The realisation that one’s own view of reality is skewed and that oneself is not seeing reality accurately can be very hard to accept.—John Bowlby
Our earliest wounds write stories about who we are, scripts that become core beliefs dictating how we see ourselves and the world. These unconscious programs lock us into scarcity, shame, or unworthiness. Reprogramming them demands courage: we must unearth the lies, challenge their power, and install new truths. As Jung warned, there is no awakening without pain, but the freedom on the other side is worth every cut.
Core Ideas:
- Core beliefs originate from early trauma and shape perception.
- Unchallenged beliefs limit growth and warp reality.
- Conscious reprogramming replaces outdated scripts with empowering truths.
- Painful awareness is the crucible of lasting transformation.
Shadow Writing Prompts
Prompt 10a: Excavating Your Beliefs
Recall a formative childhood event that left a lasting emotional imprint. Describe the limiting belief it implanted: ’I am not enough,’ ‘I must perform to be loved,’ or similar. Trace how this belief has steered your choices, relationships, and self-image over time.
Prompt 10b: Questioning the Lie
For the belief you identified, list three concrete experiences that contradict it: moments you felt enough, loved unconditionally, or safe without performance. How does this evidence weaken the core lie? What new perspective emerges when you hold both truths together?
Prompt 10c: Crafting New Scripts
Formulate a powerful, affirmative belief to supplant the old one, rooted in your current understanding of your worth and potential. Write it in the present tense (e.g., ‘I am inherently worthy of love and respect’). Describe how embodying this new belief would shift your daily life and choices.
Prompt 10d: Ritualising Reprogramming
Design a simple ritual to reinforce your new belief: daily journal entries, mirror affirmations, ritual baths, or symbolic actions. Outline when and how you’ll perform it and how you’ll measure its impact over the next month.
Replacing the lies of the past isn’t quick or easy, but it’s the foundational alchemy that unleashes your true potential. Take the hammer to those old scripts.
