Changing Beliefs
With The Belief Change Cycle

Changing beliefs is a natural process. There used to be a time that you would bet your life on the existence of Santa Claus. But then you got some doubts. Was it really Santa who brought the presents?
And then the time came that you knew he didn't. It were the elfs who did the hard work. And so, what you used to believe is not true anymore.
And there are also things you would like to believe. You make yourself open to believe untill you believe it. In fact, when you seek the evidence of a new belief and persevere you will find it. Period. And so you can believe it.

Using this natural course Robert Dillts developed the belief change cycle, an exercise to change what you belief. And because of the fact that you get what you believe it will alter your life.

In this exercise you will use anchors as separate locations on the ground to make your mind quickly get into the appropriate state associated with the different aspects of the change cycle.


The Belief Change Cycle

Phase 1. In case of changing beliefs describe a limiting belief and the one you'd like to have instead.

Phase 2. Seek examples of experiences to each of the following states. Put yourself as fully as possible into the experience and physiology associated with each of these aspect to anchor them to the locations on the ground.
Take experiences which have nothing to do with the chosen limiting or desired beliefs.

1. metaposition of deep 'trust': Find a memory where you just knew everything woul be allright, maybe trusting a higher power.
2. 'wanting to believe': What do you want to believe? Anchoring a state of wanting to believe but not yet really being able to.
3. 'open to believe': take a state of something that you are starting to believe but not yet fully believing it.
4. 'currently believing': What is something you strongly believe? Anchor the state of vastly believing something without a doubt. Choose an example of somthing that is completely different form the believes you want to work on.
5. 'open to doubt': Take something you more or less believe but are starting to doubt. Anchor the state.
6. 'used to believe but not anymore': Anchor the state of something you used to believe in past times.

Observe
When you're in the different states of the belief change cycle anchoring them to the locations be aware of:
- your physiology; the way you stand in that particular state
- selftalk; what are you saying to yourself in this state?
- submodalities; what and how do you see, hear and feel the things in your mind?

Phase 3. Make use of the anchors

See the picture above.
1. weaken the old limiting belief
step on the 'currently believing' anchor and take the content of the limiting belief to the 'open to doubt' location. Get into the appropriate state of open to doubt. That means you get into the same physiology, use the same selftalk and submodalities that goes with open to doubt.

2. strengthen the desired belief
Step into the 'wanting to believe' position with the new belief
Take the content to the open to believe anchor and give it the matching characteristics
Step on the metaposition of trust and see if this new belief is correct. Or maybe it has to have some useful aspects of the old belief in it.

3. Make the old belief history
Go back to the 'open to doubt' position and bring the content of the old belief to the 'used to believe' location with the matching features.
Remember it as a museum. You can always get your old belief back if appropriate.

4. Start to believe the new belief. Get from the open to believe anchor into the one of currently believing. Match the corresponding characteristics.

5. Do a future pace. Make a picture of the new belief influencing your thinking, your feelings and behavior in some distinct situations in the future. Does it still need some adaption. If not, you're ready changing beliefs.

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