On this page, I describe the essence of my philosophy of change.
I use the butterfly’s transformation as a metaphor for our human capacity for profound and lasting inner change.
Many people find it easier to understand a metaphor – an image in words that describes a process and development – than more abstract, theoretical concepts. I do too.
In developing DB-System®, I have used, among other things, an iceberg, a magnet, and a hot-air balloon. In different ways, they illustrate the development of consciousness, how we are mentally structured, and how we function as human beings.
I often use the butterfly’s transformation from caterpillar to butterfly as a metaphor for the process we as human beings need to go through in order to bring an end to our suffering and create profound change in our lives.
I also use the butterfly in my work with mental health and in processing serious experiences and trauma. It helps illustrate the conscious and subconscious mental processes, thoughts, and emotions that can lead to lasting changes in behavior.
The metaphor also shows us that no matter how much we may want to help others see their own resources and value, they must go through a deeper realization themselves in order to truly see it.
Throughout history, the butterfly has often been used as a symbol of hope, freedom, and transformation.
Transformation is also a way of describing the process Charles Darwin referred to when he spoke about the transformation of forms as part of all development. The butterfly is one example of this process, and one of the reasons I use it as a metaphor for transformation.
This is also part of the answer that many have caught glimpses of, but have not been able to bring together to form a new system.
Let us return to Darwin and look at how we can consciously influence our own evolution.
In biology, evolution is described either as changes in the genetic composition of a population – microevolution – or as the development of new types of living organisms over time – macroevolution.
Macroevolutionary processes can largely be understood as the sum of microevolutionary events over time – in other words, the sum of the small changes that take place in each individual.
Each human being is like a small world reflecting the greater universe.
When we make changes on a micro level – within ourselves – our individual choices can also contribute to the development and evolution we want to see in the world around us.
Everything is constantly evolving. We are influenced – and we influence.
Many of us easily become too focused on external influences, without making much use of the resources and abilities for inner transformation that lie latent within us.
My experience is that through conscious choices and by turning our attention inward, we have a great capacity to influence both our own lives and the larger contexts we are part of.
We can call this a change that begins at the micro level and, over time, is also reflected at the macro level.
We develop by reshaping and transforming what we have learned. In DB-System®, I refer to this process as transformation.
We need to reach the innermost micro level – where form itself can be changed – in order to influence our own evolution.
The development from caterpillar to butterfly is one of the most widely used metaphors for the resilience we carry within us as human beings.
The butterfly goes through the caterpillar stage (child), the chrysalis stage (adolescent), and finally becomes a butterfly (adult).
Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar’s organs break down and are rebuilt into an entirely new individual – a butterfly.
The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso wrote Metamorphoses and is regarded as one of the most significant writers in the history of world literature.
Among other things, he wrote that human history is subject to the power of transformation.
In biology, metamorphosis is described as a profound internal and external physical transformation that takes place during a defined period of life.
It is during the chrysalis stage that the butterfly’s metamorphosis takes place – the transformation required for a complete change at the micro level, which can then be reflected at the macro level and in our lives.
Our innate resilience can help us through this stage.
The question then becomes how you and I can consciously reach the innermost micro level in order to make the necessary transformation – in other words, to reshape and transform what we have learned.
To create a systematic approach to this, we need to be willing to work across disciplines.
Psychology, philosophy, and biology are examples of fields that have helped me understand how we can develop new methods for human change and growth.
In 1986, I had a near-death experience.
The experience was both frightening and fascinating, and it became a turning point in my life.
It became impossible to ignore what I had experienced and the insights I was left with.
Fortunately, I was able to find the strength to face life again, and that was where my journey toward being present in life in a new way began.
Through my own efforts, I gradually developed a method that enabled me to stand strong, transform subconscious structures at the micro level, and see the results in my physical and conscious daily life.
With this method, I saved my own life.
After a 24-year journey, I was finally able to bring it all together into a system that can create similar results for others.
DB-System® uses a specific form of brain training that allows us to reach the micro level – where the transformation for lasting change takes place.
In the published scientific articles, the training is referred to as self-guided positive imagery training.
The training includes two simple self-help techniques that allow us to lead ourselves through these changes using Self-guided Imagery in Meditation (SIM).
We once believed that butterflies first appeared 40–50 million years ago. More recent discoveries suggest that they are tens of millions of years older.
Butterflies have existed throughout human history, and we can learn a great deal from the process they go through.
Now it is up to us to choose to take part in a new form of transformation – one that brings together existing knowledge across disciplines with the insights we gain as we move along this new path of transformation.
I used to be the kind of person who really wanted to help, coach, and show others the way.
Over time, I came to understand that I could also get in the way of another person’s individual process if I became too eager or too controlling.
Once again, we can use the butterfly as a metaphor — it dies if we try to help it out of the chrysalis stage.
Many of us want to help and uplift others. Even when our intentions are good, that does not always mean we are truly helping.
We can give people tools, but everyone has to work through the struggle themselves.
We can support and encourage others, but we cannot tell them what to do or which path to take.
Everyone must experience and go through their own process.
We should still help one another and share advice, guidance, and techniques.
At the same time, we need to understand that an important part of helping is allowing people to work their way through their own chrysalis stage – so they can complete their own transformation.
Making changes can be both frightening and fascinating.
In profound processes of change, we may experience short-term pain, but going through it can lead to long-term gain.
Having techniques that enabled me to help myself has been absolutely essential in my own life.
Transformation within each individual is what it takes to create greater change at the macro level.
Change begins deep within each person.
If enough people go through this kind of inner transformation, it can contribute to a more holistic and balanced world – with peace and good solutions for everyone involved.
The butterfly is often seen as something truly special and magical.
The inner transformation we as human beings are capable of is no less magical.
“I have seen people make the most incredible changes, and I have experienced for myself what it is like to go from a life marked by deep trauma to a life that feels safe and good. It is hard to imagine anything more magical than that.”
