Five common states describe how people relate to Bitcoin, and understanding them changes how we show up for others, and for ourselves. These varied understandings of the protocol may explain why so many of our friends and loved ones seem so hesitant to explore Bitcoin. These states trace the path from sincere unawareness through scepticism, curiosity, deep research, and active contribution to the network. They are not hierarchical and no one is better or worse than the other. They are just experiences of reality.
| State | Core Experience | Common Response |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sincere Unawareness | Bitcoin has not registered or is dismissed as noise | Work harder; trust existing structures |
| 2. Scepticism and Dismissal | Surface-level objections dominate | It is flawed, dangerous, or doomed |
| 3. Curiosity and Discomfort | Cognitive dissonance can no longer be ignored | What is money? Where does it come from? |
| 4. Research and Unlearning | Deep dive into monetary history and systemic design | Intense drive to resolve dissonance; renewed agency |
| 5. Deeper Engagement | Values and actions feel aligned; grounded calm | Long-term outlook; active contribution to the network |
This piece is a structural observation drawn from personal experience and independent research. It is not financial, therapeutic, or medical advice. Full disclaimers.
Key Takeaways
- Five states commonly describe how people relate to Bitcoin: Sincere unawareness, scepticism and dismissal, curiosity and discomfort, deep research and unlearning, and active engagement and contribution.
- Each state reflects a deeper encounter with both personal conditioning (the Individual Matrix) and the systemic programming of fiat money (the Systemic Matrix).
- Awakening is non-linear, and oscillation between states is natural; at an average annual inflation rate of roughly 3%, half of our stored purchasing power vanishes within a single generation, yet most of us never question why.
- Cognitive dissonance in the face of Bitcoin signals an inner conflict between inherited programming and a desire for sovereignty.
- Supporting others means holding space, creating environments for those who are ready, and releasing the need for anyone else to “get it.”
Why Do So Many People Dismiss or Ignore Bitcoin?
Most people encounter Bitcoin and register it as noise because the fiat monetary system has trained us to interpret anything outside its framework as irrelevant or threatening. This programming operates across both layers, personal and systemic, which means the resistance we witness in others and in ourselves is the expected response of a nervous system shaped to trust the familiar. Looking into that reflection may reveal uncomfortable truths that spark a longing for greater sovereignty, or reveal a deep-seated fear. The ego, preferring the known over the unknown, may initially resist with shame, guilt, or fear. This resistance stems from an inner conflict between our deepest desires and the systemic programming we internalised as children, manifesting as subconscious limitations: The voices of our parents, of society, of government, replaying in our heads.
State 1: Sincere Unawareness
At this state, we are unaware of Bitcoin, or it has entered our awareness without registering as significant. Many of us sense that something is off in our lives and in the world, yet the conditioned response is to work harder. Hustle culture and the idea that anyone can make it with enough effort are fiat-based ideals that fuel us to produce more inside an inflationary system designed to extract our productivity; at an average annual inflation rate of roughly 3%, half of our stored purchasing power vanishes within a single generation. Others may feel financially secure, trusting of governments, with no perceived problem to solve. In either case, the awareness has not yet arrived.
State 2: Scepticism and Dismissal
Scepticism and dismissal are natural initial reactions to Bitcoin. We might see potential benefits but ultimately conclude it is deeply flawed: Used by criminals, harmful to the environment, destined to be shut down by governments. After all, human history is rife with broken trust and co-opted money, so the scepticism is understandable. I know these objections from the inside; I had my own along the way, and those transmuted fears now give me a deeper understanding of those of others. Recently, someone interrupted a presentation I was giving, listing reasons why Bitcoin would fail. My initial internal reaction was to refute each point, but while they were speaking I realised it was just their cognitive dissonance speaking. If they came all the way to that educational event, they had at least some interest in resolving it. I thanked them for sharing and invited them to keep asking questions. Holding space for their concerns felt more honest than battling an ego not yet ready to move further along.
What Happens When We Start Questioning Money?
Curiosity emerges when the cognitive dissonance we carry about money, work, and freedom can no longer be ignored; we start asking bigger questions and seeking truths that our previous frameworks could not contain.
State 3: Curiosity and Discomfort
The third state begins when the cognitive dissonance we carry about money, work, and freedom can no longer be ignored: What is money? Where does it come from? Why does it have such a hold on our lives? This is also the stage where fiat-adjacent distractions appear: the allure of other cryptocurrencies, promises of high yields on sats. Paper dreams wrapped in Bitcoin clothing, tied to a fiat reality. The distinction between Bitcoin as neutral protocol and everything else becomes visible at this stage, even when the full picture has not yet come into focus. Bitcoin always reveals truth when we keep looking. This self-assessment maps where you currently sit across both layers of programming: The Individual Matrix and the Systemic Matrix, so you can see which layer is producing the plateau.
[self-assessment]
Speaking with a couple after a presentation, I learned a valuable lesson. He was in traditional finance, she was curious about the technology; both agreed that fiat is printed money and that we live in a fabricated reality. They asked deep questions, but every time we agreed on something, they had a new rebuttal. I watched them oscillate between State 2 and State 3 for over an hour, grappling with ideas that their existing frameworks could not hold. After over an hour of unwinding conditioning and holding space, I felt completely depleted. I learned that questions are not always readiness.
Why Does the Bitcoin Journey Feel Like a Spiritual Awakening?
Bitcoin functions as a pattern interrupt that requires us to look deeply into the void, and the fourth state carries the intensity of what many spiritual traditions call the dark night of the soul. An insatiable curiosity and intrinsic motivation become undeniable; we must resolve the fiat programming and consciousness awakening that the previous states only partly surfaced.
State 4: Research & Unlearning
At this stage we feel a need to understand Bitcoin for ourselves. Countless podcasts and books eventually lead us to meetups and conferences; we learn about central banking and the inner workings of the system. We begin to see how inflation threads through everything, from everyday life to the wars and division in the collective. As Jeff Booth has articulated: “Politics is theatre on top of broken money.” We may feel more hopeful, eager, and empowered with a renewed sense of agency. While hodling is a strong path at this stage, remaining here indefinitely can lead to stagnation. But there is more.
What Does Deeper Bitcoin Engagement Look Like?
At the fifth state, the cognitive dissonance has been resolved, and values and actions feel more aligned. There is a growing sense of grounded calm, peace, and clarity; the outlook is long-term, and we are less drawn to clickbait about price or how much Bitcoin we need to own. We try to embody the signal through the noise, knowing we may not always succeed.
State 5: Deeper Engagement & Contribution
There is a fine line, a WuWei, in holding the paradox that Bitcoin both needs us and exists independently of us, that it could fail and that it will succeed because of our choices and actions. We may participate by actively voting with our node and maintaining a secure, decentralised monetary network for all, and find fulfilment in channelling our time, energy, and skills into the Bitcoin ecosystem and receiving value in sats in return. For those exploring practical entry without conversion, the journey begins with contributing value to the network.
How Do We Support Others on Their Bitcoin Journey?
Most of us, once through the harder states, feel a genuine pull to guide the people we care about along the same path, and the most important realisation is that we cannot reach someone before they are ready. I wrote a chapter in Beyond Money on this, and it transformed considerably through a year of editing. The first version was about asking questions and meeting people where they are; the published version holds more wisdom: be the change, and welcome those who are ready. I still find this difficult with close family and friends. Releasing the desire for them to “get it” and redirecting energy toward organising free Bitcoin educational events that attract those who are ready has helped. Anne Lamott wrote that “lighthouses do not go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”[1] Creating space for others, organising meetups, joining Nostr, running a node, being the change: this is what actually reaches people.
If this resonates, Beyond Money goes deeper into exactly this. You can find it at daniella.io.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Five States of Bitcoin Awakening?
The five states of Bitcoin awakening are sincere unawareness, scepticism and dismissal, curiosity and discomfort, research and unlearning, and deeper engagement and contribution. They describe recurring patterns in how people relate to Bitcoin, shaped by both personal conditioning (the Individual Matrix) and the systemic programming of fiat money (the Systemic Matrix). The path is not hierarchical or linear; most of us oscillate between states.
Why Does Bitcoin Create Cognitive Dissonance?
Bitcoin creates cognitive dissonance because it challenges both layers of our conditioning simultaneously: The personal beliefs we inherited in childhood and the collective programming of the fiat monetary system. The ego prefers the known over the unknown and may initially resist with shame, guilt, or fear when confronted with information that contradicts decades of systemic reinforcement.
How Do We Talk to Someone About Bitcoin Who Is Resistant?
The most effective approach is to stop trying to convince and start creating space. Holding space means being present without an agenda, welcoming questions without pushing answers, and recognising that readiness cannot be manufactured. Organising educational events, sharing resources when asked, and embodying the values of the protocol often reach people more effectively than any argument can.
Is Bitcoin Adoption a Spiritual Experience?
The Bitcoin journey parallels what many spiritual traditions describe as an awakening: A period of cognitive dissonance, followed by deep unlearning, a restructuring of assumptions about reality, and a realignment of values and actions. The fourth state mirrors what is sometimes called the “dark night of the soul,” where everything we assumed about money and freedom is re-examined at its foundation.
Sources
[1] Lamott, A. (1994). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books.
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