Stage 5 - Overcoming – Dealing with the Past to Move Forward

Overcoming: Facing the Past to Unlock Your Future

We all carry the weight of our past experiences, and for many of us, these experiences shape how we think, feel, and behave in ways we may not even realise. Over time, the emotional and psychological residue of past events—particularly negative ones—can start to hold us back, even if we’re not fully aware of it.

In the Overcoming phase of the Process of Change, we confront these past experiences head-on. By dealing with unresolved emotional issues, negative core beliefs, and ingrained thought patterns, you’ll be able to free yourself from the hold of the past and move towards a better, more fulfilled future.

Have you ever felt stuck, repeating the same patterns, or reacting to situations in ways that don’t serve you? That’s often the result of unresolved past experiences and the negative beliefs we’ve carried forward. These beliefs become embedded in your subconscious, affecting everything from your self-worth to your relationships and the decisions you make.

In this phase, we’ll use tools like Dealing with the Past, explore your Negative Core Beliefs, and map out the hidden layers of your subconscious mind to help you overcome the obstacles rooted in your past.

Dealing with the Past: Clearing Emotional and Psychological Roadblocks

Many of us try to move forward without fully dealing with the baggage from our past. While this can seem like the easiest option, ignoring or suppressing difficult memories and emotions can often lead to deeper, more pervasive issues. This emotional avoidance creates internal roadblocks, limiting your ability to grow and preventing you from achieving the life you want.

In the Overcoming phase, we use a series of guided exercises to help you work through your past in a safe and structured way. We won’t ask you to relive your trauma, but instead, we’ll help you understand how your past is impacting your present, and what you can do to finally let go of its grip on you.

One powerful tool in this phase is Life Experience Journaling, where you’ll reflect on key moments in your life, whether big or small, positive or negative. These moments create emotional imprints, and by recognising them, we can begin to identify the patterns that may be holding you back.

Through this journaling process, we’ll help you group these experiences into "chapters" of your life, looking at how they’ve shaped your current thoughts and behaviours. From there, we begin to unravel the negative core beliefs that may have developed from these past experiences.

Negative Core Beliefs: Uncovering the Deep Roots of Your Distress

At the heart of most emotional and psychological challenges are Negative Core Beliefs—the deep-seated, often unconscious beliefs you hold about yourself, others, and the world. These beliefs may have been formed in childhood, through trauma, or from repeated negative experiences, and they have a pervasive impact on how you live your life today.

Some common negative core beliefs include thoughts like:

• “I’m not good enough.”
• “I don’t deserve to be happy.”
• “I’m unlovable.”
• “I’ll always fail.”

These beliefs are powerful because they shape your sense of self, your choices, and your expectations for life. Over time, they create a kind of internal "glass cage," trapping you in patterns of thinking and behaving that reinforce the very beliefs you’re trying to escape.

In this phase, you’ll learn how to identify these negative core beliefs and, crucially, how to begin dismantling them. We’ll explore where they came from, how they’re affecting your present, and what steps you can take to replace them with healthier, more positive beliefs.

By working through your past and identifying these limiting beliefs, you can finally start to unlock your potential and open yourself up to new possibilities.

The Map of the Subconscious: Understanding the Hidden Influences on Your Life

Your subconscious mind is the powerful force that drives much of your behaviour and decision-making. While you may consciously want to change certain things in your life, your subconscious often has other plans, rooted in the beliefs and patterns it has developed over time. That’s why change can sometimes feel so difficult—your subconscious mind is still working according to outdated maps, created by past experiences and emotional responses.

In this phase, we’ll introduce the Map of the Subconscious, a framework that helps you understand how different aspects of your subconscious mind are influencing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. These include:

• Negative Core Beliefs: As discussed, these are deep-seated beliefs that can control your thoughts and actions.
• Self-Concept/Identity: How you see yourself and the roles you play in life, which are often shaped by past experiences.
• Relating Function: How you relate to others, which is influenced by early attachments and experiences of connection or rejection.
• Emotional Systems: The subconscious emotional responses you have to situations, which can range from fear and anger to shame and sadness.

Understanding this map is essential to overcoming the roadblocks in your life. By seeing how different parts of your subconscious interact and affect your daily life, you’ll be able to make more conscious decisions, act with greater clarity, and ultimately, rewrite the outdated scripts that have been holding you back.

Overcoming: Freeing Yourself from the Past to Create a Better Future

The Overcoming phase is where true transformation begins. By facing the past, identifying and releasing negative core beliefs, and understanding the hidden forces at play in your subconscious mind, you free yourself from the limitations of old patterns and emotional wounds.

The road ahead may not always be easy, but with the right tools and support, it’s entirely possible to break free from the past and move toward a future filled with greater self-awareness, purpose, and fulfilment.

Next, we’ll move on to the Outcome & Growth phase, where we explore how to live in alignment with your true self, embrace joy and connection, and take action toward your goals.