Narratives can be subliminal

Humans have an unusual ability tell themselves stories and form beliefs based on information that totally bypasses their conscious thinking.

When we're very young, we form perspectives based on what people tell us to believe. Our brains don’t yet have the defenses to ask critical questions. And we're much more likely to believe what we hear, especially if we hear it often or it's coming from someone we trust. Very few of these beliefs are formed by consciously developing an opinion.

Sometimes, ideas bypass consciousness because they’re so normalized in our environments or situations that they're almost invisible. For example, it’s not uncommon for BIPOC to experience racism, microaggressions, and forms of diminishment in their childhood that they don't have the skills to notice, let alone resist. Over time, it can affect feelings of self worth or confidence.

As we get older, we start to ask more critical questions and form opinions more consciously. We don't take quite as many things for granted or as “norm,” and we can question our norms. But no one can simply tear down formed opinions overnight. That's like an earthquake to consciousness, and if you're starting to question narratives at your core, and you're doing it all by yourself, your whole world can feel like it's toppling down around you.

To form new narratives, we need to understand how things become invisibilized or normalized around us. We also need to understand how hard, emotional, and isolating it can be to start to think differently.