The Powerhouse of our Minds

I would like to invite you to say a big “Thank You!” to your incredible unconscious mind. That part of your mind that looks after you, keeps you safe and runs your body and mind without any conscious thought or effort.

Sitting here at my keyboard and pausing to consider all the processes that are operating in my body, I can’t help but be in awe of the complexity and magnificence of our ‘human system’. My fingers move across the keys as if words are flowing from my thoughts to the screen, but how many neurons are firing and how many muscles are contracting and releasing. I can’t even fathom a guess. But in my state of wonder I am extremely appreciative for that functioning.

There are so many ways that my unconscious takes care of things for me …  its purpose is to care for and safeguard me.  It regulates my body; keeps me breathing without a thought; keeps my heart-beating and my blood circulating, it digests the food I eat and so much more.

It learns and establishing patterns and habits to make my life easier. Most of all it operates to keep me safe. It looks out for my survival.

Of course sometimes, in the complexity of operations it can develop patterns that, although useful and helpful in some context, may have some less useful by-products. A fear of heights might be an example of this. At one level and in some instances, a message (fear) to be cautious when near the exposed edge of a high cliff is very useful. However, triggering the same response in judging danger when we are inside a sturdy building on the fourth floor, standing firmly of a carpeted floor and looking out from behind reinforced glass is not so appropriate. At some point an unconscious pattern has been created that attaches ‘fear’ to all situations where a person is at a height above the ground.  Fortunately, because the unconscious mind is a ferocious learner we can educate it to create new more flexible patterns.

Once our unconscious mind understands that you will be safe and that a different pattern will serve you well it can build more flexibility in applying alternative patterns. It’s a matter of becoming aware of an existing pattern, appreciating what it is trying to achieve and satisfying that requirement with a new approach that doesn’t have the negative side effects.

And our unconscious mind is incredibly quick…  when our unconscious mind checks out, and confirms  what is ‘right’ and ‘useful’ to help us being happier and healthier – it can clean things up, gain new learnings and establish more useful patterns in nano-seconds.

The resounding feedback we receive from clients and from delegates on our Thought Pattern Management Practitioner programme is about the speed and lightness of the approach when working with the unconscious mind. Comments from this weekend’s course where we were working on cleaning up memories from the past that had negative emotions attached to them, included:

 ‘its amazing – so quick and thorough’; 

‘I gained some powerful insights from gently reviewing what was previously an  extremely uncomfortable memory and now I can recall it without any fear at all ’

 ‘I feel so much lighter and the whole process only took about 20 minutes’;

‘it so great to know I can send my conscious mind on holiday – and let my unconscious mind get on with sorting stuff out’.

So whether you inviting your unconscious mind to sort out some decision for you or you’re simply getting on with things today … pause for a moment and appreciate your magnificent self, a streamlined complex system of mind, body and spirit. And just for a moment, connect with that aspect of your mind that is sometimes illusive – and express your appreciation for all it has done, is doing and will continue to do for you in the future.