Childhood Perception Part 1 – Limiting Beliefs
Written by Shawn Dwyer at The Coaching Centre
Limiting beliefs involve the specific cognitive style of processing information. When unconscious parts form or limiting beliefs originate, they result from the brain operating in certain ways. These parts, or limitations, require particular perception and thought in order to generate and remain supported.
Almost all, if not all, limiting beliefs about self, others or life form during childhood, in childhood I mean the first 12-15 years of life.
This article is about describing some of the processes involved in limiting beliefs.
When beliefs or concepts become rigid, they reach a condition known as nominalized. For example, the word ‘educating’ nominalizes into ‘education’. “Depressing’ nominalizes into ‘depression’. In general, nominalizing converts a process into a rigid, frozen condition.
De-nominalizing
An effective meta-coach uses a form of language so it demoninalizes, or de-crystallizes a concept or belief. To comprehend the language your meta-coach uses with you, you then (internally) step out of, go meta to, the rigid nominalized state and associate into a denominalised state (state is another word for what you are experiencing). This activity in fact helps you to communicate effectively when you are adjusting your thoughts, or what we call your own ‘map of the world’. Assume that behind every person’s behaviour they have a positive intent and people are fallible human beings. However when the intent comes from a cognitive style that is used as a child and while creating a problem state (experience) or belief, then the thinking style can be limited by the mind in the way it thought during the forming of the limiting belief.
If these beliefs or states form in adulthood they still conform to certain laws of misperception – flawed laws you may call them.
Certain perceptual flaws will occur to form a limiting belief or a non-resource state. These flaws dominate childhood perception and also take place when developing a ‘problem state’ in adulthood.
These Perceptual Flaws Of Childhood Are Normal As A Child
Nominal Data / Either-or-thinking. Thinking in black and white terms, all or nothing terms. This level of information contains no grey area. Nominal data also evidences itself when a person speaks in all-or-nothing language patterns, i’e ‘you are either with me or against me’. ‘Its this or that’, ‘either you want this one or that one’. The nominal perceptual style limits awareness and choice. This type of thinking frequently accompanies limiting beliefs and their consequences. Young children cannot escape this style of thinking due to their cognitive limitations naturally. They can not simultaneously hold differing or competing ideas so their evaluations of situations become either-or-types. When under stress some adults revert to the child like either-or thinking style.
Categories
Furthermore this style of thinking may also occur in adults when they feel emotional stress. The information is dichotomized into either-or categories. Leaving out of details is one of the trademarks and fits nicely with how information staging occurs in the mind whilst discounting anything in the middle. Hence no middle ground exists. Another example could be someone believing that someone is all good or all bad with no in-between.
Meta-Coaching Limiting Beliefs
Certified Meta-Coaches at The Coaching Centre use many advanced techniques to unleash and develop human potentials. One of the techniques is called reframing. Reframing relies on this nominal category because it seeks to change the meaning of a circumstance. In doing this, it shifts the meaning from one category to another more resourceful category of meaning. For example, just because you changed some behaviour and now someone else objects doesn’t mean you have to return to your former ways. It actually means you have successfully changed and that you can now more fully strengthen this new way, reaping the benefits!
Do you have some ideas that you would like to change the meaning to? Come and find a higher quality of life in The Coaching Centre,
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