The Power of Subconscious Beliefs in Healing
When we think about healing and recovery from chronic illness, we naturally tend to focus on the body.
You feel symptoms in the body, and understandably look to find relief by focusing on treatments, nutrition, sleep, movement and lifestyle.
But there is another part of the picture that is increasingly understood in science: the relationship between the brain, our expectations and the body.
Our minds are constantly interpreting what is happening around us and within us. What we believe, expect and have learned through past experience can influence how we experience symptoms and how our bodies respond.
One of the fascinating examples of this in medical science is the placebo effect.
What placebo research can teach us about the mind and body
Placebo research has shown that what a person expects from a treatment can influence its effects, particularly in areas such as pain.
In one well-known area of research, people receiving the same pain medication can experience different levels of relief depending on what they are told about the treatment. Expectations can influence the brain's processing of pain and can contribute to the body's own pain-relieving mechanisms.
This doesn't mean that the treatment wasn't real, or that symptoms are imaginary.
It demonstrates something much more interesting: the brain is part of the treatment response.
Placebo research has helped us understand that expectations are not simply positive or negative thoughts floating around in our heads. They can be part of complex learning and physiological processes involving the brain and nervous system.
The opposite can also happen. Negative expectations can contribute to nocebo effects, where anticipating a worse outcome can increase symptoms or unwanted effects.
This is one reason uncovering limiting beliefs is such an important part of recovery.
Not because we can simply think ourselves well, but because the beliefs we hold are far more powerful than you probably realise. They can influence how we interpret our experiences, inform our expectations and directly affect how our physiology responds.
The beliefs we don't realise we have
Many of our beliefs are conscious, but some operate beneath our awareness. After living with chronic illness for a long time, it would be very understandable to start thinking:
“This is just how my body is now.”
“I'll always have this.”
“Recovery isn't really possible for me.”
These thoughts don't mean you are doing anything wrong. They may simply be conclusions your brain has drawn from your experiences.
The difficulty is that a belief repeated often enough can begin to feel like a fact.
Your brain is very good at learning from repetition and experience. This is useful when it helps us develop skills and habits, but it also means that patterns of thinking and expectation can become increasingly automatic.
This is where subconscious beliefs become important. The question isn't whether your thoughts are positive or negative. A more useful question is:
What am I believing, and is that belief helping me?
Why awareness matters
The catch is bringing awareness to subconscious beliefs can be more challenging than you realise; they are the hidden stories your mind accepts as truth. They feel real and thus often go unquestioned.
When it comes to healing, limiting beliefs can quietly keep you stuck without you realising it.
The good news? Once you recognise a belief as a belief (not objective truth), you can begin to change it.
A simple place to start
I've created a short guide to help you explore this for yourself:
Limiting Beliefs That Block Healing: How to uncover the subconscious beliefs blocking your ability to heal and thrive
Inside you'll find:
5 signs that a limiting belief may be sabotaging your progress
The specific questions to help uncover hidden beliefs that have become automatic
Examples of common beliefs around healing and recovery
Simple reframes to help you begin questioning thoughts that feel like facts
[Download the free guide: Limiting Beliefs That Block Healing]
You don't need to convince yourself that everything will be fine.
You can simply start by becoming curious about what you have come to believe, and begin to question: is it useful for your recovery? For someone living with chronic illness, that can be a valuable place to begin.
The next step
Awareness is the very first step. Once we become aware of limiting beliefs, we can then reprogram them to support the health, vitality and recovery you desire. As a Health and Mindset Coach and Lightning Process Practitioner, this is one of they ways I support my clients.
If you’ve already tried many things to recover, but you remain stuck, this is the best is the time to start looking at healing through a brain-mind-body approach.
Hi I’m Liz.
Health & Mindset Coach and Advanced Lightning Process® Practitioner.
I specialise in empowering people stuck with chronic symptoms with the knowledge, skills and support to reclaim their health and transform their life.
If you are ready to learn how to influence your mind-body connection, join me on my next Lightning Process® seminar, either online or in Sydney. Check out the next training dates here.
Want to know more about how we can work together, contact me for a free 20 minute discovery call.
