SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Our subconscious mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy and it can make a hell out of heaven or a heaven out of hell. We have control over this hidden powerhouse of ours, so we should use it to our advantage. If our subconscious is filled with positive and uplifting sentiments then there can be no room for any negative emotions and our lives will be subsequently enriched.

We all know we have a conscious and subconscious mind but how many of us know how to use the latter to our advantage? It is safe to say that the overwhelming majority of people never utilize or tap into this potential powerhouse. They are blissfully ignorant of its capacity to change and improve ones existence beyond recognition. The truth is that the subconscious never needs to rest and is always ready to assist us in any way we need.

By Thomas Finn

Unfortunately, what mostly happens is that people inadvertently cause their subconscious to bring stress, misfortune and ill health into their lives. They would obviously be shocked if they were aware of this and would probably react with disbelief. They would find it hard to accept that they were the authors of the own misfortune. They would say things like "Surely I was not responsible for my heart attack or for being made bankrupt last year". They would have difficulty in accepting that the negatives thoughts that they fed to their subconscious mind led to their present situation. The conscious mind gives instructions or commands to the subconscious which then takes action to carry out these instructions until the goal is reached.

The subconscious mind is often compared to a garden. If it is tended to with care and attention and quality seeds (positive thoughts) are sown it will produce great results. On the other hand if is neglected and weeds are allowed spring up (negatives emotions) then it will become an eyesore with very poor results. The subconscious mind is always awake just waiting for either harmful or optimistic thoughts to be fed to it and it will respond accordingly. Unfortunately, unless we are on our guard, we invariably fill our deeper mind with careless and negative thoughts. Put simply, the subconscious mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy and it can make a hell out of heaven or a heaven out of hell. We have control over this hidden powerhouse of ours, so we should use it to our advantage. Remember that it is not possible to have negative thoughts at the same time as positive ones. If our subconscious is filled with positive and uplifting sentiments then there can be no room for any negative emotions and our lives will be subsequently enriched.

I have found, from experience that the chief and most effective methods of influencing the creative mind are affirmations and visualization. Affirmations are simple forceful statements confirming your dearest wishes to have already come true. For example, if you wish to avoid becoming stressed out by everyday life, you may affirm the following; "I am completely calm and deeply relaxed at all times".

Visualization is seeing yourself doing something that you would dearly like to do or behaving in a certain manner. Let's say that you would love to be able to stand up in front of a crowd of people and speak eloquently. During your visualization exercises you see yourself acting and behaving with confidence as if you were watching a film on a giant screen. You marvel at how relaxed, poised, confident and enthusiastic you behave in front of all these people. Its as if you are watching a film with yourself in the starring role.

For greatest effect I recommend you use both affirmations and visualization together to coax your subconscious mind to bring you success. If you practice these methods with persistence and perseverance you will succeed, there is no doubt about that.

There is another ingredient in the successful conditioning of the creative mind and it is emotion. The subconscious mind will respond faster and more effectively if the commands it gets are strongly colored with emotion. Emotional affirmations and visualization will have a raw appeal that cannot be resisted.

The best climate in which to communicate our deeper mind is when we are relaxed. When the conscious mind is not active access to the subconscious is much easier. It is a proven fact that when the body and mind are deeply relaxed the brain wave pattern slows down substantially. This is called the alpha level and it is the ideal state in which to influence the subconscious mind.

Relaxation is easy to learn. There are many effective booklets, courses etc. devoted to mastering the art of relaxation easily and with a little practice becomes second nature.

From experience I have found the following steps in the relaxation process work very well:

Make yourself comfortable in peaceful surroundings. You may lie on a bed or recline in a straight-backed chair.

Gradually become aware of how you breathe in and out. Continue to breathe calmly and rhythmically in a relaxed manner.

As you continue to breathe easily, make yourself aware of your muscles, allowing them to let go and relax. Start with the feet and work your way up through the body to the top of your head. After the feet move to the legs and calf muscles, thighs, lower back, upper back, belly, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers and neck. Allow your face muscles, jaw and forehead to loosen and go limp.

Picture yourself as a very heavy weight sinking deeply into a soft mattress or large cushion. You can also imagine your body as being a large hot air balloon. Watch as the air is being expelled and see the large balloon collapsing in a heap and going limp. It may help if you can recall a tranquil scene from your memory, perhaps a mountain view or a yacht in a harbor.

With a little practice you can reach this stage successfully and your subconscious mind is now in an ideal state to receive whatever positive affirmations, messages, pictures or commands you send to it.

Thomas Finnn