In NLP a belief is a series of decisions that eventually add up to making a strong assumption, commonly known as a belief.
Serious generalisations we make about the world and our opinions about it. They form the rules about what we think we can and cannot do. In NLP we know that beliefs can be fooled into submission if approached stealthily and with some grace and logic. As nothing can be proved to be absolutely true (just take my word for that for now) beliefs know they have limitations so can be moved or released if the time is right!
Here is what others have said about beliefs in NLP:
Joseph O’Connor and John Seymour: “The generalizations we make about ourselves, others and the world and our operating principles in it. Beliefs act as self-fulfilling prophecies that influence all our behaviours.”
Richard Bandler and John Grinder: “Behaviour is organized around beliefs. As long as you can fit behaviour into someone’s belief system, you can get him to do anything, or stop him from doing anything. A belief tends to be much more universal and categorical than an understanding. When you already have a belief there’s no room for a new one unless you weaken the old belief first.”
Tony Robbins: “We usually think of belief in terms of creeds or doctrines and that’s what many beliefs are. But in the most basic sense, a belief is any guiding principle, dictum, faith or passion that can provide meaning and direction in life. Beliefs are the prearranged, organized filter to our perceptions of the world. Beliefs are the compass and maps that guide us toward our goals and give us the surety to know we’ll get there. Even at the level of physiology, beliefs (congruent internal representations) control reality. Belief is nothing but a state, an internal representation that governs behaviour. Beliefs are preformed, programmed approaches to perception that filter our communication to ourselves in a consistent manner. Most people treat a belief as if it’s a thing, when really all it is a feeling of certainty about something.”
Connirae Andreas: “Our limiting beliefs are found embedded within our Intended Outcomes.”
Robert Dilts: “Beliefs are not necessarily based upon a logical framework of ideas. They are, instead, notoriously unresponsive to logic. They are not intended to coincide with reality. Since you don’t really know what is real, you have to form a belief-a matter of faith.”
