Breaking Free from Conditioning: How to Rewire Your Mind Before Crisis Strikes

Have you ever wondered why some ideas, no matter how revolutionary or exciting, just don’t seem to “land”? Why the concept of being more than just a physical body, or the idea that you can rewire your subconscious beliefs, feels so alien or even impossible? It’s not because you’re closed-minded or incapable of change. It’s because of something much deeper: conditioning. 

From the moment we’re born, our brains are like sponges, soaking up everything around us. In those first seven years of life, we are prisoners to the subconscious mind operating like a 4K camera in theta-state hypnosis, indiscriminately recording caregivers’ beliefs, societal narratives, and perceived ‘truths’ about reality. According to Bruce Lipton, these early programmes shape how we see ourselves and the world – and they stick. Not by choice, but by biology.  

By age seven, these programs harden into neural concrete, forming the invisible architecture that drive our thoughts and behaviours. By the time we reach adulthood, these subconscious patterns have been running the show for years. They will dictate 95% of our thoughts and behaviours, creating a reality that feels fixed and unchangeable.

But here’s the kicker: this conditioning isn’t just psychological; it’s physiological. Our brains are wired to reinforce what we already believe, creating a self-fulfilling loop that makes breaking free seem insurmountable. 

The Neuroscience of Stuckness

Bruce Lipton’s research reveals that these early programmes form the foundation of our subconscious mind.  This ‘tape recorder’ subconscious process is brilliant at automating survival behaviours, but terrible at critical thinking.

For example, if you were taught as a child that “the world is dangerous” or “success requires struggle,” or “we’re just physical bodies in a material world,” these beliefs become our brain’s default reality filter. The basal ganglia and ventromedial prefrontal cortex then collaborate in a sinister tango: 

• Seeking evidence confirming existing beliefs (like a spam filter rejecting unfamiliar ‘energy consciousness’ concepts) 
• Rewarding adherence to old patterns with dopamine hits 
• Disabling objectivity through visceral disbelief signals (anterior insula activation mimicking disgust) 

Neuroscience explains this through a process called the ‘belief confirmation cycle.’ Your brain threat detection system kicks in, weaponising neuroplasticity against itself, strengthening neural pathways that reject paradigm-shifting ideas, instead actively seeks evidence in support of existing beliefs. 

This cycle is reinforced over and over by neural pathways that grow stronger with repetition – like well-trodden paths in a forest. When new ideas challenge these ingrained beliefs such as ‘we are energy beings’ or ‘we can change our subconscious’,  they are filtered out and rejecting anything as implausible or unsafe.

Why Crisis Breaks the Spell

For many people, it takes a crisis – a health collapse, the breakdown of a relationship, financial hardship, or a loss of purpose – to disrupt this cycle. During these moments of intense emotional upheaval, our brains enter a state of heightened neuroplasticity where the prefrontal cortex overrides habitual circuits.

Crisis-induced neurochemical surges (cortisol + norepinephrine) temporarily dissolve the basal ganglia’s grip, creating a ‘plasticity window’, meaning they become malleable and open to change. This is why so many transformative stories, including my own,  begin from a crisis point or when the person is at rock bottom: crisis forces us to question everything we thought we knew and opens the door to new possibilities. It’s literal brain rewiring under duress. 

But what if transformation didn’t have to come from trauma? What if you could consciously create those moments of openness and rewiring without waiting for life to force your hand? 

Rewiring Without the Wreckage 

The Alchemy of Being exists because waiting for catastrophe has to become obsolete. We believe in empowering people to rewrite their mental programmes BEFORE crisis strikes. We’re here to give you the red pill (for The Matrix fans out there). By blending ancient wisdom with cutting-edge neuroscience, we offer access to tools and practices that create those windows of neuroplasticity in everyday life: 

Exposure to New Paradigms – Surround yourself with expansive ideas and individuals who challenge your current beliefs. This activates mirror neurons, which help your brain adopt new perspectives by observing others who embody transformative thinking.

Prefrontal Priming – Use biohacking techniques such as breathwork and intention setting to strengthen the prefrontal cortex’s ability to override habitual subconscious patterns. These practices prepare your brain to embrace change and disrupt automatic responses.

Intentional Practices –  Engage in daily rituals like meditation, visualisation, or journaling. These techniques calm the brain’s threat response (reducing resistance to new ideas) and create space for neuroplasticity, allowing new beliefs to take root.

Mirror Neurons 2.0 – Curate exposure to paradigm-expanding mentors, whether through books, podcasts, or direct interaction. This rewires your subconscious by introducing ‘new tapes’ that replace outdated programmes with empowering narratives.

Dopamine Detoxes – Reset your reward circuits by breaking free from overstimulation (e.g., excessive social media or instant gratification). This allows your brain to rediscover novelty in practices that expand consciousness and deepen self-awareness.

Community Alchemy – Connect with others on similar journeys through workshops, group coaching, or shared experiences. Community reinforces new neural pathways by providing emotional support and validation for your evolving beliefs. A great place to start is to subscribe to our weekly and monthly newsletters

The Radical Neuroscience of Choice

One of the most powerful tools in this process is choice.

Every time you choose to explore a new idea or try a new practice, even if it feels uncomfortable, even if you’re really sceptical , you’re literally rewiring your brain. Or what UCLA researchers call ‘volitional neurogenesis’.

The act of choosing itself lights up parts of the brain responsible for learning and adaptation – dorsolateral prefrontal circuits – weakening old basal ganglia pathways through competitive neuroplasticity. It’s not willpower – it’s neural darwinism, where conscious decisions starve obsolete programs. 

This is why we share so many resources from podcasts with leading experts, transformative workshops and events, books, TED talks or YouTube Videos – to help you take those first steps toward rewiring your mind without waiting for crisis to push you there. 

Your Mind Isn’t a Prison – It’s a Toolbelt

The truth is, you already have everything you need within you; it’s just about curating what you focus on – your beliefs, habits, thoughts, and tools – and choosing to rewrite the outdated programmes holding you back. Like you’d throw away a broken screwdriver. This is why we use the analogy of a toolbelt

Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s actually about curating yourself into who you want to be. 

So why wait for crisis when you can start now? The energy shift that many are feeling, that’s been building over the past couple years and feels really strong at the moment – that is the sign that times are changing – that is millions of people realising they can dismantle their mental OS (operating system) without burning down the hardware.

That is evidence that millions are now searching for answers that resonate on a deeper level.

Your tape recorder can be reprogrammed. The disgust response to new ideas can be muted. At AofB, we reject the myth that crisis is the only key.

Conscious evolution isn’t reserved for the trauma-initiated.

Join the quiet revolution. Rewire and create a life that align with who you truly are – no catastrophe required. No need for trauma as a teacher

Tell your seven-year-old programmer, they don’t get to dictate the code anymore.