Do you remember being a child and feeling as if anything was possible? The sky was the limit! But then, as you grew up, the magic you felt morphed into belief only in the difficulty of life. The bills don’t pay themselves, after all. While the obligations of being a grown-up can be hard, there are many well-established reasons to retain faith in the limitless possibilities of life.
What are beliefs?
It was Anton Chekhov who said, “Man is what he believes.” And oh, how this is true. As the guiding principles in life that provide direction and meaning, beliefs can also be described as preset, organized filters to our perceptions of the world (external and internal). As children, beliefs are formed from what we hear – and keep on hearing – from others. This can lead to believing in the common misconception that beliefs are static, intellectual concepts. In reality, beliefs are a choice. Without something to believe in, people become disempowered. So, why does it matter? Because it means we have the power to choose our beliefs. Due to action inspired by belief, or faith in any possibility, beliefs become our reality.
Belief Becomes Biochemistry
Belief in something isn’t an activity that just happens in the brain; rather, belief-reinforced awareness becomes our biochemistry. Every cell in your body is aware of your thoughts, feelings, and your beliefs. If you think you are fragile, your body will manifest physical conditions that support this belief. If you believe you are confident, strong, and successful, your mental, emotional, and physical health will mirror this. According to several studies, when you internalize a belief, you essentially “stamp” raw data received through sense organs with your personal view and physically become the interpretation. For example, psycho-social dwarfism is a condition in which children who feel and believe that they are unloved translate the perceived lack of love into depleted levels of growth hormone. Isn’t it amazing to consider that by simply thinking something, your outer world can change? There is more research, too.
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The Biology of Belief
According to biologist Bruce Lipton, who wrote The Biology of Belief, “love” is the most healing emotion. Furthermore, “placebo” effects account for a substantial percentage of any drug’s actions. Lipton claims that as adults, we still believe in and act our lives out based on information we absorbed as children. The good news is each and every one of us has the power to retrain our brains or create new neural pathways. Healthy living, meditation, breathe work, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, certain holistic modalities, and even pioneering research with psilocybin have all been found to play a role in the reshaping of the brain’s operations
In conclusion, life is directly influenced by our inner beliefs. The most important takeaway is that each of us has the ability to choose what we believe in. By acknowledging the overwhelming science which confirms the mind-body connection and the biochemistry of belief, there should be no question that our minds are more powerful than previously recognized. If we, individually and collectively, can think back to simpler times when we were children and believed in the impossible, perhaps we, as adults, can remember our vast potential and ability to shift through seeming despair. At the end of the day, I know I believe anything is possible. My hope is that someday – if not now, you will, too.
References:
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