How to reprogram your subconscious mind for effortless confidence and self-belief

“You’re not good enough.”

…That nagging whisper seems to show up uninvited. It’s there when you hesitate to apply for your dream job, quietly sowing seeds of doubt. It sneaks into your thoughts about money, convincing you that financial freedom is for someone else, not you. And sometimes, it creeps into conversations, leaving you with the sinking feeling that your voice doesn’t matter or that you’re being overlooked.

According to Marisa Peer, a renowned hypnotherapist and founder of Rapid Transformational Therapy, that familiar “whisper” is a belief all dressed up as an emotion. And it runs the show when you don’t know how to reprogram your subconscious mind.

“Your beliefs make you,” Marisa says in her Rapid Transformational Hypnotherapy for Abundance Quest on Mindvalley. “But the good news is, you can make your beliefs amazing.”

Because, unlike facts, beliefs are not absolute truths, and they can be changed—through consistent mind-reframing approaches powered by your will to change.

What is the subconscious mind?

The subconscious mind is essentially like a silent director orchestrating 95% of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Unlike its conscious counterpart, which focuses on immediate tasks (like reading this sentence), the subconscious works behind the scenes, using deeply ingrained patterns and beliefs to guide your behavior.

Take driving as an example. When you first learned how to do it, your conscious mind was fully engaged—checking mirrors, pressing the right pedals, and recalling road rules. But after enough practice, these tasks became second nature. Now, you can drive while listening to music or mentally planning your day because your subconscious has “registered” the repetitive routine.

The same process applies to your belief system—even though not all beliefs are beneficial. While your conscious mind might set a goal to succeed at work, your subconscious one, gripped by past failures, could still “tell” you that your goal isn’t possible. This mechanism, while intended to protect you from stress or trauma, often drives self-sabotage instead.

“If you keep saying, reading, writing, and believing positive beliefs, your mind will take you toward those beliefs,” Marisa says, adding that the opposite of this is also true.

That’s why reprogramming your subconscious mind is so crucial—it allows you to move beyond old limitations and fully embrace your potential.

How does it work?

Your subconscious operates entirely in the present moment. Science shows that it doesn’t distinguish between a memory from years ago and an emotion you’re feeling now. This is due to implicit memory—the “mental autopilot” feature that drives your reactions without you even realizing it.

Unlike explicit memory, where you consciously recall facts or events, implicit memory quietly shapes your thoughts and behaviors. That’s why past experiences, even those you’d rather forget, can resurface and influence your reactions as if they’re happening in real time.

For example, if you frequently heard phrases like, “We can’t afford that,” as a child, your subconscious may then associate money with scarcity, which shows up as stinginess. Or perhaps you grew up in a household where affection only came after arguments or praises often felt conditional. From then on, you might have learned that love and validation are tangled with conflict, which could prime you to attract toxic relationships as an adult.

This mismatch between triggers and rewards fuels what Marisa calls limiting beliefs—things you believe to be true but don’t actually serve you. Yet they’re so deeply ingrained that they can still block you from living the life you crave.

Examples of these beliefs are:

• “I’m unloved.”
• “Who am I to get rich?”
• “Success and happiness are for other people, not me.”

But, thankfully, they’re malleable—because, again, they’re not facts. “Your beliefs exist only in your mind, and that’s actually good news—because it’s very easy to change your mind when you know how,” Marisa says.

From here, only two things are required to do so: your desire to shatter your perceived limitations and a conscious willingness to change them.

How to reprogram your subconscious mind: 5 expert-backed tips

Subconscious programming isn’t an overnight process. What it is, instead, is the quiet, steady work of rewiring your inner dialogue… one small, consistent action at a time. This is how profound mind shifts happen—no grand gestures or trendy hacks necessary.

So, whether you want to fast-track your growth or gently rewire your belief patterns over time, the following five expert-backed tips will teach you how to train your subconscious mind to serve you—instead of the other way around.

1. Challenge your beliefs head-on

To do so, you must first identify what these beliefs are and how they hold you back. Start by listening to them one by one. For each one, ask yourself: is it even true?

If you don’t know where to start, you can begin with this three-step approach:

1. Apply Marisa’s DICCC method. DICCC stands for “Direct, Instruct, Command, Compel, and Code.” You can use this framework to help your mind adopt new beliefs. For instance, if you’ve struggled with the belief that “I’m not smart enough to be successful,” consciously rewrite it to “I direct, instruct, command, compel, and code my mind to invite success into my life.” Repeat this daily for reinforcement.
2. Be specific with your intentions. Instead of vague affirmations like, “I want to be confident,” say something clear and immediate, like, “I am confident because I’m capable of holding the fort in every situation I face today.” 
3. Use the present tense. Framing affirmations in the present trains your subconscious mind to embrace the new beliefs as your reality. After all, it cannot differentiate between the past, present, and future.

Another great thing about reviewing your belief system is that you get to see where two or more beliefs conflict with each other. As Marisa points out, “conflicting beliefs cancel each other out,” and this internal tug-of-war hinders your progress where these two beliefs are relevant.

For instance, maybe you’ve recently thought, “I want financial abundance,” but didn’t realize you’ve carried the belief that “rich people are greedy.” By identifying the clash between these two beliefs, you can start to reframe your thoughts about money.

2. Use repetition to your advantage

“The mind loves what is familiar, even if it’s bad for you. It will resist change unless you train it otherwise,”  Marisa explains.

It’s no wonder why you might cling to habits that no longer serve you or replay the same self-critical thoughts. These patterns, Marisa explains,  often date back to early childhood, shaped by your environment, experiences, and even the words you heard growing up.

But as the saying goes, the antidote is often in the poison—that is, the very repetition that locks you into limiting beliefs can also set you free. Scientifically speaking, when you’re frequently exposed to these new beliefs, your subconscious mind will eventually believe them to be true.

An easy way to use this “brain setting” as a springboard for change is to repeat positive affirmations to yourself daily. Do this at different times of the day, like: 

• First thing in the morning, 
• During breaks mid-day, or
• At night, before bed.

By echoing these empowering words to yourself, you’re setting the stage to see yourself differently.

3. Embrace visualization like never before

Success often begins with the conviction that greatness is inevitable. Marisa explains in this way:

“When Sean Connery looked at that gold Rolls-Royce and said, ‘I will drive that.’ When Whoopi Goldberg said, ‘I will be a movie star even though everyone says it’s not possible. What is expected tends to be realized.”

The secret sauce to their success? Visualization. By mentally rehearsing their greatness, it was only a matter of time before they achieved it. 

While many people are quick to dismiss this, neuroscience quickly backs this up. Studies on mental rehearsal show that by imagining yourself performing a task well, you end up doing it.

“When you visualize success, you activate neural pathways that prepare your body and mind for it,” says Paul McKenna, another critically acclaimed hypnotherapist and trainer of the Total Self-Confidence Quest on Mindvalley.

So, here’s how you can tap into the power of visualization:

• Use visual cues. Think sticky notes on your mirror or digital wallpaper on your devices to remind yourself of these new messages.
• Turn to guided meditation. Visualization-based meditations help you vividly imagine success while calming your mind.
• Create mood boards. Fill a board with images, quotes, and symbols that represent your goals. Spend a few minutes each day looking at it and imagining yourself achieving those dreams.
• Try scripted manifestation. Write out your life as if you’re already living your dreams. Describe the details—how you feel, what your day looks like, and the results you’ve achieved—to solidify the vision in your subconscious.

4. Make gratitude a muscle memory

Gratitude is a powerful way to learn how to reprogram your subconscious mind to manifest more abundance in your life. By focusing on what you’re thankful for, you train your brain to notice opportunities instead of fixating on what’s missing in your life.

The entire life of Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, is a use case for why gratitude works. Amid the unimaginable horrors of a concentration camp, he found solace in small things daily—a glimpse of the sunrise or a kind exchange with a fellow inmate—to keep him going. Being thankful for the “small wins” gave him the strength to endure his trauma, eventually escape the camp, and tell his story to the world.

You, too, can find meaning and hope even in your darkest moments. When you practice gratitude, you feel good, meaning there’s a release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. This creates a feedback loop that reinforces positivity and motivation, rewiring your subconscious for long-term resilience and optimism.

Let’s look at how you can inject more gratitude into your life:

• Start a gratitude journal. Each morning or evening, write down three things you’re thankful for. They can be as simple as a sunny day or as meaningful as a supportive friend.
• Express your thanks out loud. Saying what you’re grateful for reinforces positive emotions. For example, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow today.”
• Reframe challenges as opportunities. When a difficulty arises, find one thing to be thankful for from it—like a lesson learned or a chance to improve yourself.

5. Turn to the power of hypnosis

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is hypnosis real?” the answer is yes. It’s been proven to enhance connectivity between brain regions responsible for focus and decision-making, creating the ideal conditions for lasting change.

As Paul would describe it, the approach “speaks to your subconscious and changes your self-belief.” In the deeply relaxed state induced in guided hypnotherapy sessions, your mind becomes more at ease with new ideas and beliefs. And in this mental space, swapping limiting thoughts with empowering ones becomes easier.

Curious to experience the benefits of hypnosis for yourself? Guided sessions by experts like Marisa and Paul—available on the Mindvalley app—can give you a glimpse into its transformative potential.

Here’s a sneak peek at how Marisa would narrate your journey into yourself:

While not a substitute for a one-on-one hypnotherapy session in real life, experiences like this are great starting points to experience its universal benefits, like increased confidence and stress reduction.

How to reprogram your subconscious mind to manifest abundance in 3 steps

Shifting from a mindset of limitation to one of possibility and expansion is crucial for manifesting abundant life. After all, your mind can be incredibly literal. 

One example Marisa gives in her Quest is if you’re asking for a pay raise and your boss responds, “Get out of here. Who do you think you are?” The shock of it may discourage you from doing it again. And, as Marisa explains, while you probably meant that you wouldn’t do it again for six months or so, your mind heard “forever.”

This is why subconscious reprogramming is so necessary—your mind takes the beliefs you feed it at face value. If life is a bull, then thinking abundantly is like grabbing it by its horns. 

The techniques outlined below are designed to help you do just that: grab those horns—and with them, the opportunities for financial freedom that you deserve.

1. Get specific in your money affirmations

Generic money affirmations are nice, but they don’t fully hit home. Your subconscious thrives on clarity and detail.

“We tell ourselves lies to console us about not having money, and your mind believes those lies. But if you start feeding it specific, empowering truths, everything begins to shift,” Marisa says.

So, instead of saying, “I’m successful,” try: 

• “I’m earning $10,000 monthly doing work I love,” or 
• “I effortlessly save 20% of my income every month.”

You see, clarity acts like a GPS for your mind. The more precise your affirmation, the easier it is for your subconscious to accept it as truth.

With a vivid mental destination, your daily habits naturally start aligning—whether it’s creating a realistic budget, saying yes to growth opportunities, or finding creative ways to boost income.

2. Picture abundance like you’ve already attained it

Athletes don’t just picture winning; they feel it. The crowd’s roar, the finish-line rush, the medal’s weight. This level of vivid visualization isn’t limited to sports; it’s just as effective when applied to your financial goals.

In her Quest, Marisa highlights how fear often holds us back from dreaming big. “We focus on the negatives—‘What if wealth isolates me? What if people use me?’—and these fears keep us stuck in scarcity,” she says. But when you consciously choose to visualize abundance, you get to rewrite that narrative.

To start, picture yourself already thriving. What does your life look like? Do you see yourself… 

• Waking up without financial stress? 
• Confidently investing in your dream projects?
• Running a business you love?
• Spending more time with friends and family members?

“You must link incredible pleasure to attracting more and more wealth and not pain,” Marisa adds. So, by vividly painting this mental picture, your subconscious begins to align with your abundance mindset. 

And it’s only a matter of time before you’ll find yourself noticing opportunities and taking actions that reflect the prosperity you envision for yourself.

3. Meditate your way to financial clarity

Financial stress, like many of us know it, can feel suffocating, clouding our ability to manifest abundance. But thankfully, meditation can help clear the fog. 

Even just 10 minutes of stillness daily can reconnect you with your goals and quiet the noise of scarcity-driven thoughts. Just ask Marisa, who emphasizes the role of meditation in silencing limiting beliefs: “When you meditate, you’re rewiring your mind to focus on what you can gain rather than what you fear losing.”

So, once you’ve silenced your mind during meditation, try to picture yourself already thriving. See yourself managing your finances with ease, achieving a career milestone you’ve put on hold, or beaming over your resources. Whatever the scenario you can imagine, broadcast it out.

“When you learn to direct the changes in your life, you don’t fear them,” Marisa adds. “You embrace them.”

Learn more about how a meditative state builds the foundation for an abundance mindset in Marisa’s talk for Mindvalley:

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to reprogram your subconscious mind?

It depends on two factors: 

• What you’re working to change, and 
• How committed you are to the process. 

You’ve probably heard the idea that it takes 21 days to form a habit. While catchy, science paints a more nuanced picture. Research suggests that it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with an average of about 66 days for a behavior to become automatic.

Here’s where even more nuance comes in: if you’re addressing a surface-level belief—like a fear of public speaking—consistent effort may lead to noticeable shifts within a few weeks. But deeply ingrained beliefs, like the childhood fear of “I’m never going to be good enough,” typically take longer to unravel.

But no matter how “stubborn” a belief is, it’s constantly subjected to change—if you will it to. And with practice, patience, and persistence, combined with proven techniques like meditation, affirmations, or guided hypnosis, you can eventually think differently.

How to reprogram your subconscious mind fast

A subconscious mind “wiped clean” from old patterns isn’t something you can attain in an instant. This speaks to the humility that comes with self-improvement, whether it’s learning how to stop intrusive thoughts in their tracks or inner child work.

Still, are there ways to speed the transformation process up? In short, yes—but it’s not about rushing or cutting corners. Reprogramming your subconscious mind quickly involves using focused, intentional actions that align you with your goals in a more efficient way.

Here’s how you can accelerate your journey sustainably:

• Meditate regularly. A 10-minute meditation can quiet self-doubt and boost focus, especially before high-pressure situations like presentations. Over time, this cultivates clarity and self-awareness.
• Be quick to praise yourself. Remember, self-confidence and praising yourself go hand in hand. Even a simple “I handled that well” after achieving a small win can increase your self-belief.
• Let go of guilt, as it keeps you stuck in self-doubt. Reframe it by focusing on a self-love routine that works for you. When you’re kind to yourself, it’s easier to show up for others.
• Practice breathwork daily. Many mindful breathing techniques can calm your nervous system and condition your subconscious mind to be more resilient against stress.

How to train your mind while sleeping

Your subconscious mind doesn’t clock off while you sleep—it keeps working, making bedtime a prime moment for transformation.

How so? It’s all in the science of theta waves, which you naturally tap into when you’re drifting off into slumber, no longer awake yet not quite asleep. 

These waves originate in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that processes memories and emotions. In the theta frequency, the neural connections in your brain loosen up to make space for new ideas and information connections to form naturally. 

From here, you can see how anything you’d tell yourself would get stored in your subconscious. Now, here’s a quick lowdown on how to do it:

• Set your intentions. Write down your goals so they’re straightforward to you—financial freedom, self-love, whatever that you wish to work on right now.
• Visualize success. Picture achieving outcomes of those goals, like seeing your thriving bank balance or confidently running a meeting.
• Repeat your affirmations. Whisper empowering statements to yourself, such as, “Abundance flows to me effortlessly.”
• Turn to guided sleep meditations. The ones with binaural beats supporting theta waves are the best.

Over time, these nightly habits can profoundly reprogram your subconscious, aligning you with the abundant life you deserve.

Supercharge your superpower

Picture your mind as the engine of a car. It’s the powerhouse that drives your actions, thoughts, and decisions. You—and your conscious mind—are meant to be in the driver’s seat, steering your life toward your goals. But when your subconscious takes over the wheel, it’s like having outdated beliefs pressing on the brakes, slowing you down without you realizing it.

But what if you could regain control over your mind’s full potential and supercharge it to manifest your dream life effortlessly?

That’s the promise behind Marisa Peer’s Rapid Transformational Hypnotherapy for Abundance masterclass. Through her proven techniques, you’ll learn to reframe your limiting beliefs and hone a “glass half full” mindset through:

• A tried-and-test foundation for abundance,
• A mindset reprogramming process,
• Stronger mind-body health synergy, and
• Much more.

So, set your destination, take over the wheel of your life, and start accelerating toward the life of happiness, wealth, and peace you deserve—with Mindvalley as your starting point.

Welcome in.