Behind the Laptop //031: The 5R’s of Cognitive Reprogramming in Action: Real Examples for Transformation
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From Framework to Real-World Application
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been deep diving into my proprietary methodology, the 5R’s of Cognitive Reprogramming.
We’ve explored:
What the 5R’s are and why affirmations alone don’t work (Part 1)
How to apply the 5R’s to encode the desired reality you want (Part 3)
How to apply the 5R’s to decode negative experiences you don’t want (Part 4)
But all of that has been theory. This article is where we finally put it into practice.
I’ll walk you through real-world examples of using the 5R’s to both:
Encode the reality you desire.
Decode the negative situations holding you back.
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap for applying the 5R’s no matter what comes up in your life or business.
When to Encode vs Decode
The 5R’s can be used in two ways:
Encoding → programming your subconscious to create what you desire.
Decoding → releasing the negative beliefs, emotions, or stories that are pulling you off-track.
How to know which one to use:
Recap: The Identity Cascade
To understand where to apply the 5R’s, you need to remember the identity cascade:
Thought → Belief → Emotion → Behavior → Identity → Reality
The 5R’s can be used to reprogram at any layer of the cascade. That’s why this tool is so powerful. Whether it’s a thought, a story, or something playing out in your external reality, the 5R’s give you a framework to shift it.
👉 For a deeper dive into the identity cascade, read my article on advanced shadow work here.
Encoding Example: Creating What You Desire
Expanding Into Higher Income | Encoding: Physical Reality
Example: You’ve been hitting consistent $5K months, but deep down, you know you’re ready for more. You hear about other creators and entrepreneurs making $20K+ months and you think that idea sounds incredible, and you are ready to have that for yourself.
Here’s how you would apply the 5R’s to encode in practice:
R1: Recognition: I recognize that I want to create $20K+ months. This matters because it represents greater freedom, influence, and expansion for my vision. I recognize that tug in my heart and soul, and recognize that this means it’s who I am meant to be, and what I am meant to create
R2: Relation: I connect to how this reality feels in my body and identity. If I were already living it, I’d wake up with a deep sense of security and excitement. I’d carry myself with calm authority, knowing my work creates massive impact. I’d see myself as someone who moves with clarity, who makes confident decisions quickly, who isn’t afraid to hold higher standards. I’d believe that my value is unquestionable, my clients are grateful to pay at this level, and money flows toward me as a natural byproduct of my leadership.
R3: Realization: I notice what in my current reality doesn’t align with that future identity: like undercharging, overworking, or second-guessing myself. These patterns don’t belong in my $20K months reality. As I realize these are current patterns that don’t match my desired reality, I start to distance myself from these old patterns to make space for the new ones.
R4: Recreation: Now that I’ve realized the differences between who I’ve been and who I’m becoming, I consciously choose to embody the new version of me. I choose to see myself as the confident, secure, powerful entrepreneur who holds $20K+ months with ease. I choose to think the thoughts she thinks (“I’m always supported, my work creates incredible value”), to feel the emotions she feels (abundant, safe, capable), and to move through my day with her posture, her decisiveness, and her standards. I let go of the mismatched identity patterns (overworking, second-guessing, undercharging) and step into alignment with my future reality.
R5: Reiteration: I now reinforce this new identity until it becomes my default. Every day, I practice living as the version of me who holds $20K+ months with ease. I embody this reality by raising my standards, restructuring my offers, and aligning my schedule to reflect the choices of my future self. I consciously anchor the belief “I create space for wealth that aligns” through repeated action, self-talk, and embodied behavior. Over time, this no longer feels like something I’m “reminding” myself of, it becomes my natural state of being.
Decoding Example: Reprogramming Dissatisfaction
Frustration With Social Media Growth | Decoding: Physical Reality
Example: You’ve been posting consistently on Instagram, showing up daily, and doing “all the right things.” But no matter how much effort you put in, your views stay low, your audience doesn’t seem to grow, and instead of excitement, you feel frustration and overwhelm every time you open the app.
Here’s how you would apply the 5R’s to decode in practice:
R1: Recognition: I recognize that my current reality (low engagement and stalled growth) is creating recurring frustration and anxiety. I notice that this pattern is draining my energy and holding me back from fully creating. Recognition is seeing clearly: This isn’t the reality I want to continue manifesting. I have been putting in the work, but things aren’t changing. There must be something here that needs my attention and is ready for me to shift so I can be who I want to be, and create what I desire to create.
R2: Relation: I connect with what’s tied to this reality. I feel the frustration in my chest, the tension in my body, and the story that says, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this, maybe no one cares.” I relate these emotions to past experiences of being overlooked and misunderstood. I see how the story of “low engagement = low worth” has been reinforced by my behaviors and emotions.
R3: Realization: I realize that this story isn’t the truth. Engagement doesn’t define my value. The frustration I feel is pointing me toward a misalignment between how I’m showing up and how I want to show up. The reality of “low growth” is feedback, not a fact. This is when I can step back and see: I’ve been equating external numbers with internal worth, but that’s just a story I’ve been telling myself.
R4: Recreation: Now that I’ve realized this disconnect, I consciously choose to embody a new reality. I choose to see myself as a creator whose work is powerful, magnetic, and destined to reach the right people. I decide to create content from inspiration rather than obligation which in turn, results in me creating more content, showing up more consistently, and my content getting far better reach and results than I could ever imagine. I choose to anchor the belief: “My audience expands naturally as I lead with truth.” The old reality of forcing and frustration no longer has power here.
R5: Reiteration: I reinforce this new identity by shifting how I interact with my platform. I set boundaries around how often I check metrics, I create content that excites me instead of content that “should” perform, and I remind myself daily: “I am building resonance, not chasing numbers.” With repetition, the experience of social media shifts from draining to expansive. Over time, this becomes my new natural way of showing up online.
Bringing It All Together: From Physical Reality to Every Layer of Consciousness
Both of the examples we just walked through, ie: expanding into higher income (encoding) and shifting frustration with social media growth (decoding) begin on the plane of physical manifestation.
In the income example, the physical reality was the desire to scale from $5K to $20K months.
In the social media example, the physical reality was the external frustration of low engagement.
But notice how, in both cases, we didn’t stop at the surface. Each step of the 5R’s required us to dive into the layers of consciousness underneath: emotions, beliefs, thoughts, identity, and ultimately the reality we create.
This is why the 5R’s are so versatile, they’re not limited to “big” manifestations like money or followers. You can apply them just as easily to subtle inner shifts.
Here are a few more ways you can use the 5R’s across different levels of your consciousness:
Mental (Thoughts):
Example: You catch yourself thinking “I’m not disciplined enough.”
Apply the 5R’s to recognize, relate, realize it’s a story, recreate a new thought (“I follow through with ease”), and reiterate until it’s your default self-talk.
Emotional (Feelings):
Example: You feel waves of anxiety before a launch.
Use the 5R’s to recognize the emotion, relate to its triggers, realize it stems from a fear-based story, recreate by anchoring a new feeling of grounded confidence, and reiterate through breathwork and embodied practices.
Beliefs (Identity Level):
Example: A deep-seated belief like “I’m not worthy of being seen.”
Walk the 5R’s through it to unravel where it came from, release the story, and replace it with “I am safe and powerful when I’m visible.”
Behavioral (Action Patterns):
Example: Constant procrastination before finishing projects.
Apply the 5R’s to decode the underlying belief, recreate a new pattern, and reiterate through small, consistent wins that reinforce the behavior of someone who follows through.
Physical Reality (External World):
Example: Not attracting clients at the level you desire.
Decode the current mismatch and encode a new standard by aligning identity, belief, and action to your future reality.
Closing the 5R’s Series: Integration and What’s Next
Over the last five articles, you’ve learned:
What the 5R’s are and why affirmations alone don’t work.
How each of the five layers (Recognition, Relation, Realization, Recreation, Reiteration) actually function.
How to use the 5R’s to encode your desired reality.
How to use the 5R’s to decode negative experiences.
And today, how to put it all into practice with real-world examples.
This completes the 5R’s series for now; but remember, this isn’t just a framework. It’s a lifelong tool you can return to again and again, no matter what you’re creating or shifting.
Your subconscious is always at work. The question is: are you letting it run on old programming, or are you actively encoding the future you want and decoding the patterns you’ve outgrown?
👉 If you want my personal help in applying this step-by-step: both in business strategy and subconscious work, that’s exactly what we do inside Aesteria Academia.
That’s it for this edition. I share a new one every Monday. Join the list here so you don’t miss the next drop.
