The power of your subconscious mind

                  “If a man devotes himself to the instructions of his own unconscious, it can bestow this gift [of renewal], so that suddenly life, which has been stale and dull, turns into a rich unending inner adventure, 

full of creative possibilities.” 

-- Marie-Louise von Franz

Did you know that during deep sleep our subconscious mind is wide awake and may be performing one of the most sought for tasks: problem-solving issues unresolved yet by the conscious mind? So consciously making an effort to remember our dreams can give us access to those solutions. 

In fact, as opposed to the subconscious mind, the conscious mind makes up around 5% of the brain power as the sole purpose of interacting with the physical world. The remaining 95% of the brain power is reserved to the subconscious mind which handles everything from breathing to eating, talking, etc. Consider it as the software that runs your program, which means you have the key to fix, update and/or enhance. I also like to think of the subconscious as a camera recorder with limitless storage space, a gigantic reservoir of information (memories, emotions, beliefs and energies) capable of filtering higher guidance and insights, thus more powerful than the conscious mind, which also means you have the responsibility to take good care of it.

Just imagine how greatly we can optimize our living if we pay attention to this influencing aspect of our psyche.

To use the power of your subconscious mind, you need to learn first how it works. The subconscious is governed by many rules. Here are some of the most important rules to keep in mind:

1.    The subconscious mind does not distinguish between real and imaginary situations. Everything is literal and real to it. Have you noticed, for instance, how when you watch a horror movie your heart rate quickens? It’s because your subconscious does not distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary. It follows orders with no discernment. Hence, your conscious mind is the gate-keeper to monitor those orders. This is why the visualization technique comes in handy when preparing for an important meeting or presentation. You instruct it to behave in a certain way and it does.

2.     The subconscious mind responds with instinct and habit. For example, the longer it believes in something, the harder it will be to change that belief.

3.     Your subconscious mind is far more powerful than your conscious mind. If you are achluophobic (afraid of the dark), for example, and you passed into a dark room you will definitely feel afraid and anxious even if you tried to consciously convince yourself that there is nothing to be afraid of.

4.     The good news is that by learning how to train and use your subconscious mind you will be able to control your behavior, break bad habits, get rid of unwanted emotions and fix your belief system. It is programmed by repetition, authority and emotion. Use affirmations and visualizations often. Make sure your command is strong and wilful using your passion and emotional power.

5.     You might be familiar with the following if you have read or watched the documentary “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. When you think in terms of negatives, you magnify that which you wish to avoid and by so doing you ironically attract it. In other words, the subconscious mind does not process negatives. State all affirmations in positive terms instead.

6.     There is no future or past in the subconscious mind. There is only now. All stored experiences are processed as now. So make your affirmations in the now, not in the future. Know that the past affects you NOW, offering an opening for healing NOW.

7.     It represses certain memories with unresolved negative emotions yet these unacknowledged, stored memories affect your present experience. When you feel strong guilt, resentment, fears, anger and depression, recognize it as an opportunity to own and release them.

8.     It takes everything personally. It keeps a photocopy of everything. As you resent, judge and project onto others, you are doing it to yourself. The good news is that it has a need to be moral. The subconscious mind connects to your “higher self” and supports your evolution towards love, beauty and truth. This is possible through regular meditation.

9.     Along with visualizations, suggestions can be used to program the subconscious mind. This is the main idea behind hypnosis. The subconscious mind accepts all suggestions that are sent to it provided that the conscious mind's supervision is absent.

10.     It works with symbols and metaphors. So watch your dreams closely for meaningful symbols. Keeping a diary for instance of your dreams or simply analyzing them as soon as you wake up will serve as a guiding compass to your inner workings of your subconscious and key to solutions you may be looking for.

Now that you know about the rules governing your subconscious mind, you may be able to interpret better your dreams and understand the signals sent by your subconscious. It is of utmost importance to maintain your thoughts in a positive state, expecting only good events, and make of loyalty, justice and love the foundation of your thinking.

Along with remembering your dreams and using the tools of visualization and suggestion, you may also consider the following to use the power of your subconscious for your best:

•           Reassess your values
•           Observe your thoughts through meditation
•           Establish daily habits and routines
•           Set goals (better still to have a vision)
•           Make use of time but also make sure to have enough of it to simply play, relax, take power naps, etc.
•           Exercise and eat healthy

Voilà!