Relationships December 24, 2016
When you feel the crisp, cool winter air against your skin or when you indulge in the welcoming flavor of your mother’s cooking, your conscious mind is working. According to Very Well, Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality states that the conscious mind “consists of everything inside of [your] awareness.” The conscious mind, then, includes things you experience with your senses, your memories, your emotions and things you perceive.
But what happens beyond your conscious? Many people are aware that your subconscious mind exists, but don’t know anything beyond that. Freud believed that your conscious mind was nothing more than the small tip of an enormous iceberg. The giant block of ice below the water represents the unconscious mind.
There are currently various theories on how the subconscious works, but for those of you interested in learning about everything “under the water,” here are some quick facts to start with.
READ MORE: The Limit Is Not the Sky, but the Mind: How to Train Your Brain to Achieve More
According to Operation Meditation, the subconscious mind is always working, but works best when you are not alert. It works best when you’re sleeping, when you’re performing relaxed tasks, driving or watching TV. According to Journal Psyche, Freud’s model of the human mind states that the subconscious mind “holds current information that you use everyday, such as your current recurring thoughts, behavior patterns, habits and feelings.”
Because your subconscious is always working, your mind is a collection of memories. Brain Tracy states that the subconscious mind’s capacity is “virtually unlimited [and] by the time you reach 21, you’ve already permanently stored more than one hundred times the contents of the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.”
Your conscious mind helps you rationalize complex concepts and everyday activities. The subconscious, on the other hand, is considered the “unquestioning servant that works day and night to make your behavior fit a pattern consistent with your emotionalized thoughts, hopes and desires,” as Brain Tracy writes.
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Because the subconscious is believed to be the mind’s storage point for memories, experiences and feelings, it is often where your dreams originate. Journal Psyche writes, “The unconscious mind can be seen as a source of dreams and automatic thoughts (those that appear without any apparent cause).” When you find yourself getting lost in your imagination, that is your subconscious mind taking charge.
According to Operation Meditation, you can make “subconscious requests” by visualizing yourself in a requested scenario. For example, if you want to feel happier, think about pleasure and contentment. With the help of your subconscious, this imagination can turn into reality to motivate you to attain your goals.
Your subconscious mind powers a larger part of your life than you might have known. Although it may not seem as powerful as conscious thinking, the subconscious mind is constantly dreaming, observing and processing. Because of this, a large part of your personality is stored beyond your awareness.
READ MORE: 4 Ways Emotions Influence Your Brain
