PTSD Professional Perspective: The Butterfly Code, Part 2

Continuing his series to help us develop a self-empowered strategy today Michael Blackstone adds the idea of counter-beliefs and developing your own code. Lovin’ it!

In last month’s Butterfly Code post I talked about the power of making decisions, and I gave you an exercise to prove to yourself you can make a decision — and get results –by simply declaring the decision to yourself and then identifying a first step to enact the next day. These two steps are the first two Keys of the Butterfly Code^TM – a six-key strategy for making personal decisions that stick, grow, and succeed.

Counter-Beliefs

I also talked about “bubble” beliefs –beliefs that are changeable. In this article I want to introduce the concept of “counter-beliefs.” They are a sub-category of bubble beliefs. Counter-beliefs run counter to your desires for yourself. In other words, counter-beliefs stop you from doing and accomplishing what you desire. The example I introduced last month was someone who had a desire to learn a musical instrument, but believed they had no musical ability. This belief stopped them from even trying to learn UNTIL…, they just decided to try it anyway.

Counter-beliefs can be changed, neutralized, by using the Butterfly Code to simply decide you are going to begin believing something else.

Whenever you are up against any challenge and struggling with it, you are up against one or more counter-beliefs blocking your efforts. Your first priority is to identify and begin to change these beliefs.

Identify Your Counter-Beliefs

What is your challenge? For many of you it is PTSD. Here is how to identify your counter-beliefs.

• Get a pencil and notebook, sit down and relax. Relax.
• 1. Ask yourself this question (out loud): “What is the most negative belief I have about myself in relation to my challenge?”
• Listen for your internal answer and write it down. You WILL get an answer. Write down everything that occurs to you. You may have more than one counter-belief. Write it all down.
• 2. Ask yourself this question (again, out loud): “What is the most negative belief I have about my life in relation to my challenge?”
• Write down your answer. Do not second-guess, or doubt your answer. Just write down everything that occurs to you.
• 3. Ask yourself this question (out loud): “What is the most negative belief I have about other people in relation to my challenge?”
• Write down everything that occurs to you.
• 4. Now, simply use your intuition to determine which of the counter-beliefs-1, 2, or 3-is the most troublesome, the biggest obstacle, the one that brings up the most emotion. Now, what is the second most troublesome-1, 2, or 3? And what is the third most troublesome? You will work on them, in that order.

Develop Your Own Code

• 1. Taking your first priority counter-belief, devise the exact belief you want to have in place of that counter-belief and write it down. Be bold. Even if you think that new belief is an impossible dream, write it down anyway.
• 2. Then think creatively about what would be a first small step you could take tomorrow that would somehow support that new belief, and write it down.
• 3. Here is the third key of the Butterfly Code: Write down ALL of your concerns, doubts, and fears that this cannot possibly work for you. Do NOT hold back. Even if it’s emotional, write it all until there is nothing left to write of your concerns, fears, and doubts.

You will use the above three points to create and enact your Butterfly Code-saying it out loud before you go to bed tonight.

An Example

Here is an example script that demonstrates the format to use for what you will say to yourself before you go to bed tonight:

• 1. I declare, I am determined and committed to (begin believing that it is possible for me to get better by my own design and efforts).
• 2. And the first step I will do tomorrow is (do a search on You Tube for PTSD and watch random videos for 30 minutes).
• 3. I admit to myself (I am scared, I am afraid this won’t work for me, that I will be so disappointed I will be even more depressed), but I REMAIN COMMITTED.

After doing your first Code, and the first step the next day, if a second or third step occurs to you to do, act on it. You are not required to stop at the first step, but it would be sufficient.

The Keys of the Butterfly Code invoke your conscious and sub-conscious mind to work together, as you sleep, in unfolding the details of your committed decision. The next day, your sub-conscious mind will offer you accurate and effective impulses for what to do. You job is simply to trust and act on them as they occur to you.

For the second night, repeat the Code with a different step for the next day. Do this for as many days as your intuition tells you. Then move to your second priority counter-belief, and devise your Code for that. Do it the same way. You may be shocked at your progress.

Faithful creation and use of your own Butterfly Code will invoke seven resources to light your way-not all at once, but-when you need each: intellect, intuition, imagination, motivation, inspiration, positive emotions, and peace of mind.

Next month, the 4^th Key of the Butterfly Code.

[NOTE: If you want a quicker start learning and using the Code, click here.]

Butterfly Code, Part 1

He’s been called the “best coach on the planet,” and the “Master coach among the Masters….” Over the 23 years of his professional career, Mike Blackstone has been an executive coach, life coach, therapist, NLP master practitioner and trainer, teambuilding specialist, and seminar leader. He’s successfully worked with nearly 4,000 people, one-on-one, and delivered more than 350 programs in eight countries. But what trademarks his effectiveness, more than anything else, is his dedication, commitment, and compassion for people, and to teaching them the steps anyone can learn to master their own destiny.

The opinions of this post solely belong to the author. To contribute to ‘Professional Perspective’ contact Michele.

Tags: Butterfly Code, Michael Blackstone, ptsd