What is a limiting belief and why is it a part of intuition training?

Are you lost in life? Is there a voice in your head that is feeding a cycle of self-doubt? Are you highly self-critical and feel like your dreams are too lofty, you’re not special, and success isn’t meant for people like you? Limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained negative thoughts and self-doubt that are a large part of intuition training. In the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method, I discuss past experiences or cultural conditioning and psychological barriers that prevent us from achieving our full potential. 

Anxiety and limited beliefs are closely connected, with one reinforcing the other. The negative thoughts about ourselves and our capabilities can heighten anxiety by making us feel inadequate, unworthy, lost in life. Someone who believes that they must be perfect to be valued may experience intense anxiety over making mistakes, leading to constant worry and self-doubt. The anxiety can further entrench the limited belief, creating a vicious cycle where negative thoughts and self-doubt inhibit personal growth and well-being (1).

Spotting a limiting belief involves intuition training and paying close attention to your patterns of negative thoughts that arise when you meet a challenging situation. If you find yourself lost in life, in a pattern of self-doubt, repeated negative talk, or a sense that your goals are unattainable, you are likely in a limiting belief cycle. Listen to stories you tell yourself in moments of adversity. These stories often carry the language of limitation: thoughts of self-doubt like “I can’t,” “I’ll never” are red flags. My students in the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method who have limited beliefs often ask themselves the following:

1. What if I fail and everyone makes fun of me?

2. Do I deserve success?

3. Why would anyone value my opinion?

4. Am I lost in life?

5. Will people judge me for trying something new?

Limiting beliefs are a large part of intuition training and can distort our inner voice (2). Intuition training is a powerful ability that can help us navigate decisions and translate the energy in our environment, but when clouded by limiting beliefs, it can often be confused with anxiety. For example, if someone has a limiting belief that they are not capable of succeeding in leadership roles, you might believe that this is your intuition pushing you away, when you are well-suited for a certain job. When that limiting belief leads to a place of anxiety, your emotions are heightened, and you can never tap into that intuitive space. 

The conscious, the subconscious, and the unconscious mind.

Edgar Cayce, often referred to as the “Sleeping Prophet,” was an American clairvoyant in the early 20th century, who claimed to channel answers to questions while in an induced sleep state (3). When Edgar Cayce taught intuition training, he would delve into metaphysical topics, such as reincarnation, karma, and the nature of the soul, which have had a lasting impact on modern spirituality (4) and our beliefs about the subconscious and unconscious mind. One of the central tenets of Edgar Cayce was the concept of the subconscious mind having a powerful influence on our wellbeing. The readings of Edgar Cayce suggested that limited beliefs, which were rooted in the subconscious mind, carried over from past lives or early life experiences. By bringing a limited belief to the conscious mind, you can begin to reframe your thinking and align your conscious intentions with deeper subconscious desires (5). Edgar Cayce is credited as one of the founders of the New Age movement (6). Edgar Cayce is also one of the most documented psychics of all time.

The conscious mind encompasses everything that has awareness of at any given moment and is responsible for rational thinking and voluntary actions. At the conscious level, we have an awareness of our limited beliefs. For example, you may consciously hear the voice of self-doubt saying, “I can’t do this,” and this limited belief directly affects your actions. However, the conscious mind is just the tip of the iceberg, as much of our mental activity occurs outside immediate awareness in the subconscious and unconscious mind.

The subconscious is the information right below your awareness that we may bring up to the conscious mind with some effort, such as memories and learned behaviors. This allows your conscious mind to focus on immediate tasks. At the deepest level, the unconscious mind is a repository of feelings and repressed memories that exist outside of our conscious. This could be primal desires, fears, and past traumas that we are not aware of or may not remember, but they still influence our behavior (7). A Freudian slip is an example of unconscious behavior bubbling to the surface. If you have ever had the painful memory of calling your teacher “mom” in front of a room full of your peers, this would be a Freudian slip. Your conscious mind knew you were in school and speaking to your teacher, but the unconscious thought of your mother bubbled to the surface, because you are used to asking your mom for guidance (8).

Limiting beliefs are often rooted deep below the surface in the unconscious and subconscious mind. Simply telling yourself, “Yes, I can do this,” isn’t enough to overcome a limiting belief if you haven’t addressed the root of that negative talk.  Subconscious limited beliefs are often formed through repeated experiences or messages that became ingrained over time. For example, you may have been bullied in elementary school when you first had a public presentation. You now subconsciously avoid opportunities to speak in public, but you don’t understand why. Under the subconscious trauma is the unconscious belief, “I’m not worthy of being heard.” Your feelings of unworthiness then subtly influence decisions and interactions that reinforce this limited belief. 

Overcoming limiting beliefs requires deep introspection to bring the unconscious and subconscious beliefs into conscious awareness, so you can reprogram the brain into believing a more empowering narrative and no longer feel lost in life. The limiting beliefs that your dreams are impossible, that no one wants to help you, and that you are lacking in your abilities are holding you back from having an intuition that works. 

Neuroplasticity: The ability for the brain to change

In the world of athletics, the four-minute mile is the most famous example of neuroplasticity. For decades, athletes were told that it was physically impossible to run a four-minute mile, so no one ever tried. Then, in 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in three minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Once runners realized that it was possible, Bannister’s record was broken in only 46 days. Today, the four-minute barrier has been broken by 1,755 athletes. 

Roger Bannister’s record is an example of how self-doubt can stop us from even attempting feats that are actually attainable (9). Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to grow and change by forming new neural connections. When we repeatedly think a certain thought or engage in a particular behavior, neural pathways are strengthened. Conversely, pathways that are seldom activated are weakened over time (10). Neuroplasticity enables learning and memory by allowing the brain to adapt based on experiences and environmental changes. 

A limited belief may stem from a variety of sources including childhood experiences, traumas, societal norms, and personal insecurities (11). If you were told for your entire life that you would never achieve anything great, and maybe you’ve encountered failures that would reinforce this idea, your bias of personal failure is confirmed (12). So, how do we confront limited beliefs and change our subconscious mind?

In order to be intuitive, you have to believe that intuition is possible. In my intuition training, the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method begins by identifying the self-doubt that is holding you back and making you feel lost in life. We then trace their origins and underlying assumptions so we gain some insight into your patterns of behavior. Next, I reprogram your subconscious mind by giving you the tools to rewire your neural pathways. Once you start stepping outside of your comfort zone and challenging those negative beliefs, you will rewrite the script of your life. Not only will you start to be intuitive, but you no longer be lost in life. 

A story about a student who took the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method.

My student, Heidi, took the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method and struggled with limiting beliefs. She named the negative voice in her head, “Janice.” Janice was highly critical of Heidi, and she would make a lot of assumptions. “I lived in a small town with a lot of gossip. I’m a very private person, and there was a lot of paranoia,” Heidi says.

The fears in her subconscious mind were so loud that when Heidi was a child, she had the nickname “Heidi The Hermit.” “When I hadn’t heard from someone in a while, I would assume that I did something wrong… I’d sometimes disappear for weeks on end.” 

Covid caused a lot of us to retreat into our shells during quarantine. Heidi was also in the middle of moving, and the stress made her feel intuitively blocked and lost in life. When we are out of flow, artistic inspiration can also be affected. “This weird 3-year creative block turned up. I self-imposed it to a certain degree. I couldn’t draw anymore. I couldn’t pursue the things that I wanted to.” 

It was during this time that Heidi wanted to pursue intuition training and signed up for my Intuition Mastery Method. When she started working on the limiting beliefs part of the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method, a funny thing happened…

Heidi noticed that her artistic talent never left, she just needed to shift her belief systems to start creating again. “I realized it was staying. This wasn’t a false day of creativity. I’m actually planning things! I’m drawing, I’m going back to photography,” Heidi says, “All of the plans that I had were suddenly back on the table… It was just this weird lifting.”

Flow is a big part of intuition training. When you open up your intuition by changing when you believe in the subconscious mind, you can change what you’re capable of, intuitively and creatively. Through intuition training with Fleur Intuition Mastery Method, Heidi identified belief systems that were no longer serving. Her relationship with “Janice” is a lot better now on the hermit front, too.

“There is a bit of softening, more self-kindness. People have other things going on and just because I’m highly critical of myself doesn’t mean it’s always me. I can’t be to blame for everything, surely. There must be times when they’re just busy and that’s why they’re not talking... There’s been this willingness to put myself out there again. That’s been the huge difference.”

Limiting beliefs are the barriers that hold us back from reaching our full potential. They shape our perceptions of ourselves, make us feel lost in life and influence the choices we make. Through the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method, I encourage my students to identify those negative thoughts that are holding you back, and then challenge them. When you start proving a limiting belief wrong, your neuroplasticity shifts, and you unlock new possibilities for your future.  

Fleur Intuition Mastery Method: Journal Prompts about limiting beliefs.

1. What is a prominent limited belief that I hold about myself and where did it come from?

2. Can I identify any recurring negative thoughts and feelings that might stem from my unconscious mind?

3. How has self-doubt affected the decisions and actions in various areas make me feel lost in life?

4. What childhood experiences might have contributed to my self-criticism?

5. How do I differentiate between my intuition and limiting beliefs?

6. What specific situations trigger my limiting beliefs and how do I normally respond?

7. What beliefs about myself do I wish to change, and what steps can I take to begin this transformation in neuroplasticity?

Works Cited:

1. Jacobsen, K. (2023, October). Unmasking Anxiety's Secret Saboteur: How Limiting Beliefs Shape Your Reality. Retrieved from Cathartic Space Counseling: https://www.catharticspacecounseling.com/blog/2023/10/25/unmasking-anxietys-secret-saboteur-how-limiting-beliefs-shape-your-reality#:~:text=Understanding%20Limiting%20Beliefs&text=They%20often%20stem%20from%20past,powerful%20barriers%20in%20our%20lives.
   

2. Burnford, J. (2019, January). Limiting Beliefs: What Are They And How Can You Overcome Them? Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joyburnford/2019/01/30/limiting-beliefs-what-are-they-and-how-can-you-overcome-them/
   

3. Cayce, E. (1999). My Life As a Seer: The Lost Memoirs. St. Martin's Press.
   

4. Cayce, E. (2004). The Essential Edgar Cayce. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.
   

5. Johnson, K. P. (1998). Edgar Cayce in Context. SUNY Press.
   

6. Reed, H. (1998). En Edgar Cayce Guide: Awakening Your Psychic Powers (Edgar Cayce's Wisdom for the New Age). Harpercollins.
   

7. Cherry, K. (2024, July). Freud's Unconcious, Preconscious, and Conscious Minds The Psychologist's Three Levels of Awareness. Retrieved from verywell mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946
   

8. Bargh, J. A., & Morsella, E. (2008, January). The Unconscious Mind. Retrieved from NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440575/
   

9. Litsky, F., & Weber, B. (2018, March). Sir Roger Bannister. Retrieved from American Neurological Association: https://myana.org/sir-roger-bannister
   

10. Neuroplasticity. (2024). Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity
    

11. Ceruto, S. (2024). Neuroscience-Based Life Coaching. Retrieved from Mind Lab Neuroscience: https://mindlabneuroscience.com
    

12. Heim, C. (2021, June). Change your Beliefs with Neuroplasticity. Retrieved from Dr. Christian Heim: Preventative Mental Health: https://www.drchristianheim.com/blog/2021/6/19/change-your-beliefs-with-neuroplasticity