Subconscious Mind
The mind is extremely complicated, and despite centuries of studying it, we still don’t understand that much about how it works. There are many different theories that attempt to explain it; none of them perfectly explain how the mind works, and some of them contradict each other. Nonetheless, these theories are useful (if flawed) tools, and they are the best that we have today.
One such theory is called the “theory of the subconscious mind,” and much of our understanding of hypnosis is based on this theory. We know that hypnosis works, but we don’t understand exactly how or why hypnosis works; this theory attempts to explain it.
Two Different Parts of the Mind
According to this theory, the mind is divided into two parts: the conscious and the subconscious. These two different parts have very different characteristics, and handle different responsibilities in your mind and body. Normally, they work together as a team; but sometimes, these two parts work against each other, which can cause big mental problems.
The Conscious Mind
The conscious mind is what you normally think of as “you”. It includes:
- Your “inner voice”
- Your memories of the past
- Your observations in the current moment
- Your plans & goals for the future
- Logical, step-by-step thinking
Anything that you intentionally think about, intentionally put into your mind: all of that is your conscious mind. It is the seat of your consciousness, your sense of self.
The Subconscious Mind
The subconscious mind, by contrast, is all the parts of your mind that operate below your conscious awareness. It includes:
- Your emotions
- Your desires, including sexual desires
- Your opinions, which are usually a result of your emotions and desires
- Your dreams, while you are asleep
- Physical regulation of your body, such as breathing
Essentially, the subconscious mind is the source of all those parts of your mind that you did not intentionally put there, but that “bubble up” into your conscious mind.
There is also the term “unconscious mind” — some people use the terms “unconscious mind” and “subconscious mind” interchangeably. Others say that the unconscious mind is different from the subconscious mind, meaning there are three parts of the mind, not two. To keep things simpler, we will say that the subconscious and the unconscious are two words that mean the same thing.
Push & Pull
The conscious mind and subconscious mind are constantly affecting each other; sometimes working together, sometimes working against each other. Your emotions (from the subconscious) can give motivation and drive to your plans and goals (from the conscious) — or they can come into conflict, such as when what you want to do is different from what you know you should do. Sometimes, you are not even consciously aware that your subconscious mind is pulling you in a different direction!
The problem is compounded by the fact that the subconscious mind is much stronger than the conscious mind. Think about all the times that your actions and decisions have been ruled by your emotions and desires. Everyone has had the experience of making a decision that you consciously know is “bad” or “wrong” (counter to your conscious plans and intentions), because your emotions are so strong that you can’t resist making a bad decision.
The subconscious mind is also disorganized and impulsive, while the conscious mind is organized and intentional. That also makes it harder for your subconscious mind to communicate clearly; when your subconscious is distressed, trying to understand the cause can be like trying to understand why a baby is crying. There’s usually a reason, but it’s hard to figure out what the reason is!
Instead, your subconscious mind will often communicate distress in the form of negative emotions. If you are persistently unhappy, feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled no matter what you do, it could be that the cause is in the subconscious mind. If you find yourself repeatedly sabotaging your own plans and goals, it’s likely that your subconscious mind is to blame.
Hypnosis
One way to communicate directly with the subconscious mind is by using hypnosis. Normally, when you communicate with another person, it’s the conscious mind doing the communication — the subconscious mind may be affecting the emotional content of the communication, but it’s all filtered through the conscious mind. Hypnosis allows you to let your conscious mind retreat to the background, so that your subconscious mind can communicate more clearly and directly. When you’re trying to understand what’s going on in your subconscious mind, clearer communication can make a big difference; especially when you also have another empathic person involved, who might be able to understand the situation from a different perspective than your own.
A hypnotist can also make requests of your subconscious mind, in the form of suggestions and triggers. When a suggestion or a trigger affects your mind, it’s because your subconscious mind has agreed to make that happen. As mentioned above, the subconscious mind is much stronger than the conscious mind, which is why suggestions and triggers can have such a powerful effect — even after the hypnosis session is done, when your conscious mind is once again awake and aware.
By communicating with your subconscious mind to find out what’s going on, and using suggestions to reframe the situation and make positive changes, a hypnotist can act as a mediator between the conscious and the subconscious, helping them to work together. However, that doesn’t mean it’s always about convincing the subconscious to follow the directions of the conscious mind! Sometimes, it’s the conscious mind that needs to change; and very often, both parts need to make some adjustments.
What do you think?
As mentioned before, all of this is just a theory; while the “theory of the subconscious mind” explains some parts of how the mind works, such as hypnosis, it’s not a perfect explanation. Some psychological research supports this theory, while other research contradicts it. In the end, it's probably more important to think about how this relates to your mind specifically, compared to what researchers believe about minds in general.
If you are interested in learning more about hypnosis, there is a basic introduction to hypnosis available here, as well as more information about erotic hypnosis and about hypnotherapy.