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What do you imagine when you are told about the subconscious? For most people, this is some kind of incomprehensible inner force – contradictory, filled with images and interfering with rationally building their lives. But if you know how to listen to his signals, you can get very useful information for yourself.
The subconscious mind is the source of creativity, intuition, inspiration, inner knowledge. Everything that makes our personality whole. Turning to the subconscious, we are freed from the limitations of our logical, practical mind.
Messages from our dreams, symbols or archetypes passed down from our ancestors give us additional information about our own values. By learning to listen to it, we develop, evolve as individuals.
Who makes the decisions?
The subconscious makes decisions for us much earlier than we realize them. Recent research by Roger Koenig-Robert and Joel Pearson at the University of New South Wales in Sydney shows that rational choice is preceded by unconscious activity.
We like to think that we ourselves are responsible for all our actions. Every time we make a decision, we believe we are doing the best we can. It seems to us that the stream of thoughts and images that flash before our mind’s eye testifies to a conscious process of choosing from an endless variety of options. But is it?
Experiments in Sydney using the latest technology to record neurophysiological responses have shown that decisions are made before subjects make informed choices. Participants were asked to freely choose one of two images. The researchers were able to record that the subjects’ preferences were actually determined about 11 seconds before they made a rational decision.
Unexpected actions – the “guilt” of the subconscious
Having promised yourself to give up sugar, do you greedily eat a piece of chocolate cake? When you plan to start clearing up rubble from old things at the weekend, you find yourself visiting an old friend? What motivates us to behave differently than we planned?
If you pay due attention to finding the answer, then over time you will learn to identify the source of your motivation. You will notice that you are guided by sensations in the body or certain emotions.
In essence, you either want to get something or avoid unpleasant sensations or experiences. Any of these conditions can give a signal to the subconscious, and already it will push to unintentional behavior. If you try to sit in a relaxed posture long enough to feel what is going on inside you, you will be able to determine the origins of your impulses.
How to connect the subconscious with rational thinking
There are only four internal triggers that launch programs of unintended behavior. It is hunger, anger, loneliness, feeling tired. By experiencing these sensations, we can make contact with the unconscious and understand what it is trying to convey to us.
1. Hunger
Sit in a comfortable position, relax and take a few deep breaths. What do you feel? Hunger? Your body will let you know with an empty feeling in your stomach.
Eating a piece of cake is only one solution, the most attractive and therefore the most superficial. Perhaps you need to listen to yourself more closely to find a less destructive and more beneficial option.
Do you want chocolate? This may signal a desire for activity stimulation or pleasure, activation of the reward centers in your brain. After all, cocoa helps release endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and even caffeine. Do you really want food? Or do you crave rewards, pleasure, relaxation?
Perhaps the feeling of hunger is an attempt to avoid unpleasant experiences, the concentration necessary for work? Negotiators argue that you can get anyone to do anything if you provide a less attractive alternative. Maybe you didn’t really want to date an old friend. But it’s definitely better than sorting through the trash in the closet.
2. Anger
When you are overwhelmed with negative emotions, you just want them to dissipate. At the same time, you seek actions that will distract you from anger, sadness, fear or pain.
Let’s say a walk is better than an adrenaline rush by shouting at someone close. Perhaps, listening to music, you get rid of fear or anxiety. And doing laundry or cleaning the toilet softens the feeling of helplessness and gives you the confidence you need to tackle a difficult task.
Perhaps the most effective solution is to relax and let the negative feelings run through you. Indeed, at the same time, the action of chemicals responsible for the surge of negative emotions gradually and steadily weakens. Those who practice meditation are well aware of this.
The subconscious calls our brain into allies, and you just need to be able to hear this call.
3. Loneliness
We are programmed to connect with people – both for close personal relationships and for more formal communication in society. When we are deprived of this, the need for communication can lead us to unforeseen actions. Suddenly there is an impulse to strike up a conversation with a stranger in line at the supermarket, call a friend whom you have not seen for a long time, etc.
Are you cold and want to be warm? If close contact is needed, listen carefully, look for the source of subconscious signals. Think about what you are really missing. Otherwise, the rash realization of the need for intimacy can lead to not the best consequences.
4. Fatigue
The impulse may come from the exhaustion of the nervous system, from the fatigue that we hide from ourselves.
The modern world is arranged in such a way that both others and ourselves make excessive demands on us. For responsible people, this leads to overwork and exhaustion. We do not notice that it is necessary to give ourselves a rest in this race. Pleasure, recovery, balance fade into the background.
The subconscious signals that it is time to move on to actions that can calm, restore the softness and receptivity of neurons, and relieve overstrain. Meditation, sleep, relaxation after a workout, shifting the focus from external demands to music, painting, or something you love will help restore your body’s resources.
As you can see, the subconscious does not trip us. On the contrary, it gives our brain signals on how to help cope with the challenges that constantly arise in our busy everyday life. The subconscious calls our brain into allies, and you just need to be able to hear this call.