“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”
Albert Einstein

A stuck state means there are stupid thoughts at work. Even the most intelligent people can have blinkered areas where thinking becomes limited, where certainty rules, and where there’s a lack of open mindedness. Until these limited thoughts can be turned around, they continue to send out negative energy that causes repeated problems.

Unpleasant emotions typically result from stuck thoughts. So the good news is that as soon as a negative emotion is felt, it’s a sign that there’s a stupid thought underneath somewhere. Unfortunately these emotions stimulate the release of stress hormones, so the situation gets worse. Whenever fear, anger or any negative emotion floods the system, the negative energy stimulates the hind brain and shuts down the forebrain. It’s almost like anger causes a frontal lobotomy. Anger makes it even more difficult to think straight, be flexible or see another’s point of view. People literally lose their heads! So the first step must be to let go and resolve negative emotions.

But what makes the thinking stay so stuck in the first place? According to research done at IONS (Institute of Noetic Research), it has to do with the way the brain first gets programmed. Especially during early formative years, the brain builds a structure of information that explains reality according to whatever is experienced. Education adds to that structure until the brain becomes more or less satisfied about what is what. Then if new information challenges the existing programming, the brain will resist taking it in. No matter how much truth, evidence or proof there may be, the brain will persist in holding onto the original programming. Perhaps you’ve met people like this.

On the positive side, this brain structure creates a necessary sense of certainty. If all new information had to be evaluated independently, the brain would be so fully occupied and overwhelmed that nothing else could ever be done. Once these programmes in the brain are set, only certain information will trickle through: what matches the person’s existing belief systems. What doesn’t match will not resonate, and may not even be seen or heard. New or different data simply bounces off.

Unfortunately, this means that it’s easy to miss important information, because a person can only be aware of what they already know. David Dunning, professor of social psychology at Cornell, says, ‘Even if you are just the most honest, impartial person that you could be, you would still have a problem: namely, when your knowledge or expertise is imperfect, you really don’t know it. Left to your own devices, you just don’t know it. We’re not very good at knowing what we don’t know.

Of course this also presents a very good basis for forgiveness and self forgiveness. If a person has been exposed to new knowledge or information, but it has not trickled through and become an accepted part of the brain’s programming, they don’t KNOW it yet. It’s only when a person starts to behave differently, when they walk their talk, that they really demonstrate new knowledge. So when people say, ‘I should have known better’ they are describing this discrepancy between intellectual knowing and programming. If the programmes have prevented true understanding, then it is almost equivalent to never having been exposed to that information in the first place.

When people think they know everything about a subject, or they’ve done therapy for so many years that they think they’ve explored everything, or they are just persistent in believing one map, it closes the mind to discovering new ideas. However, if a problem persists, that is evidence that some old stupid thought is still present and active.

The old Newtonian based beliefs about the universe being mechanical and the body operating like a machine still persist. Many people cling to the concept that the body’s health can only be modified by chemicals, drugs or surgery. However, quantum physics is proving that the invisible, immaterial realm of energy is far more important than the physical world of matter. The new science shows how thoughts shape not only the body but also the environment. Yet these new ideas are so challenging to pre-existing brain programming that many people resist and refuse to accept the new science.

Changing stuck thinking presents many challenges. First, emotions get in the way and shut off the brain. Then there’s the problem of not knowing where the thinking is stuck. It seems impossible to know what you don’t know. A stuck place just feels like normal reality. So it can feel scary – a threat to security – to change the thinking.

In fact it’s easy to identify where the thinking is stuck. Just look around and list each and every problem area of life. Just notice where negative feelings occur. Just listen to the inner dialogues that chatter away inside the head and become vigilantly aware of the repetitive thoughts and beliefs.

NLP has identified at least 16 different stuck patterns of thinking and designed many ways to challenge and turn these thoughts around. Here are some taster questions. First identify ONE particular belief ~ do only one at a time.

What makes it possible to believe that?
How would you know if it is true? Or not true?
Would this belief be true for everyone else?
Is it always true? Are all parts of it true?
What is more important than holding this belief?
What will happen if you continue to think this way?
What different outcome would you prefer?
What other meaning could this have?
What are specific examples of this?
What is the purpose of believing this?
What’s important about believing this?
When would it never be good to believe this?
What do you gain by believing this?

When you get good at challenging your pre-existing beliefs, you’ll discover there is much more scope for widening your map of the world. Instead of feeling threatened, learning how to manage your thoughts will lead to inner peace and a new type of security. It helps to feel more connected to your true inner self.

“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
Buddha

© Arielle Essex
www.practicalmiracles.com

Like to know more about this subject? Arielle’s new e-book ‘NLP & The Living Matrix’ will give you lots more detail and fascinating insights into new science.