by Stephanie Bucklin
The World We Think We See
Have you ever wondered if what you see is actually real? Or if it’s merely a reflection of what you already believe? As humans, we walk through life assuming we’re perceiving facts—but often, we’re simply witnessing our own mind’s projections. The more I study healing and self-awareness, the more I see how deeply we are shaped by our inner world. What we call “reality” is often just a reflection of our expectations, beliefs, traumas, and identities.
This isn’t just spiritual philosophy—it’s neuroscience.
In 1980, researchers at Dartmouth University conducted a startling experiment that revealed just how powerfully our beliefs shape our experience. In the study, participants were told they were helping research how people react to facial disfigurements. A fake scar was applied with professional makeup, and participants were asked to interact with strangers and report on their reactions. But right before leaving, makeup artists said they needed to make a final touch—and quietly removed the scar entirely.
The participants went into the world convinced they were visibly disfigured. When they returned, they reported being treated rudely, judged, or pitied. But there had been no scar. No visual difference. Only the belief that they looked different. And that belief shaped everything they experienced.
“They thought they looked damaged and their brain found exactly what it had expected… not as a cognitive strategy, but as a neurobiological pattern that shapes perception itself.” (Kleck & Strenta, 1980)
Perception Is Not Passive
This study shook me. Not because it was surprising—but because it confirmed what I’ve come to know through my own healing and coaching work: perception is not passive. We don’t just “see” reality. We filter it. We shape it. We forecast it. Our brains, trained by our past experiences, emotions, traumas, and programming, project images and expectations onto the world before we even get a chance to interpret what’s actually happening.
What does that mean for us as human beings? It means our reality is, in part, self-created. And that’s both deeply humbling and incredibly liberating.
The Scars We Still See
What scars are you still seeing—long after they’ve healed? We’ve all been wounded in some way. But what if the pain you still feel isn’t from what happened… but from what you believe still defines you? The belief that you’re not enough. The belief that you’ll always be rejected. The belief that people won’t love the real you.
These inner stories become lenses we wear unconsciously. And just like in the experiment, we begin to perceive evidence of them everywhere. Even when the scar is gone. Even when no one else sees it. Everything we perceive ‘out there’ is shaped by what has been ‘in here’ for a long time.
Taking Responsibility for What We See
There’s a powerful message here that can’t be ignored: we are not victims of our perception. We are participants. And that means we can also be liberators of our perception. It’s not about denying our pain or pretending everything is fine—it’s about seeing clearly and choosing again.
The human condition includes distortion, yes. But it also includes choice. We are not destined to live trapped inside the hallucinations of our wounds. We can wake up. We can notice the patterns. We can ask ourselves:
- “What am I believing right now that might not be true?”
- “What story am I projecting onto this situation?”
- “Am I seeing clearly, or am I seeing through an old scar?”
Your Version of Reality Isn’t the Only One
Why do people seem to live in different worlds even when they’re side by side? Because they do. Your nervous system, your history, and your emotional triggers are creating a custom reality for you every moment.
You don’t see the world as it is. You see what your brain already practiced… This picture feels real because it is embodied. You feel it in your belly, the tension in your shoulders.
Two people can walk the same street and see two entirely different things. One sees danger. The other sees opportunity. One sees judgment. The other sees acceptance. This isn’t madness—it’s the human mind at work. But if we don’t recognize this, we begin to mistake our hallucination for fact—and we disconnect from each other.
Waking Up from the Dream
So how do we begin to step out of the illusion? Not by striving to “think positive” or pretending everything’s okay. But by questioning the forecast. By gently noticing the filters we’re using and taking responsibility for them.
This is what true healing asks of us—not perfection, but awareness. Not control, but curiosity. Not blame, but responsibility. You can choose a new lens. You can practice a new way of seeing. It starts by realizing that the world you experience begins inside of you.
From Victim to Visionary
We are all walking projections, shaped by what we’ve lived through. But we are not helpless. We can stop blaming others for our triggers and start investigating what those triggers are telling us. We can take back our power not by controlling the outside world—but by becoming conscious of our inner world. That’s where true freedom begins.
The most courageous act is not to react—it’s to see clearly. To pause. To breathe. To ask:
- “What is real here?”
- “What am I believing?”
- “And do I want to keep believing it?”
You can suffer deeply for something that doesn’t exist at all. Ain’t nothing to take that pain away. It’s all about taking responsibility for your perception.
The Invitation
This is your invitation to wake up—not to perfection, but to presence. Not to certainty, but to awareness. The next time you feel rejected, judged, or unseen—ask yourself if you’re seeing through a scar that’s already healed. Choose to live from love, not from fear. Choose to experience life as it is, not as your pain once told you it would be.
We may all be living in a hallucination…
But we also have the power to wake up.
~S
Inspired by the study:
Kleck, R. E. & Strenta, A. (1980). Perceptions of the Impact of Negatively Valued Physical Characteristics on Social Interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(5), 861–873.
Ready to See Clearly? Your Soul Already Knows the Way
If you’re beginning to realize that your perception is shaping your reality—and you’re ready to break free from old patterns—you don’t have to walk this path alone.
My Akashic Records Readings offer deep insight into the root of your beliefs, emotional wounds, and repeating cycles. It’s not about fixing you—it’s about remembering who you really are beneath the scars and projections.
Or, if you’re ready for a full transformation journey, the Soul Journey Membership offers a supportive space for healing, reflection, and spiritual growth. With guidance, community, and consistent support, you’ll begin to rewrite the story your nervous system has been telling for too long.
✨ You can stop the hallucination.
✨ You can choose a new way of seeing.
✨ You can live from your soul’s truth.
Explore the Soul Journey Membership or Book an Akashic Records Reading today—and start living in alignment with your true reality.
