Conscious and Subconscious Mind Defined
For the first part in this series, please Read About Myth #1 Here.
People often ask me, “Why do you go to such trouble to explain what hypnosis is, and provide such detailed support and advance before and after sessions?”
My answer: “The better prepared and educated you are, the more you will get out of it, the happier you are, the better for business.”
You see I realised early on that the more clients understood the part they play in transformation, and how much power they had, the better their sessions would be. The more you understand about hypnosis, the more you can relax, let go and get the most out of your sessions.
In a series of articles, I’ve been exploring the “12 Myths About Hypnosis” and it is really helpful to “get” what the difference between the “conscious” and “unconscious” mind is.
It is also important to know that you won’t become a zombie in hypnosis. Neither will your mind completely switch off. I prefer to teach clients self-hypnosis from the first session, so they can learn to do it themselves, but you need to be able to trust that you have a subconscious and that, consciously, you can accept or reject suggestions at any time.
Example: You are experiencing hypnosis and you realise you are listing to a suggestion, “You can be more confident around people.” You hear yourself saying, “I wonder if I am doing this right.”
You STOP! You gently say, “I like this suggestion. I know it is going to work for me.”
Understanding the difference between the conscious and subconscious can help greatly with understanding the changes you want to make. And any goals you are motivated to achieve.
One thing: although we use the terms ‘conscious’ and subconscious’ that could suggestion almost 2 separate things. That is not really the case. If we think about nonconscious processes and doing things on automatic, and out awareness of this processes as ‘subconscious’ and ability to notice and become aware of this (‘conscious awareness’), it will be more helpful for you.
If you start thinking of yourself as having two separate minds, that tends to create stress, worry and fear. And that would defeat the object of getting very good with this.
A decade ago, psychologists would have consider hypnosis or the unconscious mind very differently to how they look at it today. We now know that decisions are fundamentally made at the unconscious level FIRST, and only then rationalised consciously.
An example: you buy a new iPhone or a high-end dress or outfit. You bought it for how it made you feel, and then developed conscious reasons that would make sense afterwards.
Is that so hard to believe? Think about it for a moment. If you bought something and didn’t have reasons, you might find it awkward when discussing it with friends or family. However, we know that the impulse to buy tends to come unconsciously first and then is justified later.
Of course, some people have developed a pattern of asking themselves: “Do I need this?” or train themselves to ask, “Is this a smart move?” Others don’t and well…
It reminds me a friend who was listening to a co-worker tell him that they had the latest TV, latest car and latest p0hone and who then lamented that he never had any money!
(Tip: Hypnosis can help change impulsive behaviours. Do you need conscious mind on side? You bet. You still have to do the work and take responsibility, but it can speed this up, and we can use advanced NLP and regression to remove the root cause and old emotional trigger to gamble, overspend or feel anxious when you don’t need)
Did you know that first impressions not only count but rarely – if ever – change?
Our feeling when we meet someone is often set in stone in a 2 or 3 seconds. Consciously, this makes no sense, but the nonconsious processes are constantly inter-acting and looking to make a sense of this.
So here goes.
The conscious mind is that part of you that you are most aware of: it’s the part of you that does your “thinking”. You are probably aware of it as the voice you hear in your head when you “think”. It’s the little voice that says, “Let’s weigh up the pros and cons of buying this item” and “I’ll have to think about that.”
Think of it as the part of you that “analyses” and wants to understand – everything. It’s the part of you that generally thinks (mistakenly) it’s running the show.
The conscious mind is where your immediate focus is – it tends to be audible too. And it is generally agreed that a person can focus on a maximum of nine things at once. In my experience, that number is closer to one, especially for men!
The conscious mind is very LIMITED in what it can do. However, every single person I have ever worked with who had a problem was stuck trying to solve it with their conscious mind. It’s like going to a shack at the side of the road for your household furniture, when there is an IKEA round the corner. Or something that dwarfs IKEA because…
…the unconscious mind is …well….everything else.
Your unconscious is VAST: think of it as Aladdin’s Lamp. All the great songs you like, the great films you’ve seen, world champion athletes, the great works of art, and scientific breakthroughs – these all came from people tapping into their subconscious.
Isn’t that just a tad exciting?
Think about this for a moment:
- When you sleep at night, what part of you remembers to regulate your heartbeat?
- As you read this now, how have you been remembering to breathe?
- What part of you grows your hair?
- What part of you knows how to walk?
- What part of you knows how to talk – and understands language?
- What part of you remembers your phone number when you aren’t consciously thinking about it?
Answer: your unconscious mind – what some people call your subconscious”. And it can do so much more for you.
Here’s the key point: It’s actually very easy to influence your subconscious.
Have you ever said to yourself, “I mustn’t forget my keys?”
And what happens?
You “forget” them.
How to prevent that happening is another e-mail! (Hint: focus on “remembering” them).
It’s important to realise you are CONSTANTLY giving suggestions to your inner mind or subconscious. If you take responsibility to tell it what you want, then you will get amazing results.
Your subconscious is a genie that is always with you, looking out for your interests – and ready to do your bidding – with the right degree of conscious awareness, commitment to follow through and alignment. When you learn to communicate with it, your life can significantly improve. By comparison, if you live in your head, all you’ll get is “washing machine mind” – and a headache.
Your conscious mind is limited. If you feel stuck, that’s because you are stuck thinking about it. Your unconscious mind is virtually endless in its capacity to take care of you, solve problems – and develop creative solutions. So pat yourself on the back and realise you are already a genius. You have what it takes to solve your problems.
Hypnosis is so powerful because it can help you overcome the most long standing habits. Using hypno-analysis, regression and many other very powerful modalities, we can literally tailor sessions to help you change the most intractable problems.
One useful definition of the hypnosis is the process of “bypassing the critical faculties of the conscious mind”. It is much more than that, but this the process that allows to shift from a waking state into a series of trances that can lead to a rapid long-term transformation, as long as you are motivated and happy to let go of the past.
At the moment, I am working with clients to:
- Overcome a range of fears, including claustrophobia and lightening
- Beat habits like a lifetime of nail biting
- Overcome fear of flying
- Develop greater confidence
- Lose weight (and you can still eat the foods you love if you want)
- Stop Smoking
And as you read the rest of the myths about hypnosis, you will be learning to tap into that innate reservoir of potential much more effectively over the coming months.
Understand that, as my mentors used to tell me, “Whoever you think you are, you are always and in all ways more than that.” The conscious mind or brain can trick us into thinking that out current experience is all there is. We all experience setbacks and difficulties in life and it is the emotional response that happens when we are young that tends to create the patterns that limit us. Later on, it seems to be “the way it is” to our conscious mind.
But if you take a long hard look and you are honest, you know that there is no reason for you not to be able to learn, grown, be content, achieve more, do more, and be happier and more content. Even if you believe that you are genetically predisposed to a certain temperament, which is only 50% of you. There is a LOT you can change – in your environment, in your behaviours, the people you spend time with.
Where does change start? With a conscious DESIRE and DECISION. Where does it end up? In changing unconscious desires and patterns. A good hypnotherapist will help you with this, will help you change and will help you also change by adoption behaviours or having “tasks” that will help your make new generalisation about what you are capable of – at the unconscious level.
Conscious is limited but important. It is the gatekeeper to you. Subconscious runs the show, but has all experience and emotional locked in. You need to be gentle in your dealings with your subconscious. Start today by talking to yourself in a gentler tone of voice. Give yourself gentle encouragement, “You can do more.”
And as you read the rest of the myths about hypnosis, you will be learning to tap into that innate reservoir of potential much more effectively over the coming months.
If you are interested in finding out more about private hypnosis or coaching sessions, then send me an e-mail.
Curious about hypnosis? Pick up 2 free hypnotherapy recordings now.