conscious vs subconscious

** For a video explanation check out this awesome TED talk on healing with the subconscious

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Our subconscious/unconscious mind drives most of our thoughts and behaviours at a level that is beyond conscious control.

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It is the deep ingrained parts of us that hold the beliefs and behaviours that shape our personality and our life.

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It is thought that as much as 95% of our thoughts and behaviours and led by subconscious influence.

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Conscious thoughts are those held in current awareness. They can be accessed and altered easily.

These conscious thoughts are only the tip of the iceberg of what is going on inside your mind.

What lurks beneath the surface is where the change usually needs to occur

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Trying to consciously change subconscious programming is generally ineffective. 

How many therapists, friends or self-help books have given you the advice you need and yet you find yourself unable to change?

Do you know logically that there is no reason to hold the emotions or responses that you are currently experiencing but cannot help it?

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That is because the information is only held consciously.

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Have you ever noticed the advice/methods seem to work, but quickly stop as you try to focus on other tasks?

That is because the conscious mind can only truly focus on a limited amount of information at one time.

As you shift focus the underlying subconscious programming that drives these negative thoughts or behaviours once again take over. How can we expect to be fully present in our day-to-day tasks if we are trying to hold conscious instructions at the forefront of our minds?

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Subconscious programming begins from birth, with some arguing that it starts even earlier.

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From an incredibly young age perceptions and lessons are stored and begin to form who we are as a person.

The biggest factor in this is our role-models.

If we grow up surrounded by individuals who are negative or anxious it is very likely this will become part of our own subconscious program.

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This means that many of your issues/beliefs are not even yours, they were passed on to you possibly through generations of negative influence!

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These programs can be changed for your own benefit and also to prevent you passing them down to others.

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HOW?

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Originating from our brain stems there is a network of neural pathways known as the Recticular Activating System.

These pathways connect the spinal cord, cerebrum, and cerebellum. 

They mediate the overall level of consciousness and act as the gatekeeper of information between most sensory systems and the conscious mind.

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In a sense the RAS is like a filter that interprets all information. It does this through distortion, deletion and generalisation.

This information is then passed it on to our conscious awareness.

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This is why you may experience the world the way you do.

You are programmed to find negativity, fear, anger and other unwanted responses that drive bad thoughts and behaviours.

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Why do you get depressed, anxious or angry in response to things that do not bother others?

How do others stay so calm or happy all of the time?

Ten people can have the same experience and walk away with ten different interpretations depending on the programming/filtering of their RAS.

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Hypnosis and NLP are developed to bypass and change these filters, meaning that you will see things differently which changes the very core of your emotional response.

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Once these filters  and emotional responses have changed all unwanted behaviors attached to the belief can begin to dissolve and be replaced by a more positive set of thoughts and actions.

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