Beliefs: Do Our Feelings Create Our Beliefs?

If someone is behaving in a certain way or not attracting what they want into their life, it is often said to be a result of what their beliefs are. And so one then needs to change what they believe, in order to act differently and to attract what they want into their reality.

A large part of the self development industry is focused on beliefs and there have been many techniques and methods created to change beliefs. Some of these approaches have been around for many, many years and others are fairly recent inventions or what could be described as a blend of previous ways.

The Mind

This means that one’s primary focus is on what is going on in the mind and not what is taking place within one’s body. The mind is where beliefs are found and where thoughts, ideas, assumptions, expectations and associations are formed.

So the mind is not directly involved with the here and now, if anything, it supply’s feedback to what is taking place. For when one is in the moment, there is no feedback or ideas about reality. One is consumed by the moment and has no need to formulate any ideas.

An Analogy

In recent years, cameras have become an essential part of most people’s lives. And technology has continued to advance, so they are getting not only smaller, but also cheaper.

This has opened them up to more people and through having them on phones; pictures can be taken during any moment that one has the urge to take them. However, photos are not life itself, they are copies of life.

And this is reflects the difference between the mind and the body. The body is the experience, the mind is the picture. In the first one, there is complete engaged with reality; whereas the other is a by-product or a consequence of it.

The Body

To be in the body, is to be at one with life and everything that is taking place in this moment. There is no past or future in the body, all there is, is now. So in the body’s natural state, there is no holding on. The mind on the other hand holds on, as holding on is seen as essential to ones survival.

What one is holding onto is what is familiar and what is familiar is what is safe. So from this point of view, to let go would mean death. And taking pictures, as mentioned in the example above, is a way for the mind to hold onto an experience.

The body has no need to believe or disbelieve anything. But the mind is constantly forming interpretations based on what it experiences and what is doesn’t experience. However, the mind can stop the body form expressing certain feelings and emotions.

Feelings

So whereas the mind responds to reality in one way, the body responds to it in another way.  And this is through: feelings, emotions and sensations. These are ones first point of experience. Before one even thinks, believes or forms ideas about life, feelings are what first appear. And this is true when one is a baby and when they are an adult.

And yet, if one is cut off from their body and lives in their head, it can seem as though what is going on in their mind is causing what is going on in their body. This that really encapsulates this -‘’although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think” - Jill Bolte Taylor.

The Truth

Through how one feels in their body, the mind then interprets those feelings to mean certain things. And to the mind, these interpretations will be taken as the truth about reality, oneself and others.

To the mind there is no middle ground or grey area. So these will be taken as absolute truths; even though they are simply ideas about life. Ideas that can be proven as accurate or inaccurate, depending on what one focuses on.

Beliefs

So something can happen in one’s life and this causes their body to create certain feelings and emotions; the mind will then take this to mean something. And these meanings will become beliefs. This could relate to what has happened during ones adult years and go back to when one was a child; with these moments being mildly or extremely traumatic.

If one felt safe enough to express how they felt or if there was a caregiver around to sooth and mirror them, in the case of a child, there might be no reason for beliefs to be formed. But if these feelings and emotions are denied and covered up, then beliefs will inevitable form.

These beliefs can cover everything from: whether people can be trusted; if one is likeable or not; if one deserves to have money; healthy relationships; if the world is a safe place and numerous others. There are ultimately no limits to what the mind can believe or disbelief; there are infinite potentials. Sometimes these beliefs can aid one’s life and at others times, they can limit it and even destroy it.

Reality

Although beliefs are just that, beliefs, they will then define what one experiences and doesn’t experience. They will become the fabric of one personal reality. And whatever doesn’t correspond with these beliefs in one’s mind, will be filtered out.

Because the mind is constantly looking for what which it believes to be true. So if something is not seen as the truth, one is unlikely to experience it in their reality. It will always seem out of their grasp and one could end up seeing themselves as unlucky, unfortunate or even victimised.

Trapped Feelings

One way would be to change these beliefs and that may work for some people.  Another way would be to release the trapped feelings and emotions in one’s body. And as this takes place, ones reality will change and the mind will have no choice but to change the beliefs that is has created.

What one attracts and doesn’t attract will change, and this includes people, circumstances and areas of materialism. The mind will have a different reality to observe and no reason to believe the same things.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

In some cases, if these beliefs were changed, the same reality would still be created. And this is because the feelings that are creating ones reality are still there and have not been faced and released.

So one would create the same reality and yet more beliefs would be formed and then added to the ones that already exist. And the more beliefs that one picks up, the harder it will be to see otherwise and the more one is likely to attract what corresponds to the beliefs.

One could end up being trapped in a cycle that doesn’t seem to end. A bit like cutting of a weed and before long it soon grows back. To stop this process, one needs to go to the root of the weed. And in this case, the root relates to the trapped feelings in one’s body

Awareness

If one is stuck in their head, it might be necessary to deal with the beliefs for a while. At least until they can become the observers of their mind. Once one has developed their ability to observe their mind and to not get caught up by it in most cases, then they will be able to get into their body.

Once a connection to their body has been formed and they are aware of what they feeling, the assistance of a therapist or a healer may be required. Here one will be supported in getting in touch with their trapped feelings and emotions and gradually releasing them

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Oliver J R Cooper 
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/