There are several different concepts and theories about the levels of consciousness and spiritual/mental development. I will present one below, which I understand to be a view developed by Dr. Michael Beckwith.
Consciousness is generally a multidimensional and complex concept that can be interpreted in many different ways. In its simplest form, it refers to the fact that a person is aware of themselves and the world around them. This means the ability to observe, experience, feel and understand things.
Experiencing consciousness is thus a complex process involving brain activity, mental state, and social interaction. It is also connected to our identity, personality and how we experience the world and reality around us.
The concept – or theory, if you like – of the four levels of consciousness is based on the idea that every moment we look at the world based on our emotional state of being, which is filtered through the quality of our own consciousness. We can experience our reality e.g. through life events, beliefs, patterns, programming and various learned traits. Or it can be experienced based on what we first look at ourselves.
The process presented by Dr. Michael Beckwith is continuous and often lifelong. The goal is that during life we go through each stage with our spiritual and mental growth. I think these four levels of consciousness also perfectly represent the levels of our personal development.
According to my experience, we can be on all four levels even during the same day, but only at different moments. However, there is one level where we spend most of our time. Unfortunately, it also seems that the majority of people are constantly living on the bottom two levels.
Since you have found yourself reading this article, I believe that you at least have a desire to develop yourself on a personal level. I want to congratulate you on that!
Level 1 – Victim Phase
At this level, we feel that life is happening to us. Our problems are outside of ourselves, in our environment. We are victims of our circumstances and much of our time is spent whining and complaining, “why does this always happen to me?”
You move to the second stage when you realize that you are not a victim and that the world does not happen to you, but for you.
Level 2 – Awakening
At this level, you feel that you have some control over what happens to you. You understand that change is possible, you can set goals and objectives. You start studying self-development, you challenge things and your environment, you start changing things around you.
Level 3 – Recoding
At this level, you discover that your inner world has its own reality. You begin to develop and practice such qualities and skills as forgiveness, compassion, letting go, gratitude and manifestation. You begin to shape and recode yourself and through that you change the world around you.
Level 4 – Connection
At this highest level, you experience connection and understanding of belonging to something bigger than yourself. You have deep compassion for all living things and can see the world without judgment or attachment to people, things or outcomes. This state is also called enlightenment.
How to Rise from a Lower Level to a Higher One?
One of the biggest problems people have with self-development is that they try to jump straight to level three or even four, despite being on level one or two of consciousness. It’s a bit like trying to go to high school or even university straight out of elementary school.
Moving up from the lower levels generally requires longer-term activity and development. Every now and then, though, through some special insight, we can make bigger leaps. However, I have never heard that anyone has, for example, jumped from level one directly to level four in one go. I haven’t heard of a single case exceeding even two levels.
At first reading, it may sound that moving up in the levels is difficult and requires hard work. The reality is that some things are harder for some people to work on than they are for others. Correspondingly, some things are easier for some than for others. Everything depends, among other things, on what kind of beliefs, values and unconscious “programming” we each have.
However, even though working on your own issues and levels takes your own time and may seem challenging at times, it is definitely worth it. Every single small step you take towards a higher level makes life more fulfilling and better in many ways.
So how does it all happen?
There are of course several ways. Many practice mindfulness, different types of meditation, affirmations, mantras, shamanism, energy treatments and many other methods. I believe that they all have their own positive effects and all of them can help you rise to higher levels over time.
However, if you want to speed up the process, I strongly recommend that you use NLP, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, at least as one of your primary methods.
NLP does not exclude any of the other methods mentioned above. On the contrary, according to my own experience, NLP generally enhances the power and effect of many other methods. Personally, I have gotten the best effect from combining NLP and meditations. What you want to combine NLP with is entirely your own choice, and I recommend that you use, in addition to NLP, one or several of those exercises that seem to suit you best.
The power of NLP in advancing on the levels of consciousness is based on the fact that NLP studies and focuses above all on the subjective experience of a person. This means that an NLP Coach considers each client as an individual. In NLP, there are techniques practically for levels 1-3, and many of them can be used in a targeted way on several different levels with competent coaching. Once you’ve learned the techniques, you can start using a large part of them on your own, along with the other methods you choose.
How to Learn NLP?
You can get an idea of NLP by reading books and watching videos about it. In order to really learn NLP techniques and also know how to apply them in the right way, definitely the most effective – and practically the only correct – way is to take an NLP course certified by The Society of NLPTM and/or to visit an NLP Coach certified by The Society of NLPTM for personal coaching.
Even in the basic course of NLP (Licensed Practitioner of NLPTM), you learn a whole set of exercises and techniques that you can use to rise on the levels of consciousness. From the basic course, you can continue to the advanced NLP course (Licensed Master Practitioner of NLPTM), which gives you even more tools to use.
If you find it challenging to reserve seven consecutive days for an NLP course, an equally valid option is personal NLP coaching. In this case, under the guidance of a Licensed NLP CoachTM, you can work on things specifically for your own needs, utilizing and learning NLP. Many people who have taken NLP courses make use of personal coaching in addition to what they learned in the course.
