What if I told you that there was a part of your mind that is always working, even when you are asleep? This part of your mind is known as the subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind is one of the most powerful tools that we have access to as humans. It is responsible for our automatic behaviors, daily habits, and thoughts, and it can be used to help us achieve our goals in life or become happier and more successful.
In this article, I will discuss the 3 levels of awareness, what is the subconscious mind, and how it works. Then I will explain how it affects our lives and will finish by revealing how to unlock the power of your subconscious mind. We will also talk about how to eliminate fear and negative self-talk from your life, and replace them with positive thoughts and actions.
What are the 3 levels of awareness?
The three levels of awareness are the unconscious, subconscious, and conscious mind.
The unconscious mind is the most primitive part of our mind where our instincts and survival mechanisms reside. The subconscious mind is the middle layer, and it is responsible for our habits, memories, and emotions. The conscious mind is the last layer, and this is where we process information, make decisions, and is our immediate awareness that you are experiencing as you read this.
The subconscious and unconscious minds are very powerful because they control 85% of our behavior. This means that if we want to change our behavior or achieve a goal, we need to access the subconscious mind and change our programming.
What is the subconscious mind and how does it work?
A common question I get all the time is: What is the subconscious mind? The subconscious mind can be best described as a storage bin for all of our memories and emotions, both positive and negative. It also houses our automatic behaviors, daily habits, and beliefs. Some of these came from our genes which I refer to as nature-given, and some came from our environment where we grew up and I refer to these as nurture-given.
The subconscious mind is always working, even when you are not consciously aware of it. In fact, a lot of what we do on a daily basis is controlled by our subconscious mind. For example, when you are driving and suddenly realize that you have arrived at your destination without consciously thinking about it, that's your subconscious mind in action.
The subconscious mind also controls our emotions and thoughts. This means that if we have a fear or phobia, it is stored in our subconscious mind. These fears can turn into something called "subconscious blocks" or negative paradigms which prevent us from achieving the success and happiness that we want in our lives.How does the subconscious work?
I don't want this post to become a dissertation so I will keep it short. It is known that our brain is made up of two hemispheres, the left and right. The subconscious mind is controlled by the right hemisphere of our brain. This part of your mind does not speak in words or sentences, but rather communicates through thoughts and emotions which create mental impressions. Then, based on all your experiences, your subconscious mind will filter all the information you are letting in and it will then edit your responses.
Why is the subconscious mind so powerful?
The subconscious mind is incredibly powerful and it has a direct influence on how we feel, think, speak and act. Eighty-five percent of our daily activities are driven by the subconscious mind. Basically, if you want to create permanent changes in your life, you will have to reprogram your subconscious mind.
If our habits are controlled by the subconscious mind then how do we go about changing them? The key is repetition.
What is an example of the subconscious mind in action?
An example of the subconscious mind in action would be our daily habits like brushing our teeth, driving or even watching TV. These are activities that we do on a regular basis and don't require much thought to complete.
Another example would be if you have a goal to get in better shape. Your body has been accustomed to sugar and chips that it might be difficult to get on a fitness and healthy eating plan. You might start but the temptation will be so strong that it becomes easier to quit.
Another example would be if you want to start a business or move to a new country. These ideas would trigger fear and anxiety but you have the ability to reprogram your subconscious so you push through these emotions.
Tip 1: How do I access my subconscious mind?
Before answering this question it is critical to make the distinction between the conscious, analytical, and subconscious mind. This is important to know to help us increase our awareness as we create a model to understand the mind.
Our conscious mind is our thinking mind, our educated mind. It's our intellect and is the part of our mind that we have 100% control over. Here we can choose our thoughts, accept, reject or ignore any idea that we want to think.
Our subconscious mind is our emotional mind and the emotional part of our personality. Here is where the conditioned behaviors and belief systems are located and where our paradigms live. This part of the mind only accepts ideas that are delivered to it with emotion and repetition.
Now that we know the difference, I want to introduce the analytical mind which is the one standing between the conscious and the subconscious mind. The analytical mind is full of information, things, and always worrying about time. It is like a computer machine processing everything and never being able to stop. For this same reason, our brain is always producing 13-40 Hz beta brainwaves which is a very active state of mind. In this state, we are not able to access the subconscious mind.
So how do we go about accessing our subconscious mind? We first need to produce 4-7 Hz theta brainwaves. At this stage, our brain activity decelerates to the point where our body is asleep but the person is awake. We stop our conscious mind from taking in information from the outside world and our thoughts become more centered. You feel more present and this new state of being is no longer worried about negative thoughts or people. This is the only way when the subconscious mind can be accessed.
We can lower our brainwaves with meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, and brainwave entrainment. This will switch your mind from "beta state" to "theta state" where you can reprogram your subconscious mind. As an additional tip to increase the chances of success, doing the meditations early in the day or right before going to bed are very good times because your mind and body are relaxed.
Tip 2: How do I change my mindset or beliefs?
Once you have access your subconscious mind, you can now start reprogramming it. You do this through repetition and by getting emotionally involved with a constructive idea, this is the only way to rewire your neurons. The subconscious mind doesn't know what is real or not, and when we feed specific thoughts or positive thinking, the mind will believe it to be true and make them a reality. This is where affirmations, using your imagination and emotions become very powerful because they are positive actions that we repeat over and over again until it becomes part of our subconscious mind. By using your imagination and allowing yourself to get emotionally involved with the idea you want to become, you start to rewire your neurons and a new personality starts to be created.
Affirmations, thoughts, and emotions have to be believable and expressed in the present tense, for example: "I am now a healthy person" or "I can easily earn more money". These positive statements will help you change your mindset and beliefs over time which will eventually lead to success and happiness.
Tip 3: How can I be aware of my negative subconscious thoughts?
Our conscious mind and brain are constantly processing all the information we perceive through our five senses; see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. This information triggers thoughts and these thoughts produce emotions which is the language of the subconscious mind. If we want to be aware of our subconscious thoughts we will need to take a step back and start putting more attention to our emotions that are triggered by our environment and circumstances.
This is a learning process where you want to bring awareness to your conscious mind of your behavior when a situation arises. Below are five steps that will help your conscious mind become more aware of your subconscious emotions.
- First, pick one situation where you are not happy with the results you are getting. Observe your environment and pay attention to the details.
- Describe the situation in as much detail as possible.
- Use the information you wrote above and highlight words that evoke a strong feeling. (I did not like, he/she made me feel, is not fair, he/she doesn't like me, never/always, blame, guilt).
- You can now make a list of negative subconscious emotions.
- Repeating steps 1 through 4 several times will help you become more aware of your emotions and would serve as a barometer to the type of subconscious mind you have.
What type of subconscious mind do you have? a positive or negative one?
