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.
Visit www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com for other articles. Call Positive Change Institute at (406) 837-1214 or to schedule a free consultation.
Visit www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com for other articles. Call Positive Change Institute at (406) 837-1214 or to schedule a free consultation.