From Self-Doubt to Self-Worth: Healing Limiting Beliefs with Mindfulness and Hypnosis
May 06, 2025For most of my life, the mirror I have looked into was distorted—not because of its glass, but because of the beliefs I carried. Beneath the surface of my accomplishments, strength, and caregiving was a quiet voice that asked, "Am I really enough?" This post is for anyone who has ever wrestled with that voice, some call the inner critic or saboteur—who’s tried to love themselves but got caught in stress reactivity cycles of self-judgment, guilt, or shame that can lead to anxiety and depression. I want to share not only my personal journey but also practical, soul-centered tools that have helped me and can help you begin to shift these patterns from the inside out, as that is how we can begin to heal.
Original Programming
From the moment we are born, we begin absorbing messages from the world around us—through our families, environments, and cultural systems. Often without anyone meaning harm, we internalize beliefs about who we are, what’s expected of us, and what it takes to be worthy of love, safety, and belonging. If we grew up in households where emotions were dismissed, love was conditional, or mistakes were met with criticism, we may carry silent burdens of shame, fear, or self-doubt into adulthood. These early imprints shape the lens through which we see ourselves and relate to others, often unconsciously that we carry with us into the present if we don't resolve and correct the code. Every computer operating system has to be updated regularly, and we are no different.
Inner Child Regression
Inner child regression work invites us to revisit these foundational moments—not to blame, but to bring compassion and awareness to the younger parts of us that still seek approval, comfort, or validation. By tending to these wounds with presence and care, we begin to reparent ourselves and rewrite the old narratives that no longer serve us. We constantly have to review our beliefs about ourselves and the world, and let go of those that no longer serve us and adopt new empowering and loving beliefs as we evolve as humans. My inner child therapy revealed that I did not feel loved. Without getting into the weeds of those circumstances my healing, which has been ongoing is to understand the truth, and that is that "I am loved." It is true, that my therapist even asked me to listen to Foreigners "I Want to Know What Love Is." It is okay to have a sense of humor with life, if fact, it is vital.
The Inner Critic & Failure
My inner critic’s voice became deafening the moment I was injured playing basketball as a senior in high school. It wasn’t just the physical pain—it was the sense of everything I had built suddenly falling apart. I had poured years of dedication, training, and heart into being a competitive golfer, only to find myself sidelined during some of the most defining moments of my collegiate career. The loss was more than just athletic opportunity—it was identity-shattering. Who was I if I couldn’t compete? If I couldn’t prove myself and my worth through performance? In that quiet space of recovery, stripped of the usual ways I validated my worth, my inner critic pounced—telling me I was falling behind, that I had failed, that I wasn’t enough without achievement. Picking up the pieces meant not only healing my body but facing the deeper question: Who am I beyond what I do? That moment, painful as it was, became the beginning of something more honest—learning to meet myself with compassion instead of judgment, but that resolution would take years with mindfulness training.
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Mindfulness Strategies
