Getting rid of a limiting belief with the Lefkoe Belief Process (LBP) is not particularly difficult.  We can train people to do that in a weekend.  And we can create an on-line process or a DVD that will eliminate a specific belief.

The trickiest aspect of the LBP is identifying all the relevant beliefs that cause a given problem.  Getting rid of the beliefs is actually easier than finding them.

That’s why we can put together programs that eliminate specific problems when we already know what beliefs (and conditionings) cause those problems for most people.  So far we have created packages that get rid of such issues as procrastination, lack of confidence, social anxiety, fear of rejection, the need for approval, perfectionism, high levels of stress, and the critical “little voice” in our heads.

Some patterns like phobias can be eliminated by getting rid of one belief and one conditioning.  One client had a fear of small bugs, insects, or rats.  It was totally caused by one conditioning: Fear associated with being touched by small insects or animals.  When that was de-conditioned, the fear was gone.  Another client had a fear of dogs.  She had the belief: Dogs are dangerous and the conditioning: fear associated with dogs.  When they were gone, the client said she felt comfortable with dogs, unless they were barking.  We then discovered and eliminated the belief: barking dogs are dangerous.  Then her fear of dogs was totally gone.

Other patterns like depression and eating disorders can have upwards of 30-40 beliefs (in addition to conditionings, senses, and expectations). These patterns can have as many as 15 negative self-esteem-type beliefs, along with negative beliefs about life, such as life is difficult.  It is easier to get rid of bulimia than overeating, because you can stop bingeing and purging, but you can’t stop eating.  And overeating is really a combination of several different issues, for example, people can eat to keep feelings down, to reward themselves, to take care of themselves when they think others won’t, to keep from thinking about unpleasant things, and woman sometimes gain weight to remove themselves from the dating game.

Many patterns share a lot of the same beliefs. So, for example, if you eliminate all the beliefs for a lack of confidence (19 beliefs and 4 conditionings), you also will be eliminating all the beliefs that cause several other problems, such as procrastination, lack of confidence, social anxiety, fear of rejection, seeking approval, perfectionism, high levels of stress, and the critical “little voice” in our heads.  These other problems have fewer beliefs and conditionings (as few as 6 beliefs and 3 conditionings for fear of rejection) and different combinations of them.

I am frequently asked how one can figure out what beliefs and conditionings cause specific problems.  We spend an entire three-day weekend teaching people how to do this, so I can’t teach you in a short blog post.  But the first step is just to figure out logically what beliefs could cause the problem.

For example, if you aren’t able to create a lasting, nurturing romantic relationship, you probably have beliefs about yourself, the opposite sex, and relationships.  What do you think they are? … Logical possibilities include: I’m not loveable, women/men can’t be trusted, and relationships don’t work.

If you are afraid to take chances, what are some of the beliefs you might have? … Mistakes and failure are bad.  I’m not good enough.  Nothing I do is good enough.

And if you’re an approval junkie, what are some of the beliefs you might have? … I’m not good enough.  I’m not important.  What makes me good enough or important is having people think well of me.

The Best Technique For Finding Beliefs

The best single technique for finding the relevant beliefs is to notice what you are thinking and feeling as the problem occurs. They will be a clue to the underlying beliefs.  For example, if the overall problem is social anxiety—not feeling comfortable with people in social situations—then when meeting someone at a party you might notice yourself thinking: I don’t feel comfortable when people are putting their attention on me.  And you might be aware of an anxious feeling as if something bad is going to happen.  Two beliefs that “go with” those thoughts are: Something bad will happen if people put their attention on me and I’m not good enough.  A conditioning that could account for the feeling is: fear associated with people focusing on me.

Ultimately, experience is the best way to find all the beliefs and conditionings that cause any given problem.  (As I mentioned in a recent post, a negative sense of self and life, along with negative expectations, sometimes have to be eliminated before an undesirable behavior or feeling is totally gone.)

Luckily, not knowing what beliefs cause which problems is not really a problem because we at the Lefkoe Institute already know what beliefs (and conditionings) cause common problems.  In other words, probably 90% of people will be able to get rid of a given problem if they eliminate the beliefs and conditionings we’ve already identified for those problems.  And we offer packages that eliminate the beliefs and conditionings for those problems.

And if you have a problem for which we don’t yet have a package, Certified Lefkoe Method Facilitators are able to help you find the beliefs and conditionings that cause any problem you want to get rid of, and then help you eliminate them.

My Vision

My vision is to have The Lefkoe Method so thoroughly incorporated into the culture that everyone learns the relationship between beliefs and behavior at an early age and also learns how to help others eliminate beliefs and change behavior.  And to have parents know the child-rearing techniques that minimize the number of crippling beliefs their children form.

An experience my wife Shelly had a few years ago symbolizes the way I envision how the world will utilize TLM in the future.  She went to the gym and got on the Stairmaster.  A couple of minutes later a friend of hers who she hadn’t seen for a few months got on the machine next to her.  Shelly asked her friend how she was doing. The friend told Shelly about some relationship difficulties she was having.

What would most women do in a situation like this? … Empathize with their friend’s predicament and give some advice.  Shelly empathized but didn’t give any advice.  Instead she helped her friend identify three of the most relevant beliefs that were responsible for the relationship difficulty and then helped her friend eliminate them all … in 45 minutes. As a result, the friend had the possibility for a good long-term, nurturing relationship that she didn’t have before talking to Shelly.

Let’s Create This World

Can you imagine a world in which it was commonplace for everyone to be able to do that for everyone else?  That’s my vision and what my life is dedicated to creating.

NOTE: We’re offering another tele-seminar answering your questions about beliefs on August 13, from 6:00-7:00 Pacific Time.  For information and to submit a question, please click on https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/357775698

Thanks for reading my blog. I really would appreciate your comments and questions. Please feel free to share my blog posts with anyone you think might be interested as long as you tell people where they came from.

If you haven’t yet eliminated at least one of your limiting self-esteem beliefs using The Lefkoe Method, go to htp://www.recreateyourlife.com/free where you can eliminate one limiting belief free.

To purchase an on-line interactive program where you can eliminate 19 beliefs and four conditionings, go to http://www.recreateyourlife.com/sales.html.

Follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mortylefkoe and join our fan page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LefkoeInstitute) to get my latest insights on the role of beliefs in our lives.

Finally, to receive notice of new blog posts, please fill out the following form.

Copyright © 2009 Morty Lefkoe

12 Comments

  1. Fidelma Pereira April 20, 2013 at 11:44 am - Reply

    Hi Morty, I’ve used the Natural Confidence program last year and it had and continues to have a major impact in my life. I now know that any problem I might face can be tackled by one of the methods of The Lefkoe System. I just don’t look elsewhere anymore. It saves me a lot of time. Thank you for that!

    Recently I decided to conquer my anxiety associated with driving. I sat down and identified several additional beliefs that could be causing my fear. Some of those beliefs do come from childhood events but others I’m quite sure were formed later on in life, from interaction with other people than my parents. My question is:

    -can’t some beliefs be formed later in life?

    Thank you

    • Morty Lefkoe April 20, 2013 at 11:52 am - Reply

      Hi Fidelma,

      Yes, beliefs can be formed at any time in life. Self-esteem beliefs are formed early in childhood.

      Love, Morty

  2. Karen J September 9, 2011 at 8:25 am - Reply

    Greetings, Morty!

    This is related to Rod’s question, above –
    How does one identify (accurately) beliefs and other internal limiters that began to be formed before one “had words”: pre-literal, when you were an infant?

    Thanks, this is fascinating!

  3. Steve May 11, 2010 at 4:16 am - Reply

    Morty my friend,

    Often when interacting with people on a one on one basis, I feel uncomfortable, I perspire, I doubt, can you help me with this social anxiety?
    Thanks M
    Steve.

    • admin May 11, 2010 at 1:19 pm - Reply

      Hi Steve,

      Yes, we can help. In fact, I guarantee that your social anxiety will be gone when you complete our Natural Confidence course.

      If it is not totally gone, request a refund and you will get the entire payment returned.

      We have helped many people with social anxiety and you too can get rid of it.

      Regards, Morty

  4. Paul October 7, 2009 at 5:48 pm - Reply

    Hello “Uncle” Morty!

    I’m curious. Regarding Question 7 in “Answers to questions about beliefs, Part 2” and visual people being able to “see” their beliefs: Being in the graphic arts, I like to think I’m a visual person, however, having gone through 4 LBP’s, each time when you’ve asked me (us) to “see” the belief I’m still not sure what you’re expecting me (us) to see? I didn’t “see” it but sort of muddle my way, visually, through that part and when the “feeling” part comes along, that “feels” (no pun intended) better for me. Any suggestions as to how I (we) can more clearly “see” the beliefs? After all, it is important for us to “see” it, isn’t it? (Did I hear you answer out loud?!)

    • admin May 11, 2010 at 1:21 pm - Reply

      Hi Paul,

      Kinesthetic people have a hard time “seeing” the belief. If they don’t, it’s fine. There are other parts of the process especially for them.

      Regards, Morty

  5. Settlement August 31, 2009 at 1:29 am - Reply

    Apologize for my bad english, I over its a precarious vent one’s spleen of your writing. Famously I have faced alot of difficulties in this term but your article discretion definately eschew me in future. Thank You

  6. Fran August 7, 2009 at 9:36 pm - Reply

    Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

    You helped me get rid of a limiting belief today…and there was nothing hard about it. It didn’t take long(about 30 minutes). I will definately tell my friends about your site. Consider me a friend and customer for life!

    God bless you!

  7. Rod August 4, 2009 at 9:11 pm - Reply

    Morty a couple of weeks ago I read the following question and answer on your blog and decided perhaps this was not for me as I had difficulty remebering specifics…
    Question: How critical is it to identify the origin of a belief correctly, and how accurately does one need to identify it?

    Answer: Our experience is that you do need to find the real source of a belief in order for the Lefkoe Belief Process (LBP) to be effective in eliminating the belief. For example, if you think the source of a belief is experiences you had in school, when the real source is interactions with your parents, the belief might not be eliminated. Why?

    Remember that in the process you are asked: Imagine being a child and observing the events that led to the belief. Doesn’t it seem as if you can see (the belief)?

    For the belief to go away for visual people, you need to get that what you’ve spent a lifetime thinking you saw in those events, you never really did see. If you truly can see something, then it really is there. The trick is to realize that you didn’t see what you thought you saw. The belief (in other words, the meaning you gave the events) exists only in your mind, not out there in the world to be seen.

    If you mistakenly choose other events that aren’t really the source, you still will think you saw (the belief) in interactions with your parents and the belief will still be there.

    For people who are predominantly emotionally kinesthetic and “felt” the belief instead of seeing it, they need to get that the events didn’t make them feel (the belief); it was the meaning they gave those events. Again, if you have the wrong source, this part of the LBP might not work.

    More often than not, a belief is formed from the meaning we give to a pattern of events, such as the way mom and dad reacted when you didn’t live up to their expectations or the fact that mom and dad weren’t around very much. Not the one time you remember dad yelling or mom not being home one afternoon.

    There is no way to know for sure if you have found the “real” source of a belief. One test is whether or not it feels true for you that a repeated pattern of events led you to form the belief. Another is that you need to be able to answer yes to the question: Wouldn’t most people have formed the belief you did in those same circumstances?

    In other words, the events must be a logical source for a given belief.

    No todays Blog appears to contradict the above ??
    please explain

    Rod

  8. joyce August 4, 2009 at 1:10 pm - Reply

    Hi Morty,

    I mean to say in above its my old conditionings that keeps me in a negative loop.. its so stubborn and hard to eliminate.

    Joyce

  9. joyce August 4, 2009 at 1:08 pm - Reply

    Hi Morty,

    Always love your blog, so informative.
    I want to know though, if you dont have a package for a problem I have, and yet one-one coaching is too expensive, how do you recommend I start to eliminate the belief? After reading so many of your blogs, I think my programs are more of old conditions that are very stubborn to eliminate.

    What are you thoughts?
    Joyce

Leave A Comment