The subconscious mind interests not only psychologists, personal development specialists, but also … marketers. We are not aware of its existence on a daily basis, and even so, the subconsciousness - in a significant way - influences how we behave and function. So read what the subconscious is and are there any ways to reach it or to… modify it? Also find out how the subconscious works.
Subconsciousnessis not a term that has recently entered the language of psychology - it was introduced in the 20th century by the French psychologist Pierre Janet. This issue was also de alt with by another character who contributed a lot to the development of psychology - we are talking about Carl Jung here.
We often put our subconscious against our consciousness. Consciousness is the ability to be aware of the existence of external stimuli (coming from the world around us) and internal stimuli (located somewhat inside the body, such phenomena include, for example, thinking). In addition, thanks to awareness, we have the ability to respond to the above-mentioned stimuli. The term awareness is associated with problems such as coma and clouding of consciousness, which are various forms of disturbance of consciousness. Another term that is also related to consciousness is the subconscious. What is this subconscious mind and why does it arouse such interest that even books are written about it?
What is the subconscious?
There is probably no one universal definition of the subconscious. The easiest way, however, is to define it as a part of the human psyche, in which the contents that are not realized by the human at a given moment are stored. In this case, the subconscious can be treated as a kind of storehouse in which various emotions and memories experienced throughout life are stored. It functions inextricably with consciousness - consciousness allows us to make various decisions or think about what we want at a given moment. The subconscious mind, in turn - completely without our knowledge - influences our behavior at this time. For example: we are faced with a completely new situation, such as caring for a newborn baby. Awareness makes us know that we need to be careful with the toddler andgently. At this time, the subconscious mind may cause such a situation to lead to fear - it is the memories present in it, related to new situations and failures experienced during them, that lead to the emergence of such feelings.
How does the subconscious work?
The subconscious mind is definitely not objective. The content in it simply is: if a memory hits the subconscious as bad, it will be so in it. The subconscious mind, according to specialists dealing with this issue, has a significant impact on our lives. To illustrate this, a very simple example can be used. Many of us dream of a successful career and the related good financial condition. If, however, our subconscious is deeply rooted in the belief that we will not be able to achieve anything, then most likely … we will actually achieve nothing.
The subconscious mind can also be treated as a kind of programmer of the human mind. It is popular to say that man learns from mistakes. There is probably no need to convince anyone about its correctness, but it is worth adding that all memories - including those unpleasant and related to making mistakes - go to the subconscious mind. The role of the subconscious mind in this case is to direct our actions in such a way as to avoid events that in the past were associated with unpleasant consequences. After all, we may not be aware of the fact that in adulthood we avoid, for example, a certain smell due to the fact that in childhood we experienced some unpleasant event during which the same aroma was felt.
How to influence the subconscious?
It is not easy to reach the subconscious - after all, by definition, it is a part of the mind that we do not realize. However, there are some methods of working on the subconscious mind, thanks to which the level of human functioning could be significantly improved. In this case, the technique known as affirmation is of great importance. Experts dealing with the subconscious argue that the content we repeat many times - in the form of, for example, the sentence "I am able to cope with this challenge and I will achieve success" - finally reaches the subconscious and makes us … really achieve the expected results.
You can also use hypnosis to access the unconscious part of our mind. Often this therapeutic method is criticized, but it is actually possible to gain insight into the subconsciousness during a hypnosis session.patient. From a person in this altered state of consciousness, the therapist can obtain a lot of information that is in his subconscious - it turns out that, for example, from elderly people during hypnosis, one can obtain information about even the earliest years of their childhood.
ImportantWhy influence the subconscious?
Well, according to some theories, its contents - especially those of an unpleasant nature - may be the source of various mental disorders in patients, incl. anxiety disorders. Finding such content in the subconscious mind may become the basis for the subsequent conduct of appropriate psychotherapy, the purpose of which will be to work through such difficult events from their past for patients.
People for whom personal development is important is also quite often interested in the subconscious. Even whole books are written on this subject - one of the most popular is "The Power of the Subconscious" by Joseph Murphy.
The fact that the subconsciousness influences our behavior can also be convinced by the fact that … marketing specialists are interested in it. Well, it turns out that the right arrangement of goods on a store shelf affects what exactly we buy - how to place the products sold, in turn, is determined by the analyzes of the subconscious. In principle, it can be treated as a certain manipulation of our behavior and for this reason it is worth getting interested in the subconscious - although we cannot fully realize its existence, we can influence our subconsciousness. What's more - we can influence it so that our everyday functioning is simply better and better.
About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.