The Magic Of Your Subconscious Mind

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Your inner wisdom...your intuition...the mind-body interface...your
guiding spirit...all these are definitions of the subconscious mind.
Your subconscious is the part of your mind responsible for mental
operations that seem beyond the purview of normal consciousness---
dreams, hunches, intuition, moments of insight, flashes of creativity,
precognition---even self-sabotage when we act upon motives of which we
are unaware.
If you learn to trust, understand, and communicate with your
subconscious you can tap into dimensions of thought that may be new to
you. Your subconscious mind can serve as a source of inner guidance,
self-knowledge, creativity, better health, and the motivation to
accomplish goals.
How do I know? I am a certified master clinical hypnotherapist as well
as a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of professional
experience. I use hypnosis as a tool to help people manage emotions,
improve health, eliminate bad habits, sleep better, reduce chronic
pain, relax, develop confidence, visualize goals, and overcome
phobias, fears, stress, and anxiety. A large part of my job is
teaching people how to access their strengths and develop effective
mental strategies, by using both the logical, conscious mind as well
as the elusive, magical, subconscious. In this article, let me tell
you how you can access and strengthen your connection with your
subconscious to enhance the quality of your life.
Definitions of the Subconscious Mind
The concept of the subconscious was developed by psychologists early
in the 20th century. The subconscious, sometimes called the
"unconscious" mind, is a catch-all construct describing mental
workings that don't seem to be under conscious control. Freud
theorized the subconscious to be a dark place of inner drives and
demons, a repository of childhood fears and frustrations, and the
storehouse of repressed memories that spawn seemingly inexplicable
fears, obsessions, compulsions, and psychosomatic illnesses.
Freud's colleague, Jung, theorized that the subconscious mind is every
individual's link to the cosmic consciousness---the universal
intelligence, the shared mind of the human race. His theory explains
how disparate cultures develop similar symbols, beliefs, and rituals,
and why similar inventions and innovations appear in various locations
across the globe, yet all at the same time.
Some psychologists characterize the subconscious as na?ve and child-
like'with no awareness of good and bad, right and wrong. This
definition explains why we persist in unhealthy habits, such as
overeating and smoking. Logically, we know these habits are
destructive, but we feel compelled to do them anyway because the
subconscious seeks only instant pleasure and gratification. Being
child-like, this version of the subconscious doesn't understand the
difference between real and imaginary'thus the theory that the
subconscious mind can be influenced by story-telling, guided imagery,
and visualization.
Other theorists describe the subconscious as a source of wisdom and
healing'an inner genie that grants insight, intuition, spiritual
guidance, and recovery from illness. To those who believe in
metaphysics, the subconscious mind is a direct connection to the
universal creative mind that brings ideas into physical reality.
With its many attributes, perhaps it's no wonder hypnotherapists and
psychologists seek to engage the subconscious to help their clients
toward self-improvement. One stated purpose of hypnosis, in fact, is
to "bypass the conscious mind," in an effort to reach the part of the
mind that holds the key to real, lasting change, healing, and
motivation.
So what is the subconscious mind? The subconscious mind is a
construct. We cannot see it, touch it, or measure it, because it is
not a physical thing. It is an abstraction that describes functions of
the human mind that are unlike the conscious, cognitive functions we
can perform at will, like spelling, arithmetic, typing, reciting,
recalling facts, using logic, and following instructions.
The subconscious seems comprised of somewhat mysterious mental
operations that seem to operate beyond conscious control. Here are the
functions of the subconscious mind.
?Stored Memory: A repository for long-forgotten memories that may be a
source of inexplicable fears, preferences, and idiosyncrasies.
? Creativity and Intuition: The ability to pull together seemingly
unrelated bits of information and arrive at new conclusions and
possibilities, which we've never before formulated. ?Intuition: The
ability to sense cues and patterns of activity in the environment of
which we are not consciously aware, and yet, which alert us to events
that are about to happen---a near accident, for example.
?Mind/Body Monitoring and Healing: As the link between mind and body,
the subconscious seems to exert an influence over personal sickness
and health. The mind is the true healer, fueled by the power of
belief.
?The Dream Weaver: Hypnotherapists believe that the subconscious
remains active during sleep, processing the events and emotions of the
day via dreams, while the conscious mind rests.
?The Connection to Cosmic Consciousness: In sleep, meditation, quiet
contemplation, or prayer, and sometimes in what some have described as
a blinding flash of enlightenment and insight, the subconscious opens
up a link, an interface, to universal knowledge and understanding. The
result might be a religious conversion, an epiphany, innovation and
invention, a solution to a previously unsolvable problem, or a
miraculous and spontaneous healing.
?The Inner Spirit and Higher Wisdom: There are those who say that the
subconscious is very much a part of our spiritual nature---the essence
of God, the kingdom of heaven, within ourselves.
Accessing the Subconscious
By accessing your subconscious, you might become more creative,
intuitive, healthier, and insightful, with more control over thoughts,
emotions, habits, and motivation. It doesn't happen overnight. This
level of self-understanding, mental discipline and personal
empowerment can take years to develop. Yet, there are ways to
facilitate the process. Begin with the intention to increase your
awareness of your subconscious and establish a communication with it,
and cultivate a desire to learn what it can teach you.
How the Subconscious Mind Communicates
The subconscious mind communicates its guidance in often unexpected
and creative ways. That communication might be an intuitive hunch, a
flash of insight, or a creative idea. It might be a dream or an image,
seemingly irrelevant at first, yet, after a while one that begins to
make sense. Some say the subconscious is that still, small voice
within that speaks to us in quiet moments of curiosity, wonder, awe,
or reflection. Sometimes the subconscious mind warns us of danger or
threat with a sensation---a tightening in the stomach, a chill down
the spine, a feeling of physical discomfort. I have often had the
experience that when I am searching for something I've misplaced, I
get an intuitive push to look in a certain place, and I usually find
the lost item.
Strengthen Your Connection
To increase your connection to the subconscious and foster its
participation in your daily life, turn off the radio, the computer,
the television and put down the magazine and the newspaper and take
time for quiet, solitary reflection. Here are a few more
recommendations.
?Get comfortable listening to your own thoughts and traveling your
interior landscape. Stop thinking of everything you have to do and all
the things you worry about and communicate with your inner spirit.
Learn to occasionally exist fully in the moment. Figure out who you
are, what your life is all about, and what brings you fulfillment and
inner peace. Think deeply about these things and perhaps your inner
wisdom will begin to listen and guide you to conclusions.
?Give attention to your dreams. In Conscious Dreaming, Robert Moss,
shaman and professor of philosophy, writes that dreams are spiritual
tools through which we can learn about the future, receive guidance,
and resolve unfinished business. Moss recommends keeping a dream
diary, to understand the symbols, patterns and themes of dreams. He
advises us to ask of our dreams: "What do I need to know? What do I
need to do?"
?Engage the services of a board-certified hypnotherapist who can help
you understand more about your subconscious. With hypnotherapy, you
can eliminate undesirable habits, resolve inner conflicts, enhance
your motivation and self-confidence, heal traumas, and surmount
irrational fears and phobias.
?Take time to relax, quiet your mind, and develop an inner focus. If
you have trouble relaxing, purchase a relaxation training CD'you can
find them on Internet web sites such as The Hypnosis Network.
Relaxation will help you with reflection, meditation, sleep, and self-
hypnosis, all of which will enhance your ability to access your
subconscious.
?Eliminate fear-based, negative self-talk. Your subconscious listens
to every thought you think and carries those messages to your body,
and out to the universe. Monitor your thoughts and start thinking
positively about the things that really matter in your life.
?Develop a capacity for curiosity and creativity; states in which the
subconscious is most likely to be attentive and responsive. These
states allow you to open your awareness and engage in possibility
thinking.
There are several "tools" that will help you communicate with the
subconscious. They include journaling, mind-mapping, treasure-mapping,
affirmations, focused thinking, and prayer.
?Journaling: Keep a diary to capture feelings, dreams, goals,
impressions, and insights. In this way, you become more aware of your
patterns of thinking and feeling.
?Mind-mapping: Choose a project you want to carry out and then create
a pen-and-paper diagram of your thoughts. The diagram starts from a
central point on the page and then branches out in all directions, as
new ideas occur. Describe each idea with a few key words. The branches
will develop "twigs" as you think of the details that accompany each
major idea. Mind-mapping allows for creative, non-linear thinking that
lends itself to planning and problem solving.
?Treasure-mapping: Assemble a collage of pictures of the things you
want in life, so that the images are more easily communicated to the
subconscious. The pictures can come from photos, sketches, and
clippings from newspapers and magazines. Look at your treasure map
often, for reinforcement.
?Affirmations: Get into the habit of positive thinking about the
things you are accomplishing in your life. Affirmations are the
"slogans" you say to yourself that keep you optimistic and focused on
your goals, and motivated to achieve them.
?Focused thinking and visualization: Take some time each day to dwell
on your future. Visualize that you are accomplishing your goals and
dreams.
?Prayer: Become a co-creator of your own reality, by meditating and
conversing with the Deity, according to your spiritual beliefs. Ask
for guidance, affirm that your needs and wants are satisfied, and
express gratitude.
Perhaps Dr. Joseph Murphy sums up the ideas in this article best in
his writings:
You can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health,
more happiness and more joy by learning to contact and release the
hidden power of your subconscious mind. ...Within your subconscious
depths lie infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite supply of all
that is necessary, which is waiting for development and
expression...Your subconscious mind takes the orders you give it based
on what the conscious mind believes and accepts as true...Remember,
your subconscious mind does not engage in proving whether your
thoughts are good or bad, or true or false, but it responds according
to the nature of your thoughts. (From: The Power of Your Subconscious
Mind, Prentice-Hall, 1963)