by Tim Brunson, PhD
Living in the southern United States frequently I am asked by compassionate neighbors to which church I "belong" and what is my political persuasion. Despite their being driven by a strong sense of community, a factor that makes living here so enjoyable, over the years I have become increasingly uncomfortable answering them. By doing so, I feel that I have been summarily boxed into a one-dimensional identification. Frankly, I would like to believe that I am just a tad more complex.
Over the years I have come to examine my beliefs, especially those that seem to refer to concepts and ideas that are clearly beyond my control. For instance, although as a pilot many times I found opportunities to appreciate the existence of God and the effects of gravity, spending time arguing about either is simply a waste of time that prevents me pursuing more relevant opportunities. Let's face it. My strongly held opinions in these matters will never change the truth. Therefore, I would like to spend my time pursuing more relevant activities such as working for the benefit of others or striving for my own self-actualization.
By this point in life several times I have been called to serve as a juror for criminal or civil courts. Those experiences have firmed up my conviction that it is the strict adherence to indoctrinated beliefs – not money – that is truly the root of all evil and most mental and physical illnesses. The lynching of African Americans in the 1960's and suicide bombings in the Middle East are prime examples. The problems caused by such myopic and bigoted belief systems are in many ways the product of the world's education systems – which range from madrasas in Pakistan to American Ivy League universities in America. They spend the vast majority of their efforts teaching procedures and facts that are to be memorized and values that are to be unquestionably accepted. It is no surprise that beliefs tend to triumph over thinking and reason – a fact that can easily be confirmed by a casual awareness of the daily news.
Yet, beliefs are very important components of our human existence. Robert Dilts, PhD, states that beliefs are key to his theory of neurological levels, which promote congruency between all levels ranging from behavior to mission and vision. Additionally, I have frequently stated that our superior human abilities – as provided by highly developed frontal lobes – allows us to change the maps of our minds to influence the territories of our brains and bodies. Most certainly our belief system must be considered.
Indeed, despite my criticisms of indoctrinated beliefs, I am a very strong adherent to the idea that beliefs are a very beneficial aspect of our humanity. The difference, however, is that I focus on the requirement that accepted belief systems must come out of a logical decision making effort and that a person must be willing to discard them once they no longer serve the original purpose – or become problematic to themselves or others. Therefore, when beliefs are coupled with choice and flexibility they become a strong tool for positive transformation; when not, they beget the enforcement of mediocrity and the emergence of personal and social ills.
Beliefs associated with choice and flexibility are like the captain of a mighty ship who is empowered to navigate purposefully through the uncertain waters of life. An Indian fakir who chooses to sleep on nails and a Tibetan yogi who consciously and easily moves energy around his body represent my point to extremes. More commonly, a person who chooses to complete a project such as an academic degree or the building of a home will benefit provided that they are bolstered by an empowering belief system. Yet, we must realize that, like options on a buffet line, beliefs are to be selected when deemed appropriate and discarded when their usefulness has expired.
Theoretical physicists and their colleagues in astronomy have impressed upon us that we live in a universe that has at least 26 dimensions – a fact that can only be proven through advanced mathematics – and that portals to alternate realities are all around us. So, considering that possibilities are truly unlimited, then why would we want to live in a one-dimensional world of indoctrinated beliefs? This does not mean that there could not be a high degree of truth concerning the phenomena of God the Creator, gravity, the rising of the Sun tomorrow, and the rectitude of Creationism – or the theory of evolution. I see a belief in any of these doing little more than providing an illusion of the validation of a static existence of a concept of self. Rather, my focus is on how I can transform my life and the lives of others in a way that promotes mental happiness and improved physical well-being and achieves self-actualization. This means that the unchanging nature of narrowly defined permanent identity is contrary to the constant unfolding of human existence. Certainly, if we were –as my neighbors so firmly believe – made in the image of our Creator, somehow I tend to doubt that the Original was a one-dimensional entity. Certainly, our legacy empowers us to creatively choose from a menu of endless possibilities.
As a clinical hypnotherapist I am in the business, occupation, and profession of transformation. Like a medical practitioner, I realize that my skills and competencies must incorporate knowledge from all levels – to include mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and even psychology. As a practitioner of such as transcendent field, I am called upon to use my abilities to assist others improve their happiness, health, and reach their potential. This again is a matter of helping my clients and patients break their bonds of inflexible, indoctrinated beliefs – which include the idea that they are a "broken" person who is the victim of society – and help them find their power to make decisions. I define hypnosis as the process that reduces inertia and their habituated pattern's inherent resistance to change and then improves the efficiency of selective thinking. Therefore, hypnotic protocols are tremendously powerful tools for freeing a subject from the problems associated with beliefs associated with indoctrination and starting them on the journey toward a life characterized by the freedom of choice.
We often misunderstand beliefs as defining who we are. When people seek to learn my religious or political affiliations, they are attempting to understand who I am. However, as a transformative clinician I see my beliefs as a matter of choice and my life as a constantly unfolding evolution, I would rather avoid the rationale, which says that "I believe, therefore I am" and replace it with "I choose, therefore I am." When I use my thinking capacity to make decisions I pray that I select not the road most travelled, but the one that is appropriate at the moment. After all, is that not what being fully human is all about?
The International Hypnosis Research Institute is a member supported project involving integrative health care specialists from around the world. We provide information and educational resources to clinicians. Dr. Brunson is the author of over 150 self-help and clinical CD's and MP3's.
Posted: 06/11/2010
