I find the answer in my interactions with patients who have addictions-- an extreme example of 'deeply implanted opinions' in many respects. The critical feature in acheiving sobriety is often a period of desperation, commonly called a 'rock bottom'. There are two quotes that expand on this point-- the first is a line from an AA text, that recovery takes hold only when the alcoholic 'clings to the steps the way a drowning man seizes a life preserver.' In other words, a person only makes true changes when he has no other choice BUT TO make those changes. The other quote is "insight maketh a bloody entrance"-- Shakespeare, maybe?-- supporting the idea that TRUE change requires significant disruption of the status quo-- and the chaos that such disruption usually implies.