue to
exist, based on all the reading I'd done by authors who claimed we did.
Probably the
strongest conflict between my beliefs and my experience was that I believed I
was incapable of "hearing" the voice of a dead person. After all, I'm just an
ordinary guy and I believed it took some special gift or cosmic bonk on the head
for anyone to be able to hear the voices of the deceased, if they existed at
all. When I had what I call my "Punky Experience" I actually heard the voice of
someone I knew to be dead. That conflicted very strongly with ALL my beliefs
associated with the one in my inability.
See, my
identity contained many parts of self that were absolutely convinced I would
never be able to hear those guys. When I did hear them and was forced to accept
that experience as real because the information I received was verified, ALL
those parts of self could no longer exist. Those parts of me that held so
tightly to their belief system were forced to admit that their own very
existence was not real.
There are so
many sources within physical reality that promote the belief that we cannot
directly access nonphysical realities. Churches tell us we need them to be the
ones to make those contacts for us. Furthermore, many churches preach that we
are in danger of losing our souls to Satan and spending eternity in Hell if we
make the attempt on our own. Science preaches that there is no such thing as
nonphysical reality and that anyone claiming contact There is deluded and a
candidate for trip to mind-numbing drugs in a funny farm.
My world is
fabricated, as all realities are, using beliefs as the most basic building
material. All the beliefs I took on from "authoritative sources" like Religion
and Science were negated by my Punky experience. Every Religion and Science
brick in structure of what I perceived to be reality suddenly disappeared into
thin air. It became very difficult to perceive what reality was because so much
of the structure of the one I'd built crashed down in a pile of debris.
So you see, it
wasn't just my beliefs/identity about our lack of an Afterlife that were crashed
by the Punky experience. It was all the beliefs I'd taken on that supported
almost every facet of the structure of my personal reality. This represented a
huge portion of who and what I believed myself and my world to be. And it was
all gone in one fell swoop.
In my opinion
all of us have misinterpreted at least some of our experiences and built
"errors" into our personal realities. When those errors are pointed out in new
experiences we tend to hold on to what we believe to be real because we feel,
rightly, that our very existence is threatened. The question left is then: who
is this "our" in the previous sentence.
Sometimes when
we begin exploring who and what we really are we discover that we are NOT some
of the things we believed ourselves to be, before we discover more of who and
what we really are. The interim between those two points in my experience is
what I describe as an identity crisis.
ELECTRONICALLY PROVIDED VERSION
OBTAINED FROM:
http://www.afterlife-knowledge.com
Copyright: Bruce A. Moen, All Rights Reserved
Link to the
book:
Exploring the Afterlife- Voyage Beyond Doubt
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