Dr Chris Walton is a UK-based mindset coach and author who created the Gamma Mindset, a short technique for changing the beliefs you hold about yourself. [1] He has coached people since 1998 and wrote The Gamma Mindset and Peak Performance in 60 Seconds. [1] [2]
Who is Chris Walton?
Chris began his working life in health and fitness. In the 1990s he managed health clubs and worked as a strength coach, after earning a degree in the science and management of health and fitness. [1] He says it became clear to him that “our mindset—our beliefs, emotions, and thoughts” drives how happy and successful we become. By 1998 he had started adding mindset coaching to his work with athletes and business clients. [1]
He went on to study the mind formally. He holds an MSc in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology and a PhD in Integrative Medicine. His dissertation was titled “Programming the Mind for Increased Self-Belief, Confidence and Performance”. [1] He is also an internationally certified trainer of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). [1]
Away from coaching, Chris was part of an eight-man team that set a world record for the fastest Atlantic crossing in a 39-foot boat in 2006, his first time on a sailing boat. He also appears in the documentary film The Grand Self. [1] He coaches people one to one and runs online programmes. [1]
He grew frustrated with tools such as hypnosis, NLP and affirmations, and set out to build something faster. [1] His central idea is simple: “Your beliefs create and control how you perceive the world,” and that perception shapes your feelings, your thinking and the actions you take. [3] The Gamma Mindset is the tool he built for that job, and it takes about a minute. [4]
His approach in brief
- Notice the belief. Spot the thought that holds you back.
- Get calm. A simple seated posture and relaxed body.
- Feel it. Bring up a warm, heart-based feeling.
- Repeat it. Say the new belief slowly and silently.
At a glance
Known for: The Gamma Mindset
Topics: Self-belief, confidence, flow, taking action
Format: Books, online coaching, courses and free videos
Books: The Gamma Mindset, Peak Performance in 60 Seconds
YouTube: Dr Chris Walton
Good fit if
You know what you want to change, but an old belief such as “I’m not good enough” keeps getting in the way, and you’d like a short daily practice to work on it.
Our take
A friendly, practical coach with one signature tool. Learn the Gamma Mindset steps from his free masterclass, then try them on one belief a day.
Chris Walton’s key ideas
These come from his website, books and free videos. Tap a card to read more.
The Gamma Mindset, step by step
In his free masterclass, Chris teaches the technique in full. It takes about 60 to 90 seconds once you know it. [4]
- Get into position. Sit comfortably. Cross your ankles and your wrists, bring your palms lightly together, roll your hands in towards your heart, and close your eyes. [4]
- Relax. Let your body relax from the top of your head downwards. [4]
- Bring up a heart-based feeling. Think of something that makes you feel warm and loving, such as a picture of your children or someone you care about. Let that feeling spread, as he puts it, “to every cell”. [4]
- Repeat the new belief. “Silently and slowly” repeat the belief you want. His examples include “It is safe for me to change. I believe this 100%” and “All parts of me are ready, willing, and able for positive change now.” Keep going until it feels as if your body “gets it”, usually in under a minute. [4]
- Finish. Take a deep breath, uncross your arms and legs, and open your eyes. [4]
The name comes from gamma brainwaves, which he links to Richard Davidson’s studies of meditators. [4]
The conscious and the subconscious mind
Chris describes two sides of the mind. The conscious mind is the one “you use to plan your week, try to be positive, use your will power, set your goals”. The subconscious, he says, is the “storehouse for your learned habits and behaviours”, and holds most of our beliefs and emotional reactions. [3]
The problem, as he puts it, is the conflict between the two. You can want something consciously and still not believe it deep down. He calls the negative inner voice that says you’re “not good enough, smart enough or know enough” a set of “old patterns” that can be updated. [3]
How early beliefs form
In one of his short videos, Chris explains why so much of our programming happens in childhood. He describes babies and young children as watching everyone around them, “soaking in all the information from the world” and “forming the rules of life”. [5]
He links this to the brainwave patterns that are dominant at different ages. As adults, he says, we often realise that some of that early programming needs updating. [5]
Calm confidence
Chris puts much of the confidence advice online into a “fake it till you make it” category: puffing yourself up, changing your posture and breathing deeply. He says those can change your state in the moment, but they fizzle out. [6]
What he’s after is “calm confidence” as your “baseline state of being” every day. [6] He points out that nobody consciously chooses to feel self-doubt or insecurity; those feelings come from automatic programs. So his route to lasting confidence is to change the beliefs underneath. [6]
Beliefs for taking action
Many people have ideas and goals but don’t act on them. Chris suggests that one reason is our underlying beliefs about taking action. [7] In his video on the subject, he offers six statements to check yourself against, scoring each from 0 to 100% on gut feel: [7]
- It is safe for me to take action now.
- I deserve to take action now.
- All parts of me are ready, willing and able to take action now.
- It is natural for me to take action now.
- It is in my best and highest good to take action now.
- I love myself enough to take action now.
A low score, he says, suggests that thinking about the task triggers stress, and we tend to fall back on what we’ve done before. [7]
Peak Performance in 60 Seconds
His book Peak Performance in 60 Seconds brings together four essentials for performing at your best: the mind, the emotions, fuel and the body. [2]
Its full subtitle promises the essentials “to maximise your energy, resilience and performance”, and it includes a 10-step plan to be “energised and in flow every day”. [2] [1]
His other book, The Gamma Mindset, focuses on what he calls the Gamma State, which he describes as the most receptive state for changing limiting beliefs and for creating flow. [2]
Videos with Chris Walton
Hand-picked from his official channel and checked one by one: start with the masterclass, then explore beliefs, confidence and flow.
Start here
Guided sessions
Beliefs and the subconscious
Confidence and flow
Articles about Chris Walton
Chris Walton’s books
Chris has written two books on his approach. Both are widely available.
Find his books in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Where to learn from him
Chris offers online coaching and courses through his website, and teaches the full technique for free in his masterclass on YouTube. [1] [4]
His sessions run online, so they are open to people in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and worldwide.
What the Research Shows
Chris Walton’s work centres on self-belief and the statements you repeat to yourself. Researchers have studied both ideas in their own ways.
- Self-belief. Believing you can succeed at something, known as self-efficacy, shapes how much effort you put in and how long you keep going. [8]
- Affirming your values. Brief exercises in which people affirm what matters most to them have had lasting benefits in many studies. [9]
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr Chris Walton?
A UK-based mindset coach and author who created the Gamma Mindset technique.
What is the Gamma Mindset?
A short technique that combines a calm posture, a warm heart-based feeling and slow, silent repetition of a new belief.
How long does it take?
About 60 to 90 seconds once you know the steps.
What are some example beliefs?
He uses statements such as “It is safe for me to change. I believe this 100%.”
What qualifications does he have?
An MSc in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology, a PhD in Integrative Medicine, and NLP trainer certification.
What books has he written?
The Gamma Mindset and Peak Performance in 60 Seconds.
Where should I start?
Watch his free masterclass on YouTube, then try the steps on one belief you want to change.
Sources
- Gamma Mindset: About Dr Chris Walton
- Gamma Mindset: Books
- Gamma Mindset: Why It Works
- Dr Chris Walton: Free Gamma Mindset Masterclass (YouTube)
- Dr Chris Walton: How Your Brain Gets Programmed from 0 to 6 (YouTube)
- Dr Chris Walton: The Truth about Confidence (YouTube)
- Dr Chris Walton: The Subconscious Beliefs for Taking Action (YouTube)
- Bandura, Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change, Psychological Review 1977
- Cohen and Sherman, The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention, Annual Review of Psychology 2014
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