Healing Efficacy – The Courage to Believe We Can Heal

Butterfly Mondays | June 16, 2025
Theme: Healing Efficacy – The Courage to Believe We Can Heal
Healing Station Zoom: 6:00 PM EST
Join Here : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88324556318?pwd=QlNsT3lLWnc0alo3K09nN0JoaFNxQT09  Have you ever wondered why some people bravely embark on their healing journey, while others never take that first step? The answer might lie in a new concept proposed by Dr. Bruce Purnell, called Healing Efficacy, which refers to our inner belief in the possibility of healing. Just like self-efficacy, which shapes whether we attempt new challenges, healing efficacy predicts whether we will trust love enough to begin the vulnerable process of releasing trauma.
When we look at the Yellow Brick Road through the eyes of Manifest and Hope, or even the deeply scarred hearts of Rudolph, Hermey, Hannibal Barca, Medusa, Shamu, or the Grinch, we see a truth: without a belief in transformation, we will never enter the cocoon. Healing efficacy permits us to change, the courage to imagine joy, and the energy to rebuild.
Before a butterfly enters its cocoon, it must believe that transformation is possible. This week’s Butterfly Mondays invites us into the mystical realm of Healing Efficacy, which is the confidence to believe, feel, and think that we can heal from the inside out. Using the stories of the Grinch, Medusa, Shamu, Hannibal Barca, Rudolph, Hermey, Manifest, and Hope, we will explore how our experiences, observations, and affirmations shape our ability to enter our cocoon and release trauma. Let’s create a new vocabulary of healing and rewrite the narrative of what is possible.
We are becoming the “Social Architects” who will design our healing and transformation.
Let’s affirm and manifest our divine cocoons together. #WeAreTheButterflyEffect
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The Spark That Begins the Journey
Long before we ever set foot on the Yellow Brick Road, a decision must be made, not with our feet, but with our hearts. This decision is not about direction or destination; it is about belief. Do we believe that healing is possible? Do we believe that the voids left behind by trauma, the fractures carved by abandonment, and the scars inked by betrayal can be touched by something other than despair? This belief, this fragile yet powerful seed, is what we now refer to as Healing Efficacy.
What is Healing Efficacy?
Healing Efficacy is the belief in our ability to heal from past trauma, emotional pain, and toxic stress. It is not the same as hope or desire. It is confidence born from experience, observation, encouragement, and embodiment. While self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977) refers to the belief in our ability to execute behaviors that bring about specific results, Healing Efficacy embodies the belief that we can release trauma, transform pain, and walk into joy.
Healing efficacy is the first heartbeat of transformation. It is what gives the caterpillar the courage to crawl to the edge of a branch and weave a cocoon. It is what allows the weary traveler to take their first steps into the Land of WizOz.
The Roots of Belief: From Self-Efficacy to Healing Efficacy
Before we can explore Healing Efficacy, we must understand the foundation it emerged from: Self-Efficacy Theory, as introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura (1977). Bandura’s research established that the beliefs we hold about our abilities influence how we think, behave, and feel. Put simply, if you believe you can do something, you are far more likely to try and succeed. Self-efficacy is not about arrogance or empty optimism. It is built through four primary sources:
Performance Outcomes (Mastery Experiences) – If you have succeeded before, you are more likely to believe you can do it again.
Vicarious Experiences (Seeing Others Succeed) – Observing someone like you achieve success strengthens your own belief.
Verbal Persuasion – Support and reinforcement from others enhance your sense of capability. Physiological and Emotional States – How your body and emotions respond influences your sense of capability. Calmness fosters confidence, while anxiety diminishes it.
Bandura’s theory has been validated across various disciplines, including education, health behavior, leadership, and athletics. Whether a student believes they can pass a test, a patient believes they can manage diabetes, or a runner believes they can finish the race, belief drives behavior.
From Self-Efficacy to Healing Efficacy: A New Paradigm
So what happens when the behavior in question isn’t running a race or studying for an exam, but instead healing from deep trauma? This is where Healing Efficacy is born. Healing efficacy reflects our confidence in our ability to embark on and navigate the journey of emotional healing, transformation, joy, and ultimately, love. It isn’t about having already arrived; it’s about believing that reaching that destination is possible.
Here is the difference:

Self-Efficacy	Healing Efficacy
“I believe I can complete this task.”	“I believe I can begin and sustain healing.”
Often goal-oriented	Often experience-oriented and identity-shifting
Can be tested by immediate outcomes	May require faith through long emotional processes
Driven by performance results	Shaped by emotional evidence and internal safety

Real-Life Examples: The Roots of Our Healing Belief
Let us explore a few examples from the real world and those aligned with WizOz that illustrate how Healing Efficacy manifests or does not.
Example 1: A young person who has never experienced healing
A 17-year-old from a high-conflict neighborhood has never witnessed anyone heal emotionally. His father numbed his pain with alcohol, while his mother bore anxiety like armor. He has heard no messages of resilience, no encouragement to seek therapy, and no examples of vulnerability or rest. Even if he is in a healing program, his effectiveness in healing may be quite low. The concept of transformation may seem like a scam because it is not grounded in his lived experience. In WizOz terms, this refers to someone who sees the Yellow Brick Road but believes the Wizzo is the only one with the answer. As a result, they remain stuck at the beginning, not due to laziness, but because of a lack of belief.
Example 2: A Survivor of Domestic Violence
A woman who escaped an abusive relationship three years ago begins therapy. She recalls her moment of escape, reminding herself that she has accomplished difficult things before. She follows a few online influencers who specialize in healing. Her aunt acknowledges her progress, and she feels safer in her body when she journals or meditates.
This woman is cultivating Healing Efficacy. She has performance outcomes (she left), vicarious experiences (she sees others healing), verbal persuasion (encouragement), and physiological states (calmness). Although she is still afraid, she believes. Moreover, her belief enables her to enter her cocoon. In WizOz, this is Hope Jackson walking alongside Manifest, aware that she still carries weight but trusting that the transformation is worth the journey.
Healing Efficacy Is What Lets Us Say Yes to the Cocoon
Belief must precede effort. If we do not believe we are capable of healing or that healing works at all, we will not take the risk of the vulnerability it necessitates.
When Healing Efficacy is high, we:
💖 Start the journey even without the certainty of success.
💖 Stay committed to transformation during tough times.
💖 Allow ourselves to feel again.
💖 Embrace rituals, relationships, and environments that nurture our butterfly.
When Healing Efficacy is low, we:
💖 Refer to the cocoon as a cage.
💖 Steer clear of inner work and concentrate solely on external validation.
💖 Believe healing is for “other people.”
💖 Mistake emotional numbness for peace.
Healing efficacy is the spark that transforms into wings. Additionally, like all wings, they must be strengthened through movement, challenge, and support. Furthermore, akin to all great internal technologies, Healing Efficacy is not born from a single experience. It is shaped by four key forces, each rooted in ancient wisdom and supported by scientific validation.
Affirmation as an Anchor: The Role of Claude Steele’s Self-Affirmation Theory
As we deepen our exploration of Healing Efficacy, our belief in the ability to initiate and sustain emotional healing, we must examine another crucial aspect of belief formation: self-worth. Enter the work of psychologist Claude Steele, who introduced Self-Affirmation Theory in the late 1980s. Steele’s research proposed that people are fundamentally motivated to maintain a sense of personal integrity. When that integrity is threatened by failure, trauma, criticism, or marginalization, people experience a type of internal dissonance. This dissonance can be resolved not just by defending or denying the threat, but by affirming another aspect of the self that still holds value.
In other words, when our story is wounded, we reach for another chapter of truth to remind ourselves that we matter. Self-affirmation acts as a stabilizer, helping people withstand psychological threats by reaffirming their identity through different strengths, values, or sources of meaning.
How Self-Affirmation Supports Self- and Healing Efficacy
Steele’s theory strongly intersects with Bandura’s Self-Efficacy and our coined term, Healing Efficacy:

Theory	Core Focus	Transformation Relevance
Self-Efficacy	“I believe I can do this.”	Confidence fuels action; without belief, we hesitate.
Self-Affirmation	“I am still worthy, no matter what.”	Restores dignity when past pain or failure threatens to undermine it.
Healing Efficacy	“I believe I can heal.”	Bridges belief and action for emotional growth and release.

Where self-efficacy involves believing in our ability to act, self-affirmation focuses on restoring our identity sufficiently to try. Healing efficacy merges both concepts: it requires both a stable identity and a belief in one’s abilities. Think of self-affirmation as the soil, self-efficacy as the seed, and healing efficacy as the garden that flourishes when the two come together.
WizOz Lens Reimagined: The Grinch, Medusa, and Shamu Were Already Whole
In our re-enchanted Land of WizOz, it is not the Scarecrow, Tin Man, or Lion who travels the Yellow Brick Road; instead, let us take three of our journeyers: the Grinch, Medusa, and Shamu, each carrying the scars of their own misunderstood stories. They do not walk alone. Instead of Dorothy, they are guided by Manifest (Little Man) Freeman and Hope (Cha-Cha) Jackson, who do not offer external solutions but hold up the mirror of truth and the power of affirmation that allows the wounded to see their light.
The Grinch believed his heart was too small and that joy was a distant dream. However, through the affirming presence of Hope, he realized that his longing for love was not a weakness but rather the seed of transformation.
Medusa, feared and shunned, believed she was a monster beyond redemption. But Manifest whispered to her spirit, reminding her that her pain did not define her. Her healing began not with the reversal of the curse but with the reclamation of her divinity.
Shamu, once the royalty of the sea, had been conditioned to perform. He had forgotten that the ocean was his home. However, in the presence of radical affirmation, he remembered his true nature: not to leap on command, but to rise with purpose.
These characters did not lack transformation; they lacked healing efficacy. They didn’t believe that healing was possible for them. Thus, they waited for the Wizzo, expecting something outside themselves to fix what had been wounded within. Nevertheless, Manifest and Hope did not offer magic; they offered affirmation, the soil in which belief could grow.
Furthermore, slowly, each journeyer began to realize:
They were not cursed; they were wounded.
They were not broken; they were fragmented.
They were not imposters; they were survivors eager to become.
The Healer’s Stone was never in Wizzo’s hand; it was buried in their chest. Healing efficacy helps us stop chasing the illusion and begin reclaiming what has always been sacred within us.
Real-Life Application: How Affirmation Can Spark the Healing Journey
Let’s say a Journeyer comes from a household where vulnerability was dangerous and therapy was mocked. They may intellectually understand that healing is possible, but emotionally, their sense of self has been battered. Affirmation becomes the scaffold that holds them together long enough to begin the work.
This might sound like:
“Even though I was hurt, I am still worthy of love.”
“I am more than what was done to me.”
“My story is not finished yet.”
These statements do not erase trauma; instead, they create an opportunity for healing to begin.
The Path Forward: Affirm, Believe, Begin
In the realm of Healing Efficacy, affirmation is not a hollow mantra. It is a recalibration of truth. A deep remembrance of the parts of us that were never broken, even if they were buried under survival.
We affirm so we can believe.
We believe so we can begin.
We begin so we can transform.

The Pillars of Healing Efficacy: Performance Outcome, Vicarious Reinforcement, Verbal Persuasion, Physiological Arousal
1. Performance Outcome: What We Have Done Before
Have we healed, even a little, before? Have we survived what we once thought would destroy us? Have we spoken our truth, forgiven someone, or dared to believe in love after it betrayed us? Performance outcome is the memory in our soul that says, “I have done hard things before.”
In the Land of WizOz, this is the moment the Grinch remembers Cindy Lou showing him unconditional love. Although he is now hurt from past trauma, the memory serves as a reminder that we can feel again. In our lives, it may seem like we are recalling a time when we once said no, even though we were used to saying yes, or the moment we chose peace over retaliation. These moments may seem small, but they serve as evidence, and evidence feeds Healing Efficacy.
2. Vicarious Reinforcement: What We Have Witnessed in Others
Have we seen anyone else heal? Have we watched someone emerge from despair and truly live, not just survive? The truth is that witnessing transformation in others builds a bridge to possibility for ourselves. This is why, in the multiverse of WizOz, we walk together. Manifest does not journey alone. He sees Hope resisting the illusions. He observes Queen O navigating through portals of memory. These glimpses remind him that transformation is not a theory; it is tangible. In our world, it might be a friend who enters therapy and discovers joy, an elder who speaks of forgiveness rather than bitterness, or a survivor who teaches others to flourish. When we witness healing, we believe it can happen.
3. Verbal Persuasion: What We Have Been Told
Language is architecture. If we are told repeatedly that we are broken, unworthy, or weak, our blueprint becomes a prison. Nevertheless, when someone looks us in the eye and says, “You can heal, you are not too far gone, Butterflies still believe in you”, a door opens. Verbal persuasion plants the seed of Healing Efficacy. Moreover, it does not have to come from a therapist or a book. It might be your grandmother humming as she brushes your hair, your teacher calling you brilliant, or your younger sibling telling you, “I still look up to you.”
In WizOz, these songs belong to the Mystics, the chants originate from the Ancients, and the whispered affirmations echo from the Eagles overhead. Words matter. They can pull us out of the mud and remind us that we are meant to fly.
4. Physiological Arousal: How We Have Felt in Our Bodies
The body knows. When we experience moments of true, deep peace, our nervous system imprints a new truth. Even if we were raised in chaos, and even if we have only known fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, our body can still recognize safety. Physiological arousal refers to the sensations of healing, the calm after the storm, the tears after the breakthrough, and the electric jolt of joy that says, I am still here. This is why rituals, movement, breathwork, and sound are significant. They anchor healing in the body, not only in the mind. In WizOz, this embodies the warmth experienced upon entering a Healing Station, along with the fluttering sensation as your wings start to form. Healing efficacy strengthens every time our body learns what it feels like not to brace for impact.
Healing Efficacy: The Choice to Enter the Cocoon
A young man once said, “Doc, why would I sacrifice the present for a future I do not believe in?” His words were not hopeless; they were logical, based on his Healing Efficacy. If you do not believe transformation is possible, the cocoon feels like a tomb. However, if you do believe in butterflies, the cocoon becomes sacred ground. Healing Efficacy serves as the permission slip to begin. Without it, we cling to survival. With it, we dare to transform.
The Alchemy of Belief
In the Caterpillar’s Journey of the Heart, we do not demand certainty. We welcome belief. Just a glimmer. Healing Efficacy does not require a perfect past. It only asks for the smallest spark of maybe. Maybe I could heal. Maybe there is more. Maybe I am meant to thrive. From that spark, transformation takes root.
Exercise: Mapping Your Healing Efficacy
Draw a 4-section circle (or use a template).
Label the quadrants:
What I have done (Performance Outcome)
What I have seen (Vicarious Reinforcement)
What I have heard (Verbal Persuasion)
What I have felt (Physiological Arousal)
In each section, list 2–3 examples from your life that support healing.
Example:
What I have seen: My aunt survived domestic violence and now runs a shelter.
What I have felt: After a sound bath, I cried and felt a sense of safety in my body.
Reflect:
Which section is strongest for you?
Which section needs more evidence?
What can you do this week to strengthen it?
Healing Efficacy as a Portal to Healing and Transformation
In the Land of WizOz, illusions are everywhere. False promises. Quick fixes. The Wizzo. However, healing efficacy is not an illusion. It is your inner compass. It is the whisper that tells you, There is something beautiful on the other side of this pain. The Wizzo offers shortcuts. Healing Efficacy offers wings. So, ask yourself not where you are going, but whether you believe you are meant to go at all. Furthermore, if the answer is yes, even a whisper of yes… then the cocoon awaits.

Take the Healing Efficacy Quiz https://welovemore.typeform.com/healingefficacy  
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