The Unconscious Mind

For most of us we are rarely aware of the powerful role that our Unconscious Mind plays in our lives.

In the past it was something that I had heard people mention but to be honest did not really give it a second thought.
If I had realised that it held the key to many of the anxieties, unhelpful beliefs, unwanted habits and behaviours then perhaps I would have looked into it sooner.

One of the first things I do when I see a client is explain how it all works using my crude drawing! Not to scale!

First lets look at the Conscious mind…

• This it the part where we do all our immediate thinking.
• Awareness of the present moment.
• It continually observes and categorises information from the world around us through our senses. Filtering off the irrelevant, bringing to our attention the important and allowing the rest to pass through to store in the unconscious part of our mind.
• It is where we learn new skills, think of new ideas, make decisions and work out problems.
• Short term memory holds small amounts of information for a small amount of time.
• As our will power is a conscious thought or decision, this too is held in the conscious part of our mind. Often exercised!
• Self talk, saving the best to last! This is that little voice in our head that could be our greatest cheerleader but more often than not, isn’t!

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Ninety-five percent of thought, emotion, and learning occur in the unconscious mind–that is, without our awareness.

Gerald Zaltman

The Unconscious mind – Our Autopilot

The main job of the unconscious mind is to protect you, and keep you safe.

It works behind the scenes 24/7 even when you sleep.

Home to your………..

• Values
  What is important to us; give us reason to why we do things & determine how we wish to spend our time.
  
• Beliefs
  A belief is a thought, feeling or opinion that we have chosen to accept as true.
  
• Habits & Behaviours
  There are good habits and bad habits, patterns of behaviours. These can be ways of thinking or processing as well as physical habits. Once something is done several times over it becomes automatic; the unconscious mind finds it comfortable and safe. Learned behaviour can also be how you react in certain situations and circumstances.
• Bodily functions
  Your mind and body are connected. How you think affects how you feel and in turn how you act.
  It controls the fight or flight reaction that you may experience at times of anxiety or stress.  Your unconscious mind controls the function of your body: your heart beat, lung function, digestive system, nervous system, hair growth and body repairs.
• Identity
  Your personality; who you are and what you truly feel about yourself.
  
• Memories
  The vast storage system of everything that we have experienced through our five senses. These can be brought into our conscious awareness triggered by events, situations and emotions.
  
• Confidence
  Self confidence comes from within. You are shaped by your experiences. These do have to be true but how the mind had rationalised it at the time, both consciously and unconsciously. The depth of confidence you have as an individual can depend on negative or positive absorption you have experienced; what you have chosen to keep and what you have disregarded.
• Resistance to change
  We often want to change something about ourselves that is detrimental or not working for us. Unconsciously we can sabotage our efforts for the sake of secondary gain.
• Emotions
  These are feelings such as Happy, Sad, Anger, Fear etc that we experience that relate to People or Situations. They influence Physical and Psychological changes in our minds and body. They can also be attached to certain memories, so that when a memory resurfaces the emotion connected does also.
  
• Imagination
  The creative part of our mind that forms new ideas, pictures, visualisations and dreams. Things do not have to be experienced or present in order to do this. 
  
• Intuition
  This is a feeling or understanding of something without conscious reasoning or proof. It is often referred to as your Gut Instinct.