The Problem: Why Conflicts Persist
Have you ever noticed that some personal problems just seem to stick around, no matter how much effort or advice is thrown at them? It’s not that people don’t want change — it’s that change isn’t happening in the right place. In psychological terms, inner conflict is like an engine running out of sync. The gears keep turning, but the machine doesn’t move forward.
Contrary to common belief, solutions don’t come from telling someone what to do. If you’re observing a person in distress and offering advice from your point of view, you’re likely to be acting as a backseat driver from their perspective. And as anyone who’s ever driven a car knows — backseat drivers rarely help. They don’t see what the driver sees. They’re not behind the wheel.
Instead, real transformation begins when a person’s awareness—their conscious attention—is directed towards the very spot where the conflict is being generated. And here’s the thing: awareness is always somewhere. It flits about — sometimes consciously, sometimes not—and wherever it lands, that’s where the brain’s natural “reorganizing” process gets to work.
Ready to help people redirect their awareness and resolve internal conflicts more effectively? Learn the skills in our Method of Levels Online Training—a flexible, patient-led therapy course starting July 7, 2025.
The Impact: Getting Stuck in the Wrong Place
When awareness is focused in the wrong spot — say, the effects of the problem instead of its roots — reorganisation continues, but it’s not able to have any impact. It’s like adjusting the rear-view mirror when the engine’s failing — the effort is real, but the impact is nil. And that’s why some problems just don’t budge.
The effects of this can be frustrating — not only for the person living the conflict but also for those around them. From the outside, it may look like they’re stuck or unwilling to change. In reality, they’re looking from a perspective that can’t yet see the solution.
This leads to a common trap: offering advice or solutions based on your perspective rather than theirs. While this may sometimes work, more often than not, the person counters your suggestion, explains why it won’t work, or just nods politely and changes nothing. This is not resistance; it’s misalignment. They’re simply not in the mental position where your solution makes sense.
The Solution: Redirecting Awareness to Higher Levels
The answer isn’t to push harder with advice, but to help the person see from a different place. That’s the essence of Method of Levels (MOL) therapy — a psychological approach that works by gently nudging awareness to higher levels in the hierarchy of perception.
Imagine throwing handfuls of autumn leaves into the air. You toss them up and observe how they land. If the pattern doesn’t work or seem right, you toss them again. The leaves are ideas, perspectives, and insights. When they land in a way that resonates — that’s when change can happen, often quickly and powerfully.
This process of redirection doesn’t impose a solution — it creates the condition for a solution to emerge. And that solution will be uniquely suited to the individual: custom-built, one-of-a-kind, and entirely their own. Your role? Help guide their awareness without taking the wheel.
Why Timeframes Don’t Matter
You may be tempted to ask: how long does this take? The answer is — it takes as long as it takes. Reorganisation isn’t about rigid timelines. It’s not five sessions, twelve sessions, or a fixed six-week program. It’s about finding the right place, not enforcing the right pace.
Once a person’s awareness reaches the relevant spot — the heart of the conflict — change can be rapid. But getting there may involve several wrong turns, dead ends, and loops. That’s not failure. That’s the reorganisation process.
Using Disruption as a Tool
To assist this process, skilled helpers use disruption — shifts in conversation that jolt awareness to new heights. It might feel like a tangent or a sudden change in tone, but it’s a signal to another step up the perceptual ladder. From this new vantage point, the brain has the opportunity to reorganise new insights and perspectives. The conflict is re-examined from a level where fresh, transformative insight can finally break through.
Want to explore these ideas even deeper? Discover Professor Timothy Carey’s mental therapist books—essential reading for anyone interested in effective, client-centred approaches to psychological change.
FAQs
Why do people stay stuck in the same problems for so long?
Because their awareness is focused in the wrong place. Reorganisation — the brain’s natural problem-solving mechanism — is active, but it’s not targeting the root of the conflict.
What’s wrong with giving people advice?
Advice comes from your perspective, not theirs. People often reject advice not out of stubbornness, but because it doesn’t fit their experience of the problem.
What is the Method of Levels (MOL)?
MOL is a psychological approach where the helper prompts the person to direct awareness to higher levels of perception, allowing natural reorganisation to solve the problem internally.
How long does it take to resolve inner conflict using this method?
There’s no set timeline. Some conflicts resolve quickly while others take longer.
Can awareness really change a person’s behaviour that quickly?
Yes — once awareness reaches the true source of the conflict, the brain often reorganizes swiftly, leading to rapid behavioural and emotional change.
Final Thought: Awareness Is Always Somewhere
The beauty of awareness is that it never stands still. Even when someone seems stuck, their mind is still roaming. Our task is not to provide the answers but to help them look in different places. Once they’re there, the answer will come — and it will be theirs.
