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The Meta-State Structure of a Belief Part IV


BELIEFS ARE SENTENCES AND SYSTEMIC IN NATURE

Source: taken from L. Michael Hall, Meta-Relfections #53, November 14, 2011, www.neurosemantics.com

Question: How are beliefs related to the meta-levels and to the Matrix? I’m trying to put all of this together with the other models in Neuro-Semantics.

Answer: That’s easy to answer: It’s beliefs all the way up! In other words, every meta-level (every so-called “logical-level”) is a belief (or can be viewed as a belief). It is a belief about what something is (identification or understanding belief), how something works (cause-effect or causation belief), the value or significance of something (a value belief), what one should do (a decision or intention belief), and so on. All of these facets of meaning (semantics) leads to an understanding that you confirm as true, real, and valid for you and so you believe it.

Whatever you validate and confirm as true or real operates as a belief to you and as such a meta-level to whatever you are believing. That makes it a logical level and every logical level is just another belief in something and when you put them together, they build up a matrix of beliefs about some aspect of your life.

Now the Matrix Model, as a model, sorts out the mechanisms by which you create your sense of reality into processes mechanisms (meaning and intention) and five facets of your sense of self (person, acting, relating, time, and domain). So yes, every matrix within the Matrix Model is made up of layers upon layers of beliefs. And that’s why the more effectively you learn to work with beliefs, the more effectively you can detect, reframe, and reload a Matrix.

Question: Are beliefs facets of other things like metaphors, body constructs, energetic constructs, etc.?

Answer: Beliefs can definitely be viewed in numerous ways and I’m sure these are some of the ways. But for me, and from the Neuro-Semantic perspective, probably one of the most important ways to view a belief is to say that a belief is a system and is within layers of systems. So we speak about “belief systems.” This suggests that a belief never comes alone. There are always beliefs about that belief and these layers of beliefs set up its matrix structure. A belief is also systemic in nature in that, as a confirmation of a thought within your neurology, it will have embodied effects— emotions, somatic expressions, behavioral expressions, etc.

In Meta-States we speak about the emergence that occurs when you bring several meta-states together at the same time. Sometimes a gestalt emerges from this combination that cannot be explained by adding the parts together. Sometimes the synergy that results is “more than the sum of the parts,” hence the term, gestalt. In fact, a belief itself is a gestalt. It is a gestalt that emergences due to the fact that when you bring confirmation to a thought you create something more than just another thought. Something more now emerges. The thought as a “belief” now operates as a “command to the nervous system,” and not a mere signal.

Thinking systemically about a belief enables you to realize that it is a whole, it has an ecology (can be limiting or enhancing; dis-empowering or empowering), and has a delay factor within it that depends on its communication loops. Delay factor? Yes, and this explains why beliefs typically take time to begin exerting their influence. You set a new belief in mind and it takes time for it to fully organize your perceiving, feeling, acting, etc. At first the belief is intellectual and not embodied. But give it time, and it will become embodied.

Question: So of saying of “yes” to a thought confirms a belief, that’s why saying “no” disconfirms it?

Answer: Yes and no. Generally the answer is yes, but there’s some subtle distinctions that need to be recognized in this. The yes to the thought is actually to the usefulness, value, and desirability of the thought. That’s why we ask a series of questions designed to call forth the answer of Yes.

Would you like to believe this thought?

Would this enhance your life and empower you as a person?

Would this be more useful and make your life more effective?

Saying yes to these questions confirms that value, significance, and meaningfulness of the belief and by continuing to do that, you give yourself a chance to believe it. Similarly, when you say no to a belief, you do not say no directly to the belief. Instead, you say no to the value, usefulness, and effectiveness of the limiting belief. So we ask a series of question that will elicit a no:

Does this belief help you or offer you anything of value in your life?

Does this belief enhance your life or make your relationships work better?

Does this belief empower you as a person or those around you?

The no is to the ecology, congruency, and practical value of the limiting belief, not to the content of the belief. If you do that, you are likely to evoke the structure of the “command negation” and that could very well make things worse.