Tell Yourself a Better Lie

1. Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) uncovers root causes quickly

RTT rapidly and permanently removes limiting beliefs and habits by exploring with the client how, where, and when they acquired them and then helping each client understand and reframe the beliefs that hurt them and held them back.

Fast-tracked awareness. RTT differs from traditional therapy by quickly identifying the fundamental belief system at the core of a client's issues. Using hypnosis, it bypasses resistance and accesses deep-seated beliefs formed in childhood. This method allows clients to rapidly uncover the root causes of their problems, often in just one to three sessions.

Solution-oriented approach. Rather than spending months or years slowly peeling back layers, RTT treats the emotional and psychological pain as urgently as physical pain. It focuses on extracting the root cause of every client's issues as soon as possible, helping them understand where their pain comes from, and ensuring it doesn't return.

• Rapid results: Often solves issues in 1-3 sessions
• Uses hypnosis to bypass resistance
• Treats emotional pain as urgently as physical pain
• Focuses on understanding and reframing beliefs

2. Childhood experiences shape adult beliefs and behaviors

We learn these stories throughout our lives; however, the ones we learn as small children tend to root down deeply into our psyche.

Early imprinting. Childhood experiences, especially those before age seven, have a profound impact on our beliefs about ourselves and the world. These early experiences form the basis of our core beliefs, which then shape our behaviors, relationships, and life choices as adults.

Subconscious patterns. Many adult issues stem from beliefs formed in childhood, often without conscious awareness. For example, feeling unlovable as a child can lead to destructive relationship patterns or addiction in adulthood. RTT helps uncover these subconscious beliefs and replace them with more empowering ones.

• Core beliefs often form before age 7
• Childhood experiences shape adult behaviors
• Subconscious patterns drive many adult issues
• RTT uncovers and replaces limiting beliefs

3. Feelings, not facts, drive human behavior

I believe that feelings, not facts, are the most real thing we have.

Emotional truth. While we often think our lives are governed by logic and facts, it's our feelings that truly drive our behaviors and decisions. RTT focuses on accessing and understanding these feelings, rather than just analyzing facts or events.

Interpretation matters. The significance of an event is dictated by how we feel about it, not the objective facts. Two people can experience the same event but interpret it very differently based on their emotional responses. RTT helps clients reinterpret past events in a way that serves them better.

• Feelings, not facts, drive behavior
• Emotional responses shape our interpretations
• Same event can be interpreted differently
• RTT helps reframe emotional responses to past events

4. The mind responds to simple, direct language

My Rules of Your Mind—listed in full in Chapter 12—lays out how the mind responds to simple, direct, and evocative language and images.

Power of suggestion. The mind is highly responsive to clear, simple instructions. This is why affirmations and self-talk are so powerful – they're essentially commands to our subconscious mind. RTT utilizes this principle by using straightforward, evocative language to help clients reprogram their beliefs.

Self-fulfilling prophecies. The things we repeatedly tell ourselves, whether positive or negative, tend to become our reality. By becoming aware of our internal dialogue and consciously choosing more empowering language, we can change our beliefs and, consequently, our lives.

• Mind responds to simple, clear instructions
• Affirmations and self-talk program the subconscious
• RTT uses evocative language for reprogramming
• Changing internal dialogue changes beliefs and reality

5. Unmet childhood needs persist into adulthood

As we learned in Carrie's story, children have quite fundamental needs, regardless of their culture or background. They need to feel safe and loved. They need to feel they matter.

Fundamental needs. All children require safety, love, and a sense of significance. When these needs aren't met in childhood, individuals often spend their adult lives trying to fulfill them, sometimes in unhealthy ways.

Adaptive behaviors. Unmet childhood needs can lead to adaptive behaviors that persist into adulthood. For example, someone who felt unloved as a child might become a people-pleaser or develop addiction issues. RTT helps identify these unmet needs and find healthier ways to address them.

• Universal childhood needs: safety, love, significance
• Unmet needs lead to adaptive behaviors
• Adult issues often stem from childhood needs
• RTT identifies and addresses unmet needs

6. Becoming your own loving parent is key to healing

The beauty of giving yourself a new story is allowing that love and acceptance to come from yourself.

Self-parenting. One of the most powerful aspects of RTT is teaching clients to become their own loving parent. This involves providing oneself with the unconditional love, support, and acceptance that may have been lacking in childhood.

Inner child work. By addressing and nurturing their inner child, clients can heal deep-seated wounds and meet their own emotional needs. This process involves speaking kindly to oneself, offering self-compassion, and reframing negative childhood experiences.

• Becoming your own loving parent is healing
• Provide self with love and acceptance
• Address and nurture your inner child
• Offer self-compassion and kind self-talk

7. Anger often masks underlying hurt and sadness

Gemma's sadness and depression were really just anger she hadn't allowed herself to feel.

Layered emotions. Anger is often a secondary emotion that masks deeper feelings of hurt, sadness, or fear. RTT helps clients identify and express these underlying emotions, which can lead to profound healing.

Emotional release. Suppressed anger can manifest as depression, anxiety, or physical symptoms. By acknowledging and expressing anger in a healthy way, clients can release pent-up emotions and experience relief from various symptoms.

• Anger often masks hurt or sadness
• RTT helps identify underlying emotions
• Suppressed anger can cause various symptoms
• Healthy expression of anger leads to healing

8. Trauma can lead to emotional shutdown for survival

Terry's mind didn't care if Terry was happy, numb, sad, or fulfilled. It just wanted to do one thing: keep her alive.

Survival mechanism. In response to severe trauma, the mind may shut down emotions as a protective measure. This emotional numbing can persist long after the traumatic event, affecting a person's ability to fully engage with life.

Reclaiming feelings. RTT helps clients understand that while emotional shutdown may have been necessary for survival at one point, it's no longer serving them. The therapy assists in safely reconnecting with emotions and relearning how to feel.

• Trauma can cause emotional shutdown
• Numbing is a protective mechanism
• Emotional shutdown can persist after trauma
• RTT helps safely reconnect with emotions

9. Changing our stories about past events is transformative

We cannot change the parents we had, but we can change the message that having bad parents taught us.

Rewriting narratives. RTT emphasizes that while we can't change past events, we can change the stories we tell ourselves about those events. This reframing is often the key to healing and transformation.

Adult perspective. By revisiting childhood experiences with an adult perspective, clients can develop more compassionate and accurate interpretations of what happened. This new understanding allows for the release of limiting beliefs and the adoption of more empowering ones.

• Can't change events, but can change our stories
• Reframing past experiences is key to healing
• Adult perspective allows new interpretations
• Releasing limiting beliefs enables transformation

Last updated: March 11, 2025