Purpose in Prison

"The Mirror"

A Journey into Self-Realization,

Emotional Freedom & Inner Peace

Most programs address behavior. The Mirror addresses the childhood trauma, beliefs and identity driving the behavior in the first place.

When a person clearly sees the cycle of misery they are stuck in and sees that change is possible, they realize they are not broken.

That shift is what reduces recidivism, changes behavior on the unit, and makes reentry stick.

Over 16 weeks, participants take the deepest look into themselves many of them have ever taken. They identify the beliefs, stories, and survival patterns that have been quietly driving their decisions.

This is not about becoming someone new. It's about remembering who they were before the trauma told them who to be.

This program is completely voluntary and across every cohort we have run, 100% of participants recommended it to other inmates without being asked.

To discuss bringing The Mirror to your facility, contact us at customerservice@belieftheory.com

Screen Shot 2026-05-19 at 8.33.07 AM.png

The Results

Participants who complete The Mirror consistently report:

Reduced anger and emotional reactivity on the unit
Improved relationships with family members
Self-forgiveness
Clarity about the root causes of their offense and the patterns that led there
Tools for better decision making
Concrete reentry goals — education enrollment, business plans, family repair

The Team

Elijah Kai

Psychospiritual Educator

Lead Facilitator

Kamene Bacon

Registered Art Therapist

Facilitator

Client Reviews

What participants say about The Mirror

"Before this class, I saw myself as a performer living on a stage built from survival. Every achievement, every smile, every act of perfection was a way to earn love and prove that I belonged. I believed that if i worked harder, moved faster, and gave more, I could make up for the pain of my past.

I carried guilt for letting my son down when I went to prison and for losing my baby bother to the same struggles I once faced. I thought that if I kept performing, I could somehow rewrite those chapters.

Looking back now, I understand that performance was my armor. It was how I protected myself in a world that taught me love had to be earned. I was chasing the feeling of being enough and running from the fear of being seen as unworthy.

Through this class, I began to see myself through a new lens. I realized that the story I had been living, that I needed to earn my place, was never true. I am the place. I am both everything and nothing, whole and human.

I discovered that even when I achieved what I thought would bring love or validation, it never filled me, because what I was truly searching for was peace. This program gave me the space to slow down, to reflect, and to forgive myself for not knowing what I know now. It helped me remember who I was before the world told me who to be, a curious, imaginative girl from Somalia who found beauty in small things and strength in survival. That girl never disappeared; she was waiting for me to remember her.

Now, I see myself as complete. I understand that I have the power to create my own reality and to walk away from spaces that do not honor my worth. My relationships have changed because I have changed. I no longer stay where I am not valued, respected, or safe. The greatest impact this prgram has had on me is awakening the poet that was always within.

It taught me that transformation begins with self-awareness and that healing is possible when given the right tools and community. I no longer have to dance as fast as I can to be seen. I can move at my own rhythm, steady, grounded and free, and that is where my true strength lives.

- F.H.

"Before this class I believed that I was a damaged broken person that will never be able to heal or let people get close to me, build true bonds or friendships that were deep.

I saw the world as a very unfair place and I had to survive it alone and I didn't know how or if I could ever earn a place in it. I thought I didn't need anybody because when I reached out to people I felt they were not genuine.

I was carrying hurt from feeling like I will never be enough since I was 13 years old. I held onto this for 18 years.

I was chasing a feeling of unconditional love, belonging and complete acceptance. I never wanted to feel unwanted, unloved, empty, or just not enough ever again.

What surprised me that I uncovered was I only built characters to protect myself because when I was myself I was vulnerable so I hid her. I forgave my sister and myself because I understand I was just trying to make sense of everything as a child and so was she.

Now, I see myself as life just enjoying this beautiful version of me. I see the world as experience. I had my breakthrough knowing I was just a child trying to make sense of a situation that plagued my life. Letting it go has given me so much peace.

From here, I am someone who will listen to my heart and just watch my thoughts. They are not me. And experience life in the way it is meant to be with pure joy and happiness.

- D.S.

"I was carrying around unhealed trauma I did not understand. I believe I had to work hard for what I want because it's my responsibility. I need to be better than what I came from. I saw the world as a place that can give and take so easily.

I carried around a lot of shame and guilt, felt like I put myself here at first. I'm now ready to go home stronger and fight this. I carried around a lot of unspoken feelings of abandonment from both moms.

From here, I am someone who realizes I react emotionally. I've learned to slow down and breathe.

I am a good mom and my moms loved me the best they knew how to. I am going to be the better person while moving forward and going to fight for myself. I don't need others to do it for me anymore.

Keep moving forward, not going backward for anybody. I've got this and will make my own life beautiful.

Communicate... Communicate... Communicate..."

- T.R.

"I'M NOT BROKEN — NO MORE STORIES

To be honest, before this class I thought I deserved to struggle alone. I thought that if I said something I would get rejected or people would stop talking to me.

I saw the world that I had to survive. I had to make it alone. I was carrying resentment and shame. I thought I had to take care of everyone.

This class with Elijah and Kam and all the wonderful women in here helped me understand to let go of those stories that been haunting me. I forgave people that in a million years I thought I wouldn't forgive.

I had felt unloved, unvalued, not worth it. But my family has showed me otherwise. They been here for me showing me all the love unconditionally, showing me how much I am worth it. I am not my past history.

Now, I see myself more free and see the world with all of possibilities. My relationship with myself has shifted. I can't explain it but I feel good, happy. I feel whole.

Thank you Elijah and Kam for helping me understand my traumas and helping me heal.

I am the creator of my life, and life will provide everything necessary. Nueva Vida.

- M.G.

"Before this class, I believed that I deserved getting beat by men because I wouldn't listen to them or obey them. The world was something I needed to survive, as long as my kids were fed and had a place to live, it didn't matter if I was beat. I was holding onto shame, negative thoughts, control, and a lot of worry.

I had held on to the story I made up about my Father betraying me because he died when I was five months old. It's been about 48 years now that I've been carrying this. On the eighth week of class I realized that it had NOTHING to do with me.

I survived domestic violence for 12 years plus 4 years of my first marriage. I adapted to my second marriage because of my belief that my kids should grow up with their father because I didn't.

I was trying to feel that I deserved to be alive.

What I uncovered is that I'm a strong 52-year-old grandma that still feels good health wise, looks good. I choose to not listen to the racing thoughts I have. I am calm. I'm taking care of myself and moving forward. I released the men that hurt me. Now it's possible to smile, to not worry so much, to not be in control all the time and I love and respect myself.

I see myself in control of my thoughts, my choices, my mood. My mind is quiet for once :)

The world looks ready for me to exist, free and peaceful! Thank you for reminding me that I am LOVE."

- M.N.

"Before this class I was looking for answers. Life was unfair and unpredictable. Looking back I was trying to survive and was carrying anger, confusion and 'why me'. Because I was a bad person, I thought everything for me was karma. I was an alcoholic before the world gave me a wake up call.

I've forgiven myself and that helped me to have a better outlook on life. I am stronger than I think. I see the world now as an opportunity for my growth.

Today I am someone who has overcome a lot of obstacles in my life...

My life changed when I was diagnosed with Cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I was hospitalized for 23 days and in that time I had a lot of mental support from the officers who watched over me — plus I have gained a lot of friendships that I haven't realized were there.

I have 3 children who are waiting for me. I have my youngest daughter who is 15 years old who is an artist like me. I can't wait to see how much we have in common.

Now I know the belief theory is not the story of my life. I appreciate Kam and Elijah for taking the time to teach me and giving me the opportunity to open a new door in my life. Before I fought because I was angry, hurt, sad, frustrated, disrespected, etc. It was a normal defense mechanism. Now I am fighting to LIVE."

- G. O.

"Before I felt ugly on the outside — but I was numb on the inside. Now I was ugly on the inside too.

Looking back — I was surviving disappointment. I was adapting to the environment around me. I was behaving and feeling in the only way I knew how. I took an incident I had witnessed between my mother and father at the age of 5 and built a whole story around it.

The story was that crackheads, dope fiends and drug addicts didn't deserve love. For 19 years I chased these addictions because they numbed all my feelings.

When I decided to stop getting high at the age of 30, I still was playing that character I created at the age of 5. So, in order to run from my own shame and guilt, I shamed and judged others. This gave me a feeling like I was better than that now — but ultimately, I was MUCH uglier than before.

....But that WAS before....

Today, I am 33 years old. I found out I was guilting and shaming my past self for everything she put me through instead of showing her love and compassion for her complete psychological innocence. That girl was simply a character I was portraying to survive at that time in my life.

This whole time I've been acting in a movie that my mind created based on perception I formed from feelings certain experiences caused me to feel. Wow! And I only felt the way I thought I needed to feel in order to survive! There was no emotional intelligence to help me understand that a thought — based on my filters — creates a feeling. And if you don't understand thinking, you become controlled by it!

I have uncovered that my past self was my STRONGEST self — and that she needed the most love because she fought HARD to survive. The hardest.

I released the hate I had for that little girl. I am in love with her for bringing me back to who I was. For keeping me alive. Before the world got a hold of me, before I created my ego, before I started acting — I was pure innocent love. Streaming through a vessel that's lost its ego to control it. That's pure consciousness. I was a blank canvas. What we were all created to be. Innocent. Peaceful. Love. Worthy. CREATORS!

My ego is no more. My ego was preventing me from fully loving myself. Once I love myself I can start to love others. From here, I am someone who creates LOVE. ♥

- J.W.

"How I saw myself before this class was a label-riddled girl. I compared myself to everyone, thinking I was giving myself standards to achieve but really I was putting myself down for all the things I wasn't.

I saw the world as being better than me. It made me want to cower and never show face. It was an unpredictable, unstable, and unsafe place to hide from so I wouldn't get hurt; thinking all situations just repeated to keep me down until I was broken without being able to be repaired.

I felt nothing was possible for me except disappointment and failure — I would never have achieved anything worthwhile. All I carried was fear — I couldn't feel anything else. It was my foundation that smothered any other feeling.

I let myself be conditioned to not feeling emotions. I was like that for so long that I didn't understand emotions and I avoided anything and everything, living in already made fantasy worlds. I found any way to avoid feelings and getting hurt.

I was escaping feelings in general but things I feared regularly was being hurt, being judged, not being accepted, being ignored, not being heard, not being understood or even believed. It made me avoid everything and back out of the things life had to offer, which ultimately made me feel like I had nothing to offer and I was useless.

The story I tell myself now is I am everything I am and there's nothing wrong with me.

Instead of hiding I will take the opportunities presented in front of me, to not waste my chance. There is no failure, there's just learning and experiencing. I did the best with all situations to the best of my ability. I'm still on my journey to who I am but I'm remembering more and more.

The world is something to cherish — to have unique yet similar experiences to others. We are never alone. The more I remember about myself, the more content I feel. Having my mom and some of my friends taking this class and having an understanding of ourselves creates more connection.

The biggest things I've learned is: trying is just an excuse to not do something, so just do it. To not have judgments or expectations — go in blind and enjoy the ride. To not control everything and to just let things be.

From here, I am someone who…Is a creator. I will bring communities together where everyone is accepted. We all deserve to shine bright."

- A.P.

"I feel like once I started this class I slowly started peeling back layers of my identity. Elijah and Kam helped me realize that I wasn't just living in the story — I kept creating them to the point where they consumed me.

I became the mask and depending on who I was talking to the mask changed. I always knew I wanted everyone to be happy. I loved hosting and being helpful. I rarely denied anyone anything if I had it so did they.

The thing was I kept giving pieces of myself away and I was getting depleted. I was overwhelmed and exhausted. It wasn't until this class that I learned what a healthy boundary was.

I now am able to stop the stories. My outlook changed.

This class helped me understand I couldn't change anyone else but myself. I took off the mask and you know what — I am beautiful. Strong, warm and kind but because I want to be, not because it's expected of ME…"

- M.G.

"I had a major breakthrough. I am not the same person. I have healed.

Before this class, I believed I was trash and unworthy. I deserved to suffer for my wrongs. The world was unsafe, unfair, and I had to survive many abuses. I believed it was only possible to live as a survivor and that freedom and peace was not possible for me.

I attached myself to anything negative, especially believing "I am TRASH". I held onto it for 53 years, since age 6. I am 59 years old now.

I survived molestation, rape and adapted to being called, and treated like, trash by others. I was really trying to feel acceptance and cared for, searching for love in all the wrong places. I was running from my true self. I made unhealthy choices to numb myself and to emotionally disconnect from those I truly love, including myself.

What I uncovered is that I am loved, treasure and free. I found my heart. I forgive everyone and myself. The release is freedom. Knowing I am whole and treasure. Because it wasn't about me and had nothing to do with me.

Now, I see myself as free and treasure. God's treasure.

My relationships have shifted to 100% forgiveness. From here, I am someone who...is at peace. Who found freedom, I am TREASURE."

- M.B.