Limiting beliefs are imposing thoughts created, generally, in childhood and developed throughout life. They end up becoming our own truths and, over time, shape our personality.

Firstly, for those who don't know me, I'm Marco Antonio Spinelli – Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist. This seems to be the same thing, but it is not, to be a Psychiatrist, you need to attend a Faculty of Medicine and, after completing it, do a few more years of Residency and Specialization. And to be a Psychotherapist, it takes a few years of training. It's a good part of your life studying for this.

I'm not closed to opinions and insights from people who haven't spent so much time burning their retinas in front of books, but I confess that sometimes I get a little impatient with Facebook psychologists. Particularly with one that is very popular, which is the fight against “Limiting Beliefs”.

I will give an example by telling a story

I read a book about silence in Buddhism, and the author, one of those bald and very friendly monks, told the story of another monk who was the leader of a monastery. It turns out that the Monastery caught fire one fine day and was completely consumed in the fire. The abbot organized the resources of the community and benefactors for its reconstruction, but, in the middle of the undertaking, he began to be haunted by pessimistic thoughts. The main thought (or false belief) was that he was unlucky –> the limiting beliefs.

Since childhood, everything wrong happened to him. The Monastery had caught fire and burned because he was unlucky. Despite the appeals of those close to him, the monk began to sink into a deep sadness, until he had to be replaced in his duties. He died some time later. I read this story with the pen and stamp in my pocket: evidently the abbot had depression and that the lack of treatment made it deepen. And it all started with a thought, which spread like a virus through your cells. This limiting belief literally took over man's life until it stole his energy.

Understanding the power of limiting beliefs

Does this mean that this type of limiting belief can take over a person's mind like a haunting? Of course. So what causes me to get involved with the gurus shouting that they are going to take away their limiting beliefs from everyone? For many reasons. First of all, Beliefs are not beliefs. They are engrams. What? Calm down, I'll explain.

Engrams are pieces of Memories, Scenes, Traumas and Images that are recorded in our Neural Networks without us noticing. Finding them requires a lot of internal work. Listening to a motivational guru shouting does not remove engrams. And they rule more in our lives than we would like. That monk, for example. Let's imagine that he was from a large family, where his brothers were brighter and he was a bad student. Or that the best things always happened to others, never to him.

Let's say he became a monk because the family couldn't feed everyone, but he dedicated himself, did his work, studied the Scriptures and after many years he became responsible for the monastery. When an accident occurred, he was possessed by the thought that it was there like an engram, a tumor ready to spread.

If, a few years ago, he had been asked if he believed he was unlucky or his life would never work out, of course he would have denied it. The false belief appeared in a context of stress and loss. And what's worse, the false belief is not on the surface of our Consciousness.

What can we do then?

Finally, stop listening to internet gurus fighting false beliefs? Of course. But know that seeking and giving new meaning to Limiting Beliefs takes a lot of time and dedication. Understanding how they started, how they grew and what damage they did and continue to do in our lives is work of elaboration and reprocessing. It is best to always be suspicious of anyone who offers quick and seemingly miraculous solutions. Nature doesn't make leaps.

By Marco Antonio Spinelli – Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist @ administrators