I’m prepping for a presentation that I’m giving at HypnoThoughts in July 2025 about using the Meta Model in Corporate Consulting.
What’s the meta model you ask? It’s a way to look at the language that people are using and ask questions to help them open themselves up to a different perspective.
For example, you can ask questions that help people get more specific about what they are saying (chunk down) or questions that will help them generalize a little more (chunk up).
One of the parts of the meta model that I’m really geeking about right now is presuppositions. A presupposition is something that you have to believe in order for the statement you are saying or thinking to be true. The more presuppositions a belief or thought has, the more likely it is that the statement is a thought virus. And yes, that is what it implies.
Let’s take an example of a thought virus I used to entertain.
“I’m so far behind.”
I used to believe this and thought and said this statement multiple times a day for many, many years. This statement seems innocuous but it created a lot of stress and pressure in my life that wasn’t good for my health. I wanted to change the amount of stress I was feeling.
Here are the presuppositions for that statement.
- There is a correct pace or timeline. Assumes there is a standard or expected schedule I’m supposed to follow. Assumes this timeline is measurable and universally accepted.
- Others are ahead of me. Assumes a comparison is being made, even if it’s subconscious. Implies I’m in a race or competition.
- I’m not where I should be. Assumes there is a “should” or ideal version of my current progress. Suggests a gap between my current reality and an internalized expectation.
- Being behind is a problem. Assumes being behind is bad, shameful, or means failure. Carries emotional weight like guilt, inadequacy, or pressure.
- I’m responsible for this status. Implies self-blame or ownership of the situation, possibly without considering external factors.Presupposes that I could or should have done something differently.
- Time is linear and fixed. Suggests there’s no room for nonlinear progress, detours, rest, or renewal. Assumes earlier actions can’t be recalibrated or that timing is critical for success.
Wow. Talk about a root cause analysis. Can you see how believing all these presuppositions caused me to feel stressed and pressured? I bet you felt stressed just reading them.
Here’s how to do this for yourself.
Pick a belief that you think all the time. You know what it is.
Ask yourself what you have to believe in order for this belief to be true. If you get stuck, use AI and ask it to list out the presuppositions of the thought.
Start to examine each of the presuppositions. You can even ask if there are presuppositions to the presupposition (it’s like an onion). I like to use The Work by Byron Katie as a way to question myself. You can find the questions here.
Slay those thought viruses that are holding you back!
I would love to hear how this works for you. Send me an email at ho***@*********is.com and let me know.