Note This piece was co-created with the assistance of Perplexity, an AI conversational agent. Throughout the process, Perplexity provided synthesis, comparisons, and helped clarify and connect the concepts of the Pyramid of Belief from Liminal Thinking, Satir’s Interaction Model, and the Buddhist perspective that “Everything is Mind.” The final narrative and structure reflect an ongoing, interactive exchange, blending human insight with AI-powered explanation.

Connecting the Pyramid of Belief, Satir’s Interaction Model, and the Buddhist View That “Everything Is Mind”

The three ideas—the Pyramid of Belief from Liminal Thinking, Virginia Satir’s Interaction Model, and the Buddhist concept of “Everything is Mind”—can be understood as complementary frameworks exploring how internal mental processes shape human experience and behavior. Though arising from different traditions, they share key similarities while emphasizing different dimensions of awareness and transformation.

🔗 Similarities

1. Internal Processes Shape Reality and Action

• Pyramid of Belief: Describes how experiences, assumptions, and interpretations stack to form beliefs that shape perception and action.
• Satir’s Model: Breaks human interaction into stages (intake → meaning → significance → response), emphasizing how we filter and assign meaning.
• Buddhism: Asserts that mind constructs reality—that all phenomena are manifestations of mind.

2. Layered or Sequential Understanding

• Pyramid and Satir’s Model use vertical metaphors to depict subconscious structures behind conscious action.
• Buddhism, while less diagram-driven, also differentiates levels of mind—from everyday perception to ultimate awareness.

3. Awareness as Catalyst for Transformation

• Liminal Thinking: Encourages awareness of belief construction for greater flexibility.
• Satir: Focuses on awareness to foster improved communication and relational health.
• Buddhism: Aims for liberation through awareness of the mind’s constructions and their impermanence.

🧭 Differences

1. Scope and Ontology

• Satir: Relational/therapeutic focus.
• Pyramid: Broader cognitive and behavioral frame.
• Buddhism: Philosophical and metaphysical—mind is reality; distinction between self and world is ultimately illusory.

2. Philosophical Depth and Goals

• Buddhism: Offers a path to awakening and freedom from suffering.
• Satir: Aims to raise self-esteem and increase congruence in interaction.
• Liminal Thinking: Promotes belief-awareness to drive personal and organizational change.

3. Origins

• Satir: Western family systems therapy.
• Pyramid: Cognitive-behavioral, rooted in practical psychology.
• Buddhism: Ancient Asian contemplative tradition with ethical and spiritual goals.

📖 A Narrative View

People live within a world largely shaped by their internal mind processes.

Virginia Satir’s Interaction Model peels back the layers of communication, revealing how messages are never just taken at face value but are filtered through meanings shaped by personal history.

The Pyramid of Belief in Liminal Thinking offers a similar view: beliefs constructed from layered experiences and interpretations form the lens through which we see reality.

Buddhism’s teaching that “Everything is Mind” goes further—proposing that not only do we interpret reality, but there is no reality independent of mind. Liberation comes not from adjusting beliefs, but from seeing through the illusion of separate mind and world.

All three perspectives invite us to look inward—to examine the hidden architecture of our thinking—and suggest that this awareness is the key to transformation.

🌉 Summary

References for Pyramid of Belief and Liminal Thinking

• Gray, Dave. Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think.
  Official site: liminalthinking.com [7]

• “The Pyramid of Belief - Verbal to Visual”
  Explains the layered construction of belief and the concept of liminal spaces between reality and obviousness:
  https://verbaltovisual.com/the-pyramid-of-belief/ [1]

• “Liminal Thinking | Summary, Quotes, FAQ, Audio - SoBrief”
  A detailed summary outlining the hierarchy of belief formation and core ideas:
  https://sobrief.com/books/liminal-thinking [2]

• Ramakrishnan, Srinath. “Brief Summary of Liminal Thinking (PDF)”
  A concise PDF summarizing key principles including the Pyramid of Belief. [3]

• YouTube: “The Pyramid of Belief” by Dave Gray
  Visual explanation from the author about belief formation and liminal space:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAjQdifIBns [4]

• UXmatters article: “Liminal Thinking”
  Discusses hierarchical belief construction and relevance to design thinking:
  https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2018/02/liminal-thinking.php [8]

For Virginia Satir’s Interaction Model and Buddhist concept of “Everything is Mind,” foundational texts and sources can be found in seminal works on family therapy by Satir, and classical Buddhist philosophy, particularly Yogachara school texts (not included here but commonly referenced in academic and spiritual literature).