“The Devil Makes Me Do It!”

By Gayle North, CH
Positive Change Coach

"I've described the power of the subconscious mind, but I want to emphasize that there is no need to consider the subconscious a scary super-powerful, Freudian font of destructive "knowledge."  In reality, the subconscious is an emotionless database of stored programs whose function is strictly concerned with reading environmental signals and engaging in hard-wired behavioral programs, no questions asked, no judgments made. " -  Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief

Do you wonder why it is so difficult for you to change your unhealthy habits with food, tobacco, gambling, shopping, internet pornography, or alcohol?

Do you find yourself repeating unhealthy patterns over and over even though you know that you are hurting yourself physically, emotionally, and/or financially by the behavior? Who is pulling your strings?  Who is pushing your buttons?  What makes you sabotage your good intentions?  I have had clients tell me it's almost as if, "The devil makes me do it." 

Look first to your mind. You know that your mind has two aspects: your conscious mind and your unconscious mind.  Together they are a dynamic duo! The conscious mind can think forward and backward in time while the subconscious is always operating in the present moment. 

If you are using your conscious mind to daydream, or create future plans, or thinking about something from the past, then your subconscious mind is on duty managing your behaviors without the need of conscious supervision.  You can count on it.

Bruce Lipton gives this example in his book, The Biology of Belief: "  Operating together, the conscious mind can use its resources to focus on some specific point such as the party you are going to on Friday night.  Simultaneously, your unconscious mind can be safely pushing the lawn mower around and successfully not cutting off your foot or running over the cat—even though you are not consciously paying attention to mowing the lawn."

Even though the two minds together are truly a phenomenal mechanism, here is how it can go awry.  The conscious mind is the "self": the voice of our own thoughts.  It can have great visions and plans for a future filled with love, health, happiness and prosperity.  However, while we focus our conscious attention upon those happy thoughts, who is running the show?  It is the subconscious that manages our routine affairs—precisely the way it was programmed to perform.  When we are not paying attention, the subconscious mind's behaviors may not be of our own choosing because most of our fundamental behaviors were downloaded during childhood and adolescence before we developed discernment.  

The behaviors and beliefs acquired in your past may not support your conscious mind goals or health.   Imagine what life would be like if our subconscious minds had been programmed in a culture of highly evolved, conscious, loving parents as well as a community of teachers and people who served as exemplary life-models who always expressed the most humane win-win philosophy.

Unfortunately, this happens for very few if any of us—and you can kick the jukebox when it doesn't play what you want it to, but it won't help.  And you might as well realize that the subconscious mind will not change a pattern or habit just because the conscious mind yells, or criticizes, or pleads for a change.  Engaging in any kind of a battle with the subconscious mind is as pointless as kicking the jukebox to "make" it change its play list. Your Unconscious Can Only Replay Your Old Habits!  That is its job!

Habits with food: When you were small, did your Grandma console you with cookies? Did some authority figure make you clean your plate before you were allowed to have desert?  As a consequence, years later, you continue to look for those cookies when you feel hurt or frustrated. You still clean your plate even though it may no longer be a good thing for you.

Let's look at smoking:  Most people try smoking when they are young.   Some of us persisted through the coughing, sputtering, dizziness, burning eyes—not to mention the awful taste—and repeated this behavior until the unconscious mind said, “OK, let’s download it and make it an automatic habit.”  From that moment you have become a “smoker”.  After it gets "downloaded" to the subconscious, even if you swear to yourself that you will no longer smoke, odds are that you will still find yourself wanting to reach for another cigarette because the conscious mind is no longer in control.  

The good news is that empowerment technologies are available today that make it easier to change the programs in your subconscious mind.   Some of the methods can be self applied and some require the assistance of a trained practitioner.   


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