Wednesday 30 April 2014

Reprogramming Your Subconscious Mind

by

Timothy Connolly


In this very important article on the human condition, we briefly discuss the subconscious mind and how its inner workings influence our lives in significant ways both positively and negatively. As well as this, we discuss and layout some practical steps to employ for reprogramming it, as to profoundly improve our lives and that of those around us. Through examining the role this mysterious part of our mind plays in shaping our very makeup, we can better understand why we respond in certain ways at any given moment.

Along with the basics of examining many powerful influences our subconscious mind exerts on our individual worldviews and actions, we will also offer some valuable systematic steps and process to begin modifying the subconscious in order to improve any areas of our lives. With better knowledge of the inner workings of our subconscious, and through tweaking its influence, we will be better equipped to rise above mediocrity and into a life filled with more awe and splendor. Let us be clear- awareness always coincides with an awakening event that catapults the individual into new, uncharted realities of perception. And it is no different when attempting alter ingrained, subconscious responses to life which can limit that which we ultimately perceive at any given moment. Truly, awareness is the starting mechanism that drives the proverbial "wake-up call".

I am of the persuasion that a great conscious awakening that is virtually void of the ego's influence is the essence of our current world paradigm shift occurring now. One could say the ongoing planetary zeitgeist we are now playing out is a coalescing of the human psyche' multiple facets that have been generated by our collective responses to life as a whole. We now appear to be blending divided minds, the soul, and ego along with our spiritual selves into a more "complete" and unhindered, fully expressed human. If we can agree on that basic premise, then we must also consider our subconscious mind's influential role that drives our thought process and actions that can provide fuel to another influential aspect of self- the ego.

While we are fragile humans indeed, we need not demonize the ego's role and importance in our lives; rather, recognize the subconscious is a primary fuel source helping in part by breathing life into the ego. In the context of psychology, an understanding exists that our personal identities are intimately linked with our egos and thus, without knowledge of this subconscious interdependency connection, life is often automatically in many ways driven solely by our ego and not primarily by our eternal, higher selves or true spiritual nature. Within this paradox, a disconnection from a more expansive interconnectedness view of all life can be rather easy to unknowingly fall prey to. This is one fair explanation of the false appearance of separation and or disconnection from others.

Life can sometimes be a confusing matrix of influential energies and thought forms- conscious/subconscious, egoic, higher/lower selves etc. which appear to merge in a chaotic dance, some leading and some following each other while the music of life plays on. Fortunately, now the music is becoming clearer, more synchronistic, and harmonious with each passing day making the choice for personal improvements more easily recognizable and individually adaptable.


Just what is the Subconscious Mind?


Simply stated, the mind is divided or segregated into two distinct regions- conscious and subconscious. Your mind's conscious portion is now active in its primary operation as you read these very words helping you to assimilate their meaning. On the other hand, in a simultaneous fashion and "below the radar", another portion of your mind, your subconscious is likewise absorbing and collecting this same information and forming its own conclusions based on historical references stored within a personalized, perception or awareness repository.

While going about its pre-programmed business working tireless behind the scenes under your conscious awareness, this amazing and immensely powerful part of our makeup is responsible in many ways for how we respond to all aspects of life. Each life event is continuously and automatically logged categorically into the subconscious without fail just as a dry sponge can absorb liquid. It rejects nothing. An amazing fact is, all this information collection begins at the earliest time in our lives- at infancy and never ceases. For example- ever wonder why children are so impressionable? Guess no more. A child's subconscious mind is nearly empty due to limited life experiences from which to gain a point of reference and ultimately influence the decision-making conscious mind.

The same can be true about individuals that for whatever reason have minimal experiences with life altering events or exposure to thought provoking intellectual concepts. One of the main reasons for this unique attribute is because it operates much like a cruise control or an autopilot hidden deep within the mind. Because of this collection and assimilation process, the subconscious mind quickly and continuously fills a repository gaining strength and influence by offering responses to current activity generated by the conscious or awakened portion of the mind. This cross collaboration of mental activity between the two minds is a completely natural activity and in normal mental conditions, is indicative of a healthy mind.

The subconscious portion of the mind appears at first to be an elusive part of our personal makeup. Moreover, as we have just read, the reason it seems elusive and inaccessible is in part, derived primarily through its method of operation. As life experience builds, so does the influential power of the subconscious mind in directing our lives without us fully able to comprehend its existence or influential role in life. Many do not recognize any of its actions and as a result, have difficulty acknowledging the importance or the value our subconscious mind offers because we generally have an inability to access this special place within our mind. Alternatively, with the lack of awareness, we do not possess the tools or knowledge required that could generate any desired changes to its contents.

Since the subconscious mind influences our thoughts and actions automatically, by the programming instructions or language from which it operates provided through our repository of collected beliefs, life experiences, and perceptions of the world around us, we can through specialized practice, consciously re-write our subconscious thoughts gaining more control over our lives.


Why Re-Program the Subconscious?


In consideration and appreciation of this vast, influential, and powerful component of our mind, most of us would prefer a life that continuously expands in a positive way, benefiting us individually and as a natural by-product, the well being of others. Once realizing this noble desire in a practical sense, the implications for enhancing all of life will eventually be profound, as we will become less unconsciously relational to one another.

By connecting the two minds cohesively in a meaningful way and acknowledging their interactions, we can begin the process to re-program portions of our subconscious mind that are responsible for self-sabotaging our best, highest intentions and desires. In the normal, daily course of life we occasionally encounter repetitive yet seemingly hidden symptoms stored in our subconscious that hinder experiencing our highest purpose usually displayed as more joy, productivity, success and balanced living. It is at this point when awareness arises and we begin to recognize something is affecting our actions and with the best intentions determine to resolve these conflicts within us.

This is the turning point filled with great opportunity! The best examples of these deeply hidden symptoms generated by the subconscious are those having a "memory signature" of significant emotional power. One such stored example is feeling rejection from someone you care for or love. At the next situation involving a perceived potential for rejection, our conscious mind will quickly receive an embedded conclusion from the subconscious to justify why rejection will happen. Even though this is a false assumption, you may unknowingly be the one rejecting in advance, any possibility to experience full acceptance that another person or situation may offer. The same goes for high, emotionally charged low self-esteem conflicts that where created every time you experienced the feelings of inadequacy, assumed failure or when someone implied or called you ignorant, worthless, lazy or worse!

All these negative connotations exude very powerful imagery that unless countered or removed entirely from your subconscious makeup, will lead to a lifelong cycle of struggle in many areas of your life. Reprogramming your subconscious to counteract the negatively charged embedded responses is not that difficult if you are willing to apply a few simple procedures that over time, will greatly improve your mental balance and outward response to life as a whole.


The How To


Fortunately for those who wish to venture into changing themselves for the better, a few established approaches are available to successfully re-program your subconscious mind. These methods overwrite unwanted responses by replacing them with a different or more positive oriented influences within the mental construct deep in the mind.

Your subconscious programming did not evolve overnight- it was solidified and strengthened each time a matching response was warranted and offered up in response to a conscious thought created in waking life. In consideration of this fact, a fundamental key to remember is these methods exponentially become more effective and produce rapid results through their consistent application. Below are five effective (and advanced) methods to begin the reprogramming process.

  • Visualization

The subconscious responds very well to visual stimuli. Viewing images that create pleasing and emotionally uplifting thoughts of appreciation, joy, and gratitude will plant positive imagery within the subconscious exactly as if you physically experienced them. The subconscious cannot differentiate real from the imaginary being as it is influenced by emotions only. Collect together pleasing imagery from any sources that you view to induce positive feelings. Repetition of viewing these images provide for an eventuality whereby the physical images are not necessary and at will, can be recalled anywhere anytime within the mind's eye.

  • Affirmations

There is no simpler way to inject positive messages into the subconscious. Create simple statements crafted in the present tense NOT future sense. For example- "I am" rather than "I will". There is no future sense only the present moment for the subconscious. This is a very important distinction. Match the words with corresponding feelings and images associated with the affirmative statement. Repetitive replay is the key to success using well-crafted affirmations so you can verbally or internally express them anytime, anywhere. These are very powerful when done correctly.

  • Environmental Influence

Some say we are a reflection of the company or environment we keep. It's true- everyone lives the reality they expect. External interactions with people, places, or events have the potential to exert mental impressions into the subconscious mind equally positive or negative. Your best guidance is to balance with the conscious mind and heart, an appropriate emotional response given the external influence regardless of the initial emotional response you feel. For example, when confronted with potentially unwanted experiences, filter your response by seeking out something about the event that is positive. Remain focused on any positive aspects to neutralize a negative response or unwanted influence from being placed into the subconscious.

  • Hypnosis

Here is a scientifically proven method which has withstood the test of time, and within a proper setting has immense potential to offer help. Under a trained practitioner, hypnosis can jumpstart subconscious reprogramming by effectively bypassing the conscious, filtering portion of our mind. This time saving, short-cut method is very effective for many since it quickly alters behavior through implantation of specific modification or belief statements into the subconscious. Typically one seeks out a well qualified expert in the field of hypnosis to facilitate personalized sessions to effect results.

  • Brain Entrainment

Another very popular method with similar effects to hypnosis without the need of a hypnotist is entrainment of the mind. Think- self-hypnosis. Modern science has revealed unique, variable frequencies our minds exhibit while in various mental states. If one were to induce via virtually inaudible influential statements or positive affirmations while you are in one of these specific brain frequencies states such as those present while in deep meditation, alterations to the subconscious can be quickly realized. Again, repetition of use is very important while employing this method. Many good sources of brain entrainment audios are widely available with most designed to target a focused, specific change within the subconscious. Equally important, some entrainment audios are well designed in that they are co-mingled with pleasing soundtracks.

Reprogramming Checkup List


Here are 17 points of light to remember, contemplate and apply habitually while inducing desired changes to your subconscious. Really, this is a lifestyle and noble undertaking which produces rich rewards both personally and in the greater world around you. So, below are some well know and lesser known, easily applied thoughts and actions to help you along facilitating a new, improved you! Find what resonates with you and notice what those feeling are (no matter positive or negative) when reviewing the list. This feeling-based response will provide you with valuable emotionally directed insights of those items which will improve your life the quickest when applied. Your higher-self is always your best guidance. That still, small voice never misleads you. Acknowledge this higher, unbiased guidance and reap phenomenal improvements in all areas of your life. Like they say- It's good to take a checkup from the neck up regularly.

  • First and foremost, believe in yourself.
  • Understand what is holding you back so you can overcome it.
  • Spend time in quiet self-reflection, prayer, or meditation at least once a day.
  • Guard everything that enters and leaves your mind.
  • Know what you want in very specific terms.
  • Remove all sources of negativity from your life.
  • Surround yourself with positive, success-minded people.
  • Create a realistic plan to attain your deepest desires.
  • Take positive steps each day toward what you want to attract.
  • Focus on the present - as if you have already attracted the things you want.
  • Create visual reminders of your goals and intentions.
  • Make a recording of your favorite affirmations or buy a self-hypnosis CD.
  • Avoid conflicting messages by matching your feelings with your desires.
  • Write a newspaper report about your success as if it has already happened.
  • Be an advocate for yourself, allowing praise and compliments.
  • Choose to carry a positive attitude at all times. œ Have an attitude of gratitude.


The Conscious Mind's Role



In closing, let us not vanquish the conscious mind in all this. It too has a valuable role in reshaping our sometimes-illusive subconscious mind. One of the best and note-worthy attributes of an awakened state is that of becoming aware of both our own thoughts and reactions to daily life with all its apparent distractions. We could easily imagine the conscious portion of our mind as the proverbial gatekeeper.

While as simplistic as this may seem, really for those of us who desire more joy in life, simplicity has great value and is not to be discarded in this valiant endeavor. Utilize and enlist the help of the left, analytical portion of your brain while at the same time, not ignoring the right brain's intuitive influence. By doing so, you have a powerful, to-the-point vigilant ally readily available to monitor and assist as you progress along.

Allow the conscious mind's gentle reminders of your thoughts and responses even actions you take among daily activities. By deliberately fine tuning your thoughts as the happen, is an important key that ultimately delivers the type of results you are looking for. Through just a few practical, conscious applications of what you have learned here will in very little time, become second nature and open doors of higher-consciousness that flood the subconscious with a more positive, redirection of thoughts. In short order, actual improvements and related changes will be visually observable to both you and those around you.

First and foremost acknowledge and thank yourself for reading this far as this is a testament of willpower and a desire to be a more awake human. We are all on this journey together so be easy with all of this and be easy on yourself. Avoid a mental self-beating that sometimes accompanies any threat to unwanted predisposed responses generated by the subconscious through the ego.

Remind yourself this whole process is not that complicated and some stubborn personal attributes you wish to modify will take time to permeate and alter your subconscious for the better. Just decide to willingly participate and begin the process. And not to be forgotten- that too is good as we have eternity to gain perfection!


About the Author:

Tim's writing expertise and intuition for understanding arcane, non-mainstream subject matter including esoteric topics begun at the age of 14. It is through his expansive career in finance which affords Tim a unique ability to apply a professional, down-to-earth approach when writing about the science of spirituality.

Please visit- http://www.shiftoftheage.com for additional articles complete with accompanying pictures and any embedded video offering you more wisdom during these chaotic, transitional times we face.

© Copyright 2010- Timothy Connolly, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Mind The Subconscious

by

John Prytz



UNDERSTANDING YOUR MIND


If there's anything that should be 100% comprehensible to you in exquisite detail it's the workings of your mind. I mean you and only you inhabit it 24/7/52. It's a lifelong relationship, one-on-one; at the very least till death us do part. But if you understand even the workings of just your own mind, put yourself down for a Nobel Prize, you've earned it.

While different people have slightly different brain chemistries and neural network connections thus explaining different personalities, interests, worldviews and abilities, etc. you have just one normal brain chemistry (unless you deliberately alter it) and one neural network connection to come to terms with. So, we'll (actually will have to) concentrate on the one, since you're a typical representation of the generic whole.

You do a lot of mental stuff each day. From the moment you wake up your conscious mind goes into hyper-drive (your subconscious was still churning away while you were sleeping). Those daily mental gyrations tend to be interrelated but involve things like decisions and planning, from the chessboard to the dinner table; memory and recall; sensory processing (taste, smell, sight, sound, touch); and learning, even if it's the evening news, the local gossip across the fence, or what's on sale this week at the supermarket.

I need to state from the outset that the mind does have a very limited ability to deal with more than just a couple of things at one time. In fact it's best to deal with issues arising in a linear fashion. You cannot concentrate on driving while at the same time concentrating on a cell-phone conversation as aptly demonstrated on the "MythBusters" TV show. I'm sure you can identify with trying to juggle three, four, five or more things at once, all demanding your full attention with things just sort of going to hell in a hand-basket, sometimes with serious or potentially serious consequences.


YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND


Have you ever had a complex thought leap suddenly, almost or even unbidden, into your conscious (the self-aware or self-conscious) mind? Why? Was it your conscious mind that brought it to the fore, or your subconscious (otherwise more technically known as the unconscious) mind? Chances are, it was your subconscious (unconscious) mind. It's been shown that your subconscious mind makes up your mind for you split seconds before you're consciously aware of it. It's almost as if it was predetermined.

Your subconscious mind bubbles along under the radar without an actual conscious input from your self-aware you, processing, ever processing. What should be random bubbling like boiling water should therefore result in a mess - a hodgepodge. Instead, you seem to get a purposefully and linearly directed nebulous something which at the least expected time pops through your grey matter's 'wormhole' that links your subconscious mind with your conscious mind. Your conscious mind cannot seemingly draw out of your subconscious mind the nebulous something you need when you need it.

So how does your subconscious stay on the straight and narrow without your conscious input? I have no idea, but it apparently does. When your conscious thoughts go off the rails, say you're distracted by something not relevant to the task at hand; well you can quickly force your conscious mind back on track to the task at hand. You don't have to do that with your subconscious since the subconscious apparently can't be distracted.

So I wonder whether the world's greatest thinkers - scientists, philosophers, inventors, writers, etc. weren't really conscious thinkers at all but derived much of their inspiration from their subconscious.

It's not your conscious mind that connects the dots, it's the subconscious. How often do you hear, or even tell yourself, "I'll sleep on it" (which is why it is probably a good idea to always have pen and paper or a Dictaphone next to the bed)? How many people can relate to solving an out of the ordinary mental puzzle in their dreams, or the solution comes to them 'out of the blue' while preoccupied with something related. There are no tools, only the resources in your own mind. In fact if you consciously try to come up with an original creative idea, you'll probably fail, but when you're in mental neutral gear - eureka.

Ever immediately forget something you thought of just minutes before and cannot now for the life of you consciously recall? Throw your mind into neutral and when you least expect it, there it is back to the fore again. Now quickly, write it down!

Here are a few other examples where the subconscious rules your roost.

We're all aware of hypnosis drawing out memories locked away, in the subconscious of course. You have no control in your conscious ability to recall. It takes a more extreme form of that "gotta put my mind in neutral", the hypnotic state, to bring the data to the fore. Of course unethical or badly trained or amateur hypnotists can implant false memories or manipulate those already there thus producing unreliable results.

It's not at all extraordinary for a minority (10 - 25%) of absolutely normal adult humans to have at least one vivid hallucination during their lifetime - a product of their subconscious that's probably much more common in children's 'make-believe' like there's a monster in the closet or their inevitable invisible playmates. As our minds grow older and mature, we become less likely to have subconscious hallucinations, but they can still happen.

Perhaps connected, we've nearly all experienced involuntary (as to subject) daydreams, which, like sleeping dreams, is a product of the subconscious.

Speaking of sleep, when you go to sleep you go into lockdown mode courtesy of the subconscious so you don't physically act out the actions you dream about. That makes sense otherwise you could do yourself and others in your immediate vicinity a serious mischief, but you have no control over that lockdown process.

An ordinary conscious level mental puzzle might be how to get from A to B on the bus when your car is in the repair shop. These are the sorts of ordinary every day mental gymnastics that usually require tools - hammer and nails; a cookbook; a train timetable; a table of trigonometry functions; and memory. However, in order to utilize them, you have got to have concepts of them filed away in your subconscious cubby-holes, so everyday mental, and apparently conscious activity have mandatory roots in the subconscious, otherwise, no go.

Just as an aside, there's another version of subconscious activity that usually deals with body language. How often do you see someone talking on the phone to someone else, neither party can see the other, yet probably both parties are making all sorts of hand gestures and using other kinds of body language as if they were talking face-to-face? Probably quite frequently - it's the norm. Or you see a woman sitting on a bus or in a café or some such, and she's preening her hair, running her fingers through it but not even aware she's doing it.

When you only have microseconds to act, say when you're standing in the batters box 60 feet, 6 inches away from the pitchers mound and a rapidly rotating baseball is heading towards you at 95 mph, do you stand there and consciously crunch the numbers before your go/no-go swing, or just turn the issue over to your subconscious to go for it, or let the ball pass you by. Ditto that for an outfielder chasing down a fly ball. In such situations your conscious mind is worthless baggage. Instinct, training, practice and all those other facets embedded in your subconscious required come to the fore and takeover. You can do the physics calculations at your leisure after the game.


CREATIVITY (The 'What If')


Is creativity pre-programmed or an act of free will? How many things do you do during the course of your day that you did not consciously plan to do, yet could have so planned in theory? Those spur of the moment things, even little things, you didn't walk up having them on your agenda, must have originated from your subconscious. You really, apparently, didn't have any free will over doing those agenda items - that is doing them consciously with a before-the-fact intent.

I call creativity the mental "what if" exercise. You take this bit from this cubby-hole and that bit from that cubby-hole and a third bit and fourth and fifth bit from other cubby-hols and combine them in a unique, theoretical, creative, what if, ways. It's been said that from the reality of one drop of water you should be able to come up with, or envision, the idea of a waterfall or an ocean, even if you've never seen or heard about either and therefore don't have a waterfall or ocean cubby-hole. So you reach into your cubby-hole for the concept of many, numerous, billions and billions; your cubby-hole for cliff; your cubby-hole for bowl or depression; your cubby-hole for gravity, and several more besides. And so you come up with new cubby-holes for theoretical waterfall (but probably lacking the thunderous sounds, spray and foam), and theoretical ocean (but probably without salt, marine life, the tides and waves), not actual parts of your reality, only your 'what if' reality, and to be honest, a lot of our cubby-holes are of that nature.

Let's take a simple everyday scenario. I think I'll cook up a pizza for dinner tonight. It's a spur of the moment eureka moment that wasn't present when you woke up this morning. So where did that pizza for dinner thought come from? It probably came as a bolt out of the blue at lightning speed; it leapt into your conscious mind, but it was constructed from the various bits and pieces that resides elsewhere in your mind - in your subconscious mind.

Inside your mind you store a whole dictionary full of concepts, each in its own little cubby-hole, which you probably keep adding to all the time. The dictionary of a fifty-year-old is much bigger than that of a five-year old. Imagination or creativity is that which picks and chooses relevant concepts from those various cubby-holes and strings the chosen bits, at seemingly light speed, into a logical linear conglomerate. Sometimes the bits and pieces are strung together to form an original bit of creativity or of the imagination, though that may not be original or creative to someone else, but it is to you, and that's what counts. I mean I / cook / small / mushroom / thin base / pizza / dinner might not be all that much a stretch of your imagination or overly creative, but I / cook / small / thin base / magic mushroom / pizza / dinner might be.

But let's back up a second to that storehouse of cubby-hole concepts. That I / cook / small / mushroom / thin base / pizza / dinner is a very specific outcome. You have cubby-holes for cook from scratch vs. ready made frozen vs. dial-a-home-delivery vs. dine out. You have cubby-holes for toppings like mushroom vs. pineapple vs. pepperoni vs. beef vs. ham vs. olives vs. onions vs. capsicum or some combination of those, and a lot more besides. You have cubby-hole concepts for breakfast vs. lunch vs. TV snack-time vs. dinner. Then there's small individual size vs. large size vs. family size where everybody gets the same deal. And thin base vs. medium base vs. thick base pizzas. Lastly, there's the choice of pizza in the first place. Your cubby-holes contain concepts of alternative dinners like steak vs. lamb vs. seafood vs. spaghetti vs. chicken vs. turkey vs. ham vs. any of dozens of other possibilities. From the hundreds upon hundreds of choices / options / permutations drawn from those concepts stored in the cubby-holes of you mind, you make one subconscious decision. It could be even a slightly irrational decision - maybe you don't have any pizza-related ingredients in stock; it's nasty weather and you'll need to go to the supermarket!

I'd suggest that with so many hundreds of options (and this is just one tiny facet of your daily coming to terms with your day), how can you make a final conscious decision using only your conscious mind? You'd be stymied. You'd be indecisive faced with that multitude of conscious options. It seems as if your subconscious crunches the numbers; your consciousness acts on the answer. Your subconscious says I / cook / small / mushroom / thin base / pizza / dinner and then your conscious mind puts that answer into an action mode and makes it so.

Of course not all creative activity is subconscious in origin - or so you think. You compose a letter off the top of your head; ditto holding a real time conversation.


DECISIONS


Do you take a right turn or a left turn at Oak Street? That was the issue at hand for a popular song, and surely the resolution of the issue is a conscious decision and subject to free will. Your subconscious cubby-holes will store and provide for you the positives and negatives of either choice when you drag them to the fore. But what if it's the very first time you are required to make such a decision and you have no prior knowledge to draw on. Surely that decision will be 100% a demonstration of free will. Or will it? How can you make an informed decision when you have no data on which to make a decision? The easy option is to toss heads or tails, but there's no free will cigar awarded for that.

Perhaps if you are right-handed you might subconsciously (there's that word again) true right when you reached Oak Street.

Your mind, like the rest of life, the Universe and everything, is composed of molecules, in turn composed of atoms, in turn made up of the elementary particles we all learn about in high school science classes. Now the realm of the micro-verse is governed by the probability laws of quantum physics. As such, if you really want to get down and dirty, any and all mental activities at any and all levels have to take quantum physics into account. So what's the big deal? Well, your decision to go right or left at Oak Street might just boil down to a probabilistically quantum state of some elementary particle in your brain which could go either way in a totally random way which you have no control over.

In quantum physics, when you have an equally either/or state of affairs, well that's known as a superposition of states. If nobody is looking, you go both left and right at Oak Street until someone peeks and it's determined either/or. It's another version of Schrodinger's Cat-in-the-box thought experiment with a naturally radioactive substance that has a 50/50 chance of decaying in say one hour. If the decay happens, it triggers a device inside the box that kills the cat. If the decay fails to eventuate, the cat lives. Until someone looks after one hour, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time. After someone peeks, the cat is either dead or alive.

So, in a sort of similar way, perhaps a radioactive atom inside your brain (and you are naturally slightly radioactive) will decay or not decay during the time you are agonising over that left or right turn. The decay/not decay will decide, not if the cat lives or dies but whether you turn left or right at Oak Street. In any case, you have no control. Quantum physics controls your subconscious which controls you and your decisions in the absence of any other driving force.


FREE WILL


As noted frequently above, when it comes to the subconscious you have no control over how it operates. Therefore, with respect to the subconscious, you have no free will.

While watching a DVD of a TV show or feature film for the first time, your phone rings. You hit the "pause" button while you answer the phone. Now when you return, mentally you can envision hundreds of possible scenarios or options that could unfold in the few minutes after you resume viewing by hitting the "play" button. But you know there will be only one scenario and it is fixed - absolutely. Why? It's been pre-programmed. There's no free will for the characters.

Now what if we could freeze frame your mind like a DVD - hit your mind's "pause" button split seconds before a pizza dinner in all its finality detail entered your conscious mind. We, the outsiders, could imagine hundreds of scenarios of what would happen when we un-paused your mind, but just the one scenario would eventuate.

Now the question arises - you have no control over your subconscious mind and what it comes up with, yet the subconscious seems to often rule the roost where much of your decision making is unplanned; much of your creativity is unplanned; all that much to do with your imagination is unplanned, unplanned meaning your conscious mind played no active role. You just slept on it; you had that unplanned eureka moment while your brain was idling in neutral.

The DVD analogy was pre-programming. Might your subconscious be pre-programming as well? If so, no free will, and one scenario that pre-empts your free will is your existence as virtual reality in a simulated universe!

So, if you are not in control of your subconscious then that implies a lack of free will of the mind and your mental processes. You certainly don't have mind-over-matter free will (you can't flap your arms and fly or run faster than the speed of sound), but you no doubt think you are in charge of your own mind. If that's not the case, well any sign of that is suggestive that you are living in a computer software-generated simulated universe which gives you no free will at all, only an illusion of free will.

Belief in astrology is self-negating your belief in your free will since the stars and the planets rule in your roost. Perhaps one idea for such acceptance of astrology is that you don't have free will and so astrology is your scapegoat substitute.


EMOTIONS


Emotions are strange in that you may see a picture of X and burst into tears, or laugh out loud, whereas I'm totally ho-hum, under-whelmed, boring. However, another image may cause me to rant and rave, while you just yawn-the-big-yawn. In either case, you seemingly have no control over your feelings. You don't seem to have much free will in terms of who you like or dislike or who you fall head-over-heels in love with, so again, I'd conclude that emotions are part of your subconscious.


THE SUBCONSCIOUS IS THE CONSCIOUS?


It seems however unnecessarily messy to have both a subconscious and a conscious mind. Actually, it was Sigmund Freud who divided the mind into the conscious mind and the subconscious (unconscious) mind. The question arises, might the subconscious actually be doing ALL the number crunching and feeding the answers to your (illusionary) consciousness or conscious mind, sometimes unexpectedly - that eureka moment, but more often as not, humming a constant feed along to you in the background, a feeding which as far as you're concerned is your (illusionary) conscious mind in action but it's all just the subconscious. You think your conscious mind is composing that letter, but the words and sentences are being fed through to your (illusionary) consciousness via that subconscious interface without you being self-aware of that. So in fact there is no consciousness housed separate and apart as an organic structure, only the illusion of one. Your automated nervous system runs the body; what we now call the subconscious runs the mind - the entire mind.

That's probably a vastly oversimplification, but regardless of whether or not the subconscious and the conscious are separate and apart or one and the same, the subconscious is top of the pecking order over which we have no control. Only the automated central nervous system rules above all else - if it didn't you'd be kaput, extinct, stone dead as a doorknob.


MEMORY


I'd be of the opinion that you can't in fact operate on the conscious level at all at anytime as hinted at above. You read the word "tree" in a book, hear the word spoken, or see a "tree" in the movies or outside your window. You must immediately reach back into that subconscious cubby-hole and draw back out what a tree is in order for the work or image to make sense. You see gibberish in a book or hear it, say someone 'speaking in tongues'; maybe it's real gibberish or maybe it's an unfamiliar foreign language, but it's gibberish nonetheless. Or say you see something you've never seen before (or never heard or learnt about). There's incomprehension because there's o subconscious cubby-hole to reach back into that contains that something that will enlighten you. And so you have gibberish or the great unknown to contend with.

One hundred percent of your perception of reality comes into your mind via your five senses and if anything perceived doesn't match up with your subconscious cubby-hole encyclopaedia then part of your reality makes no sense.

All of these millions of daily inputs, matching with cubby-hole outputs, take place so fast, not quite at the speed of light but getting there, that you have no awareness of it happening. The lag time between reading "tree" and the "ah ha, I know that that means" is so fast it just doesn't register. If there was a significant time differential you'd know it. Back in our Stone Age cavemen days, our ancient ancestor's world of fight or flight, survival of the fittest, any lag time would be detrimental to your well being. I see a "sabre-tooth cat" - five second delay - subconscious cubby-hole says "sabre-tooth cat bad news, run". By then you're its dinner; it's too little too late for you.

Take another common scenario. After you wake up in the morning you tend to greet those around you with a "Good morning (person's name)". Say it's "Good morning, John". Now you have to reach back into your memory to recall what the appropriate phrase is and what the persons name is. You also therefore need to remember the meaning of 'appropriate'. It would be strange and inappropriate to say "Goodnight Josephine" instead, or "I think I'll have pizza for dinner tonight". But how do you reach back into your memory to draw out the correct phrase when you don't remember what you're looking for. If you did remember what you were looking for you wouldn't have to look. It's the same with any though process. You've got to remember what it is you need to remember in order to think the thought, or say the words, or perform the actions. It's all very circular reasoning. You have to remember what you need to remember in order to remember!

If you remember where you put your keys you don't need to search your memory to discover where you left your keys, but you initially still had to perform that search of your memory since you remember where you put your keys! But how did you know where to search for the answer (where did I put my keys), an answer that wasn't an answer to an unasked question like how many keys are on the keychain or what's the colour of the key I actually need. Your memory bank is a huge place with millions of bits and pieces of data. Only a very tiny fraction is relevant to "where did I put my keys". It's like trying to find one sentence in an encyclopaedia or that proverbial needle in a haystack.

Further, you had to remember that you needed to remember where you left your keys. That infinite regression of I need to remember in order to remember in order to remember is almost like that series of Russian dolls, one inside the other inside the other. Ultimately your entire mind becomes 100% clogged with the key problem and you shut down from mental overload. But you don't, shut down that is, so there's another solution.

If you cannot consciously recall where you left your keys, and that's a scenario we can probably all identify with, then you rely on your subconscious. If you're too impatient for that relax, wait and see approach, there's always the tried and true treasure hunt approach, but that in itself also involves numerous memory exercises.


YOU'RE ON AUTOPILOT


You don't need to remember to wake up, or to breathe, or how to take one step in front of the other to walk from A to B, or how to digest your breakfast, or if you're sick or injured your body by itself usually manages to put things right. You don't have to remember how to heal a cut or get over the common cold. If nearly all of your body is on autopilot, pre-programmed as it were, perhaps all of your body is pre-programmed, including the mind, regardless how many divisions it has.


OFFICE ASSISTANT


I actually have two separate and apart virtual reality critters on my PC, the standard Office Assistant (cleverly disguised as a cat) and Felix [the cat]. Now the question is, do these simulated critters in any shape, manner and form mirror the (apparently) really real human?

Firstly, I think we can all agree that these two virtual critters are just that - simulations. As such we can all agree that they are just software programmes and that they have no free will. But there are many, many parallels between their behaviour, their mental processes, and that of the (apparently) really real human being.

For starters, the Office Assistant (OA) has memory. If I perform a certain action, I get a prompt to do something in response. The Office Assistant (OA) has searched its memory for an appropriate reply to my action. It has made a decision. It also shows an emotion in trying to attract my attention since it wants further input from me. Because software can and often is upgraded, well that's learning in another guise. Felix, on the other hand, exhibits some sensory processing by exhibiting a sense of sight, smell and touch when interacting in a creative with other objects it encounters. It exhibits a range of behaviours that you'd identify with a really real cat. About the only things they are not programmed to do is go to the litter box or have sex or vomit, for fairly obvious reasons, though it could be so programmed if one wanted.

They both feed, albeit off of electrical energy. They wake up when I turn on the PC and go to 'sleep' when I turn off the PC. The OA actually takes catnaps during long intervals of inactivity where its helpful hints aren't necessary. There's also no way of telling if they are programmed to enter a dream state like real cats do. I suspect probably not as it would be unnecessary and a waste of programming.

Of course it's all just sophisticated programming. I'm not sure exactly how that works, but I'm sure any computer software programmer worthy of the title could spell it out in incredible technical detail.

The upshot is, these clearly simulated cats do indeed mirror many of what we'd identify as real biologically human traits. Of course given the relative sophistications, it's like comparing the value of a five cent piece against a five dollar bill, but the commonality is that both the five cent piece and the five dollar bill are money. The difference between Office Assistant/Felix and me is just a matter of degree.


MIND OVER MATTER: THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING?


Try as you will, your mind cannot influence the behaviour of non-living material, otherwise you'd always win playing the slot or poker machines and 18 holes-in-one at the golf course would be, well, par for the course.

I say non-living because your mind can influence other living minds, though I don't mean via telepathy or some such or various other technological devices allegedly used for mind-control purposes. The quite ordinary hard stare or the 'evil eye' or the barking voice is all that's required as any raw recruit at the receiving end of the Drill Sergeant's wrath can attest to. Some minds are putty in the 'hands' of other minds. On a gentler note, your thoughts, ideas, words spoken or written can shape the worldviews of other minds.

Two lovers gaze into each others eyes - mental communication of a sort transpires each affecting the physiological state of the other.

Influencing other odd bods and sods apart, your mind can have some minor influence over your own body. Some people have some control over their heart rate to some extent, and the placebo effect, both positive and negative has been proven beyond all doubt in terms of alleviating minor medical ailments by accenting the positive or aggravating the negative. With respect to the later, if you really think someone's put the whammy on you, and you believe in the power of the whammy, then you can just waste away and curl up and snuff it. It's not surprising that such things are possible since your mind is really matter (biochemistry) and your body is really matter (biochemistry) and biochemistry can flow from one to the other. Now that only works on a relatively minor scale. You might defy the Earth's gravity and arm toss a ball up into the air, but you can't defy it to the extent where you can arm toss the ball all the way to Mars. Likewise, your mind might be able to shorten the duration and severity of a common cold, but it's probably beyond realism to expect it to overcome a case of pneumonia.

About the Author:

John Prytz is a retired science librarian.

Wednesday 16 April 2014

How to Transform Limiting Beliefs to Achieve Success

by

Rosa C Murphy


We all have self-limiting beliefs in one way or another. However, if we want to be successful we need to learn to let go of these beliefs; beliefs like denial and resistances. Many of these self-limiting beliefs result from stories that we have created in our mind. When bad things happens we tend to defend, over rationalize or protect ourselves as part of our survival instinct. Unfortunately these kinds of behaviors keep us from moving forward.

Do you make excuses for procrastinating? Do you blame others for your lower performance at work? Are you blaming your excessive weight on your genetics? If so, it's time to learn how to make some mental adjustments so that you can really enjoy your life and experience a much more abundant and fulfilling life.

Abundant and prosperous people face the same difficulties and discomforts that the rest of us do but they have learned how to take appropriate actions to avoid negative consequences.

The basic principle to learn is to take responsibility for your life. It is up to us to be successful, overcome challenges and deal with drawbacks. Sometimes there are things out of our control, but we can choose to acknowledge this situation, understand the red flags, find a detour, keep moving and take positive action. This sometimes implies that we have to take risks.


Why denial is the number one self-limiting obstacle?


Denial means to hide or ignore that we are facing a problem or dealing with challenges. Denial provides a set of myths and excuses to keep us from progressing. When we are in denial we use lots of excuses and blame to justify lack of action or passive interpretation of things. If you are in denial you most commonly use these terms:

  • I don't want to be the center of attention. 
  • I prefer to keep my mouth shut. 
  • This is just temporary. 
  • I will not be fired; I am indispensable. 
  • I am waiting for the storm to pass.


These passive phrases provide us with justification or rationalization for something that is not working out and let us maintain the status quo. We are able to comfortably maintain the same state of mind and stay in our comfort zone. Self-limiting beliefs have also to do with poor self-esteem. Thoughts that accompany self-limiting beliefs include:

  • I am not good enough for that job. 
  • I do not have the right personality for that job. 
  • Nothing I do is ever noticed by others. 
  • Only good-looking people are successful. 
  • Maybe next year I can try that. 
  • I don't have a voice in this company. No one every listens to me. 
  • My family have been in poverty forever and I don't expect this to change.


When these types of thought occur it is necessary to turn them around. Rather than thinking thoughts like those above, turn them around:

  • I am good enough and I deserve that job. 
  • My needs are as important as everyone else's needs. 
  • I may not look like a movie star but I have talent and personality and these qualities are more important for success. 
  • I can handle pressure I am a great multitasker. 
  • Poverty is not fate. I am resourceful and dynamic and I am working towards change.


Our thoughts about ourselves, or our physical traits or talents and skills reflect how we act in front of others. Are we proud of our skills or do we try to keep them to ourselves in the hopes that we will be seen as being humble? Humble, by the way, means "teachable" and not shy, retiring and unassuming. Successful people, on the other hand, are more committed and determined to make sure everybody knows that they are the most qualified person for the job, promotion, business deal or transaction. There is no room for humility or passivity in their lives.

People who know how to overcome self-limiting beliefs find other ways to deal with change and the unknown. Don't think that you can't do it just because you have told yourself so many times that you don't have the right personality or talent that you actually believe yourself. Sometimes the worst thing that we can do is to believe our own thoughts. To enjoy a successful and more exciting life, a place of possibilities and dreams, we have to learn how to transform our self-limiting beliefs into self-empowering beliefs.


Solutions


You can identify beliefs that are self-limiting, beliefs that are not serving you or that are limiting your success, and replace them with positive ones that support your success. Here are some ideas to help you on this exciting quest:

  • Make a list of what isn't working in your life. 
  • Determine the most important areas of your life that need attention (family, career, love, finances). 
  • Review your goals and focus on a successful future. 
  • Ask a trusted friend or colleague what beliefs you seem to be manifesting that are not helping you move forward. 
  • Ask yourself insightful questions, do some inner work: write a journal, create your ideal day. 
  • Face what isn't working first, create a strategy plan. 
  • Make a list of positive things you wish to happen to increase your chances of success. 
  • Acknowledge your successes and achievements, remember you are greater than you think. 
  • Seek competent professional coaching; an NLP coach can help you developed effective intra-person and inter-personal communication skills. 
  • Seek a trained hypnotist to help you eliminate self-sabotaging beliefs and self-criticism that are not serving you and help you create a new set of self-talk words and mental programming for success.


Everything starts with your thoughts and mental processes. Words have power and it is important that you learn to use them correctly to your advantage. Believing that you are worthy of love and respect creates an aura of appreciation around you. You deserve to be successful and you are worthy of everything you want to achieve. Don't settle for less than you deserve. Once you understand that, your confidence will soar.

About the Author:


Rosa C. Murphy, M.Ed. is a certified relaxation therapist, artist and mentor, and a leading teacher in the area of mysticism, healing and expressive arts.  She has extensively research the goddess, divine feminine, human art, mythology and different archetypes. She talks about gnosis to self- mastery and personal transformation. and educates people about the body mind connection, thought field, hypnosis, and the Universal laws directing our lives.  For more information about her services, teachings or to contact her please visit her web site at:

http://www.whisperingtranquilitystudio.com



Saturday 12 April 2014

How to Use Your Subconscious Mind for Anything You Desire

Your subconscious mind is extremely powerful.  If you program it in the right way there are no limits to what it can achieve for you.

Watch this short video by The Secret star, Bob Proctor, who will talk you through how to use your subconscious mind properly and achieve anything you desire:

Wednesday 9 April 2014

3 Simple Steps To Stop Sabotaging Yourself

by

Natalie Ledwell

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. 

It's sad, but true… 

Even when we think we're doing all the right things, our subconscious can sneak out and undo some of our best plans. 

As a result, if we don't first get control of our deeply-rooted urges and addictions to past behaviors, creating our dreams can be a lot like trying to control a bull in a china shop. Not an easy task, right? 

So if you feel like you've been sabotaging your own success, and can't quite figure out exactly why or how it's happening, try these 3 simple steps for building a pen for the bull that might be living in your subconscious mind. 


Step 1 - Identify the bull in the herd


Our subconscious is a wonderful place full of ideas, instincts and intuition. These inherent traits make up who we are and how we act. For the most part, they are prized attributes. 

But, if your subconscious is sabotaging you, it needs to be wrangled in. 

  • Spend some time in meditation focusing on what you DO want. 
  • Then, move to the things you already do that can help you achieve those goals. 
  • And lastly, try to identify the habits that are keeping you from success… 


If you're having a hard time identifying your bull or perhaps figuring out which is your dominant bull in the herd (I suggest dealing with one 'bull' - or your biggest obstacle - at a time)… 


Then, once you've identified the bull that's keeping you from reaching success, try to… 


Step 2 - Separate the bull from the herd


You should never look a bull in the eyes, nor should we stare down our own inner struggles. Giving focused attention to your obstacle can increase the tension and allow your bull to go wild. 

Instead, try to find the root cause. 

Some people spend time toiling on the internet or watching TV, but focusing on watching TV won't change the way you feel or act. Rather, identify the main reason you're experiencing the problem. Why is it that you feel frustrated, unhappy or anxious? What is the real, 'deep down' reason that's causing you dissatisfaction? 

Once you have identified the obstacle (and separated the bull from the herd) next… 


Step 3 - Use the bull to grow the herd


After identifying the obstacle, you have a chance to embrace it and use it to your advantage. 

You simply need to find a way to meet the needs of your bull-ish urges, while not detracting from your main goals. 

Many of us have a need for nearly constant stimulation. I like to listen to music (rather than watching TV for example) while doing other things to provide that stimulus without completely distracting me from the task at hand. 

Whatever you see as being your biggest obstacle, you can always get to a point where it can be neutralized, or even better, used to your advantage.

The best way to get started is to practice visualizing yourself in the life you want, with clear intention and emotion. 

And to help you do that, first figure out what your #1 Success Blocker is, so you can more easily attract all of the things that matter to you the most. 


What are you waiting for? Get started now :) 


About the Author:

Natalie Ledwell is a Law of Attraction expert, bestselling author and speaker. She also hosts an online TV Show, The Inspiration Show, and is a co-founder of the personal development company, Mind Movies, which offers online courses and coaching programs, like Ultimate Success Masterclass. Natalie is passionate about helping others to achieve their greatest dreams and ambitions through personal transformation.


Find out more about Natalie and Mind Movies by visiting 

Saturday 5 April 2014

Change Blindness

Do you sometimes despair and feel that you are not making any inroads at all into the changes you want to make in your personal development?

If you are not using any of the correct techniques, particularly proper goal setting, mind movies and other various law of attraction techniques, then maybe you need to start applying them right now.  There is plenty of material you can find to help you on my blog, and even more for those of you who receive a regular e-mail from me (if you don't receive any yet, just enter your name and e-mail address in the box to the right of this blog, the one that says "I Want Them Now!", and you will get some free e-books to help you as well as my regular e-mails).

But even if you are moving in the right direction it is easy to believe you are not.

One reason is that our minds are not at all good at recognizing change.  So even if you have made good progress you may simply not be seeing it properly.

Most of us cannot even see when things around us have changed physically.  Psychologists refer to this as "change blindness".

If you don't believe me (or even if you do!) try out this interesting experiment, kindly provided by students at the University of Idaho:


Personally I found this very difficult.  I took ages to see something that had clearly changed right in front of my nose.  How about you?

Well if you cannot even see the changes around you, then do not be at all surprised that you don't notice changes within you.

The next time you are tempted to say you have made no progress, or even just too little progress, try this simple exercise.  Instead of focusing on where it is you want to be, take a look at where you used to be.  You may be surprised, once you do this, by just how far you have come, especially if you have been working on this goal for some time.