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THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

The theory of the conscious and subconscious mind is now more or less universally accepted as a valid model to work with given our current understanding in this field.

We are dealing here with two quite seperate entities that are responsible for different functions. It is estimated that on average we spend 95% of our life processing in subconscious mode and therefore it can be useful to have a basic understanding of these structures. What follows is a brief description of what is generally accepted as the main differences between the conscious mind(CM) and the subconscious mind(SCM).

The CM is volitional, it is here that desires,will power and effort reside, its real skill is in setting goals and judging results. It tends to think abstractly and can be inspired when reading poetry or spiritual litrature for example. The CM is where short term memory resides, it is time bound and can processes in the past or future. The CM has limited processing capacity and is easily overwhelmed, for example how often does the pot boil over when we answer the phone.

The SCM on the other hand is a quite different, it is habitual. For example it monitors the operation of body functions like breathing, heart beat, blood pressure etc. The SCM thinks literally, that is why when we communicate with it we have to be very literal, or it will not understand what is being said and simply ignore it. This why affirmations that are of a generally abstract nature, such as 'I live in a state of joy and bliss', often result in fustration. The SCM is responsible for long term memory it records past experiences, memories, attitudes, beliefs etc. This is why when we work with SCM, more profound changes can be achieved. It is timeless, it only works in the present moment, it does not know the past or future, that is why statements have to be in the first person present tense when we work with the SCM. The SCM has a massive processing capacity in comparison to the CM, millions of times faster and with similar information handling capabilities.

This is the basis for subliminal advertising. When an image is flashed before us so quickly that the CM is unaware of it, while the SCM has not only recorded the stimulus, it has responded to it, even though we are not consciously aware of it. We have two discreet parts to our mind, if we have a SCM problem and we tackle it consciously we tend to get into trouble.

THE BASIC PROBLEM

In all areas of our life such as, self esteem, relationships, finance, work etc, problems arise when OUR CONSCIOUS DESIRES DO NOT ALIGN WITH OUR SUBCONSCIOUS BELIEFS. This situation will create varing degrees of stress, which will be registered on our cellular biochemistry. When we are exposed to prolonged psychological stress or an accute trauma, we must of course deal with the subconscious issue but for a permanent stable outcome we must also ameliorate the associated biochemical implications.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF OUR SUBCONSCIOUS BELIEFS and ATTITUDES

Traumas and emotional experiences are recorded and stored by the subconscious mind. The operational mechanism here would appear to be the shutting down of the corpus callosum(CC). The corpus callosum is the nervous tissue that connects the two hemispheres of the brain and can act as a bridge or a barrier for balanced brain hemisphere communication. Certain levels of trauma have been shown to be able to shut down corpus callosam operation, this is assumed to be a survival/protection mechanism. This results in the appropriate hemisphere dominating, to muster the required resources required to deal with current danger. The brain dominance theories state that when we over identify with one hemisphere this can lead to unhelpful imbalances and restoration of CC function is required to re-establish balance and full function.

When faced with many of our daily tasks, a certain stimulus can trigger the activation of the associated stored neural program. This occurs countless times each day preventing us from having to consciously think and act to perform many tasks. The stored subconscious programs that are obsolete and no longer serve a useful function, that still activate, causing for example undesired habits or re-experiencing of unpleasant past traumas, that require to be reprogrammed or deleted to prevent further stress.

Researchers when observing patients experiencing hypnotherapy have consistently demonstrated that brain wave frequency is reduced considerably while in trance. The normal brain wave frequency of a healthy adult when awake is in the Alpha(8-14Hz) or Beta(15-40Hz) range, and when sleeping, meditating or in a hypnotic trance the brain wave frequencies are in the Theta(5-8Hz) or Delta(1-4Hz) range. The objective of hypnotherapy is to rewrite problematic beliefs, attitudes, traumatic memories etc in the patients subconscious mind.

The significant point here is that one of the conditions that provides access to the subconscious mind is when the brain wave frequency is in the Delta or Theta range. Now here's the deal, relatively recent research conclusively confirms that humans up to about the age of 6, when awake, spend large periods with their brain wave frequency in the Delta or Theta range. This is the phase of life where our subconscious mind is programmed with beliefs and attitudes that may be with us for the rest of our lives. This takes place with little or no conscious filtering due to our age. The two main influences are the environment and our parents. Unfortunately when we are programmed with less than ideal beliefs such as 'you are not good enough', 'you do not deserve to be happy' etc, this can stay with us for the rest of our life causing stress and a whole range of difficulties.

Many tools and techniques have evolved to help with the task of influencing the subconscious mind, the best known techniques are Hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) both of which I practice. Currently the tool I prefer to use is Psych-k, the reasons for this are Results, Ease of Use and the basic technique can be taught quickly, providing the patient with a tool which contributes further to the empowerment philosophy. Please use this link for more information about PSYCH-K.

The basics of Psych-k can be taught over the phone with email backup support.

We can not begin to understand the potential of the subconscious mind but it is clear that it can be a great friend or a terrible foe, I think best to learn how to get along together.