The view from a balcony in Spain: core belief and implicit memory
During my travels in Spain, I stayed in a cozy, sun-filled apartment with a balcony. From the balcony, which was adorned with plants, I could see rows of five- or six-story residential buildings, painted in soft shades of off-white and light yellow, stacked closely together in varying heights. Each home had its unique architectural style. From a distance, peering into the windows and balconies of these homes, I could vaguely observe the daily routines of their inhabitants: some hung clothes in the morning, smoked on their balconies, played with children in the afternoon, and in the evenings, relaxed by the window with a book or a drink. Each person led a repetitive life, day after day. How many of them would reflect on and adjust their daily habits?
After living in the same space for a while, people often develop a fixed routine, becoming intimately familiar with every corner of their home—the furniture, the arrangement, the layout. They can navigate it with ease, even with their eyes closed. From brewing a pot of coffee in the morning, picking out clothes from the wardrobe before heading out, placing keys in a specific spot when returning home, selecting seasonings while cooking dinner, to watching a TV show before bed, with their legs propped up on the coffee table at a particular angle, these actions evolve from conscious, intentional behaviours into an automatic series of steps that one hardly thinks about anymore.
The brain records these habits so that you don’t need to consciously think through each step and detail before performing an action—this is known as implicit memory. Implicit memory refers to memories that are not consciously or actively recalled. This type of memory influences our behaviours and responses, typically manifesting as habits, skills, or automated actions. Activities like riding a bike or typing, for example, are carried out without deliberate thought. Although these memories are not clearly recalled, they deeply influence our daily lives.
One manifestation of automated behaviour is core beliefs. Core beliefs are a person’s unique set of thoughts about themselves, others, and the world, which gradually accumulate over time based on upbringing and life experiences. These beliefs can also be shaped by family, relationships, education, and cultural background. For instance, growing up in a strict, demanding environment may foster a belief of “I’m not good enough,” leading to dissatisfaction with one’s achievements as an adult, no matter how much praise they receive from others (e.g., a boss or partner). This significantly affects self-esteem and confidence. Similarly, witnessing domestic violence as a child might lead to the core belief that “intimate relationships always involve violence,” normalizing such behaviours in future relationships and trapping oneself in unhealthy cycles without recognizing it.
Thought patterns, much like daily habits, accumulate through repeated practice, eventually forming an unconscious “reality” that is bulletproof. This “reality” becomes a cage, much like being confined to a small apartment, endlessly repeating the same actions and unable to see things from a different perspective. To identify, adjust, or change distorted and unhealthy core beliefs, one might explore therapies like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Both approaches offer techniques to address and reshape core beliefs.