The Unconscious Mind

            The Unconscious Mind

 Some have described the unconscious as being like a cloud around the conscious. We are connected to it in an unknown way, possibly from the kites (messages) we send up or because the life giving rain it produces (Our health). Obviously we don't understand it very well. We must be aware of the unconscious before Emolvement can really begin. The Unconscious Mind isn't to be feared, instead it keeps you alive and exists to make you happy. 

While we are very young, we seem to be able to understand our unconscious mind better. However, since our conscious memory isn't developed until the age of two, no one can remember what happened during those first few years. But, something makes all of our early decisions for us. Unfortunately, our fear of social disconnection and the emerging ego shut down our dialogue with our unconscious. Our conscious minds further disconnect from lack of use because today's society doesn't encourage it. In fact, it is generally ignored or even disparaged. Usually, the loss of this connection begins when we learn language. This process makes us focus on the tangible to learn vocabulary and some us lose the images we used before. Then, we are no longer allowed to believe in our “invisible friends”, which suppresses our imagination. Finally, we even question our intuition. Just the concept of intuition suggests an unconscious mind. Usually by the age of ten, the unconscious is relegated to the role of keeping the body working. It tries to reach us in dreams but the link is often so poor that any message is usually blurred or lost. We can use meditation and visualization to re-establish lines of communication with the unconscious mind.

We can begin to reconnect simply by being open to the idea. Visualizing a handshake might work to start the process. But again, you must personalize it so your Unconscious mind will understand the meaning of any outreach. Rinse and repeat. Actually just repeat. I've always wanted to use that phrase but it should be: Repeat and Retain instead. The more you repeat your outreach the more effective it will be.

I have found the best way to communicate with the unconscious is through images, since it speaks to us in that way. Images might be a universal language, but the unconscious understands them. Some of us are better at creating images on our mental movie screen and I suggest the following exercise in order to improve your visualization skills. Begin by imagining a brick wall. Once that image is established imagine a paintbrush and begin to paint the wall white. It's harder than is sounds, but this will help you to make your images clearer. This is most useful when dealing with health issues, which are described in another blog from 2013.

We can also reprogram ourselves. I suggest you meditate in any way in which you are most comfortable. You can make your own rules for this process. I have also found that meditation is most effective for me before I drift off to sleep. I choose this time because sleep is the domain of the unconscious and I want to be as close as I can get. Intentional Meditation is the process of finding a mental space in which the conscious and unconscious overlap. When we do that we are able to send and receive messages from the unconscious. It may also be true that they unconscious provides us a link to something bigger which gives us a sense of knowing, not to be confused by knowledge. This may also be true os visualization as well.

    

The unconscious mind is very powerful. Sadly, many people are unaware of its existence. Just recognizing it is a huge step. We all see its existence if only because of dreams, which are not conscious. Advocated strongly by Jung, the unconscious is defined as everything our brain does that isn’t conscious. We are closest to it in dreams, but it signals the heart to beat and the lungs to breathe. It probably is responsible for what we call muscle memory. Reflexes and emotions seem to originate from the unconscious. We don’t consciously tell ourselves to jerk that leg or even to laugh or cry.  Sometimes we even consciously try and suppress these impulses, if they are inappropriate. This shows us that we can consciously influence them. But usually our emotions emerge without the conscious, so our unconscious must be their source.

        You can eventually manage your emotions by using positive commands during meditation, instead 

of a mantra. For beginners I suggest something like thinking "Peace" when you breathe in and "Be still" 

when you breathe out. Then if you want to change a behavior like anger, replace that with specific 

commands such as "I am" - breathe - "Calm" - breathe out, to lessen your tendency to become angry. 

You will find it easier each time, until it’s automatic. Your unconscious will work it out for you after 

you start. It’s practically self teaching. To control anger all you need to do is decide that you will think 

before you get angry. Meditate on it. The more you feel the emotion you want to manage the better, but 

obviously this makes it more difficult. It is hard to arrest anger while you are feeling it, so you must get 

to the source...your unconscious. Even doing this while you are calm may be just as beneficial. It should 

be done regularly and with conviction. If you are angry, meditate on it at that time. This may be hard but 

may help you to arrest the emotion before it causes you and those around you problems. Use your 

imagination. Put a stop on all anger for five seconds if you want. You just have to Repeat and Retain. 

repeat, until it becomes part of your unconscious. In this case you are both the hypnotist and the patient, 

so you have complete control of your commands.

 Meditation will bring you to the appropriate level of consciousness needed to communicate with your unconscious. During relaxed meditative states it appears as if the unconscious and conscious overlap and you can communicate directly with it. Find any spot, the quieter the better. It could even be in a waiting room. Instead of trying to figure out when you might be through with your visit, repeat a single thought, such as, ”I am Patient”, or “I am strong” or anything else you might be wanting to change. Synchronize your program with your breathing and it will connect with your unconscious.  Breathing is in the realm of the unconscious. We don't consciously think to breathe and when breathing is controlled by the conscious, both overlap. At this point you can insert any command, and just do that over and over. What you are doing is pushing a command into your unconscious. There it will grow and together with your conscious mind will start getting results, even if the changes don’t start right away. Don’t dismiss it. Your unconscious will accept your command when it understands it and because of the repetition it recognizes that it is important. You can address any issue such as anxiety, self confidence, or just about any issue you have. Doing this is free and often may be the best use of your time. One must be assertive, committed and consistent in their efforts. since our emotions are often changing We change our minds so often that when your unconscious hears the same need or desire consistently repeated it will respond.

Negative words should be avoided. Unfortunately there is no word for "no anger" without a negative, so we must be creative and use words like "anger-free" or "anger-less" or even calm. Any activity undertaken to emolve will be more effective when the the person and the message are positive.
Your own unconscious mind delivers information to your conscious. Athletes speak of “being unconscious out there” when they are effortlessly performing at their highest level. Musicians and painters probably are also aware of this because they have some understanding of the creative process, which also comes from the unconscious. In fact, many people understand this in all professions. We can all utilize our unconscious and have great results from our efforts.
We also need to be consistent about what we want. We change our minds so often that when your unconscious hears the same need or desire consistently repeated it will respond. It just needs to be certain that you are involved and ready for the desired changes. When it hears the same thing for even longer than a day it will be surprised at first and will then start processing your needs. Personally, I have noticed that I change what I want many times during the day. Neither the conscious or unconscious can survive without the other; its function is to help you to be happy and healthy.