The conscious and the subconscious mind. What are they and why do we have them? The word conscious by definition is the awareness of one's own environment,sensations and thoughts. But what is the subconscious? It is the store house of our lives. It is the part of the mind that files our fears,habits, experiences and the thoughts of our past. It also is the bedrock of our beliefs and convictions.
Our conscious mind is constantly fed messages from the world around us through our six senses. Sight,sound,taste,touch,smell and intuitive or our ability to discern. As we process these stimuli, thoughts begin to form. Thoughts if processed enough times become ideas. These ideas then turn into beliefs. Beliefs when acted upon become convictions. Convictions are of course...actions.
The function of our subconscious mind is then to store or file away this belief or conviction. For instance, during our formative years your parents told you that if you do not wear appropriate clothing during the Winter, you will surely catch a cold.
It was instilled in you, and so you act upon this belief every January. However, if you were taught to wear only a light jacket during the winter months, your subconscious would store this belief instead.
Our brain stores away everything we feed it. Like a squirrel in late November, it collects seeds and packs them away in our subconscious. We then sort them out, throwing away the impressions and concepts that are either unfamiliar or do not fit in our tree of life. Now that you understand the workings of the mind and the brain I will let you in on a secret!
Your brain is that it DOES NOT know the difference between what is true or what is imaginary! Think about that for a moment. The brain...your brain has then the capability to believe and act upon almost anything that you think upon! The more that you the reader think about, concentrate on or believe in will eventually be acted upon! This is why some athletes win the gold medal, or why some people are capable of losing weight,finishing college or fulfilling a life long dream!
How then can we change our subconscious? By first monitoring what is entering our six senses! My pastor once said, "If you feed a monster it will grow, if you starve a monster it will eventually die!" What fears or doubts fill your mind each day? Confront them. Picture a door that is closed. As you approach that door you see a sign which reads a fear that you have. Behind that same door is the reason why you have that fear. First identify the fear by giving it a name. Example: fear of relationships. Immediately ask yourself why. By asking questions, that same door slowly starts to open. What happens when a door opens? Light starts to shine through! Your subconscious then begins to re-arrange its filing system. New thoughts replace the old ideas. A change has begun! Start today by confronting one fear or doubt at a time. Warning! Do not attempt any great transformation! Give yourself the gift of time. Set a reasonable goals. Be specific in what you desire from your new way of thinking. I urge all of you to read more articles on the workings of the mind on selfgrowth.com or visit your local book store or library. Good Luck and God be with you!
David Wayne Thompson is an actor,artist and author. He currently lives in Michigan with his family.