What is the subconscious mind?
In preparation for this blog post I did a lot research and as far as I can tell, no one really knows!
The subconscious mind is nebulous, and we are only beginning to understand what it does, how it works, and even where it resides in our brains.
As science and technology attempt to catch up with the subconscious, there are indeed a few things we have come to understand about this ubiquitous but complicated psychological phenomenon.
The subconscious mind is completely suggestive. Meaning, it only knows what you tell it to know. Our subconscious is like a sponge that soaks up every idea, thought and emotion that pops up throughout the day. In a sense, the subconscious is our brains greatest filter.
Unfortunately, the subconscious has limitations and doesn’t know the difference between past and present as it absorbs the enormous amounts of information that inundate our minds on a daily basis.
As such, the subconscious makes no qualms about when a thought or event occurred (as it pertains to past and present) because it only cares about the actual thought itself and more importantly, the emotion experienced from the thought or event.
Because the subconscious is our filter and is constantly being subjected to enormous amounts of data and input, it’s not possible for it to consciously communicate with the “self.” If it did, the “self” would have no time for conscious thought because it would be bombarded with sensory information on a scale too large for us to comprehend rationally.
So, to circumvent these circumstances the subconscious communicates with us almost exclusively through emotions. As they say, “I had a feeling something good/bad was about to happen.”
Finally, the subconscious mind functions almost like our brains data warehouse as it compiles, records, and sorts every memory, experience, or thought we’ve ever had in life!
Our subconscious mind is where we store important memories that can be recalled under the right circumstances. These collective or emotional memories help the conscious individual solidify their sense of “me” and “my story.”
With all this data it should be difficult for the subconscious to make sense of the infinite number of inputs but fortunately, the subconscious performs this task seamlessly because a memory is not stored as a memory.
Instead, it’s stored as an event to be cataloged and used if/when needed. There is no wasted energy determining timelines for our subconscious which’s is why it’s such an effective filter!
Life would be a lot easier if we could tap into this library of memories and feelings to help us navigate from one day to the next but as we know, life doesn’t work that way. It takes conscious effort and an intentional practice to decode the mind beneath our conscious thoughts.
Luckily for us, the subconscious mind is extremely elastic and its influence on us is not fixed in one way or another.
Through a mindful mediation technique life conscious awareness, we can begin to see what treasures lie at the bottom of this vast well of knowledge.
To practice conscious awareness, instead of focusing on your anchor or your breath focus on what comes up in the moment—whether it be a thought or an emotion. As the sensation unfolds, see if you can watch it as if you were watching it on a TV screen. In other words, detach from the words you hear in your mind or the emotions you feel in the pit of your stomach and simply watch.
By creating space between you and the experience you can then begin to realize a lot of your thoughts, and the emotional responses to those thoughts, are extremely repetitive.
If you can see this, then congratulations! You just tapped into your subconscious mind!
Why?
Because the repetitive thoughts that run in and out of our minds every day are made habitual by the subconscious. If you can see the reoccurring thought or feeling, then you can see what the subconscious is feeding you!
If you don’t like what you hear, see or feel, don’t worry too much because there is an easy and simple way to help change our subconscious minds.
Through a simple practice like visualization, which can easily be added to a meta or concentration practice, we can build a subconscious that vibrates and inspires us on a higher level!
By imagining what it would feel like to already have what you want or be who you want to be, you put the subconscious mind to work FOR you instead of against you. You influence your life behind the scenes in a positive way by feeding the subconscious coordinates to your desired future or mode of being.
The subconscious is seriously understated and its impact on “your” life could be much more substantial than you think. According to some studies, the subconscious can account for almost 95% of energy used by our brain while the conscious mind only accounts for 5%!
That is a staggering number but that doesn’t mean you ARE the subconscious. Ultimately, the subconscious is just as much a part of us as our conscious thoughts or emotions are a part of us. They are only a part of “who we are” in so far as we identity with them.
The cool thing about our subconscious mind though, is that by listening to it through meditation we can begin to understand it! When we understand the subconscious we can then let it work for us by visualizing ourselves as the person who already has what they want/need in life.
Don’t let the power of suggestion fool you. It is a tremendously effective tool to have in your life tool kit. It can literally inspire you to live a life you had only ever dreamed of and turn it into a reality!
Thank you for reading this week’s post! We hope you learned a thing or two about the subconscious mind and you can see the influence it has on your life. We’d love to hear what you’ve learned about your subconscious so be sure to drop us a note!
Until next week,
Many many blessings!