Beyond the Power of Your Subconscious Mind (9 page)

As we will now learn, the data stored in our subconscious largely determines our behavior. And, since none of us have gone through life having had exactly the same experiences, or data input, no two of us can be expected to act exactly the same way. This is often why when we see someone acting completely differently than we would to the same situation, we think they are crazy or something is wrong with THEM. All of our behavior is
conditioned
by the data we have collected along the way that triggers our response.

At the conscious level, four basic things occur:

1. We
perceive
incoming stimuli through our senses.

2. We go through a process of
comparison
or identification.

3. We
analyze
what we have identified.

4. We make a
decision
for directed action, reaction, or inaction.

Let’s elaborate on each of these functions. We can refer to the following model for ease of reference:

1.
Perception.
We perceive incoming stimuli in the conscious mind through our senses. We see, hear, feel, smell, or taste something. (We also have many more senses than the Basic Five still being taught in school. For example, intuition, sense of balance, etc.)

2.
Comparison.
We simultaneously go into our subconscious to identify what it is that we are perceiving. Is it a car? An airplane? A boat? A bird? An elephant? A certain kind of food? A friend? An enemy? Or is it something we have no data on whatsoever?

3.
Analysis.
Once we have retrieved data telling us what it is that we are perceiving, we ask our self, “Is this a good thing? A bad thing? Something that will make me happy? Sad? Comfortable? Uncomfortable?” etc.

As we wrote earlier, small children learn from primarily two sources:

•
Imitating one or both of their parents (since our parents are our primary source of love, we will do almost anything to gain their approval).

•
Moving toward that which makes us comfortable or moving away
from or avoiding something that may make us uncomfortable.

4.
Decision.
Once we have made this internal self-analysis, we make a decision for action, inaction, or reaction.

So, the bottom line is, we are all making decisions based largely on past experiences we have had or data we have received about something that may or may not be the truth. Our data also includes all of our beliefs, attitudes, and opinions, we have been formulating since birth right up to the present day, many of which may be completely out of date. Many of us become “prisoners” of our data. Our data, or subconscious, is like the hardware that literally “runs us.” We all operate on certain programs, but for many, they keep operating the same old programs (i.e., B.S., or “Belief Systems”) that may no longer be relevant.

As Eric Hoffer, American author and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, so beautifully states:

In a time of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

We all know people who allow very little “gray” in their lives. Most everything is black or white. They have very definite opinions about almost everything and very little interest in considering different viewpoints or any new data or information that may cause them to change their view or opinion.

The learners who “inherit the earth” view education as a continuous life-long process. They are constantly seeking new data, challenging some of their own assumptions, and willing to be introspective in analyzing their subconscious data bank to determine what “programs” may need to be updated and what old data may be erroneous, causing them to make decisions that no longer serve them well. Their egos are in check and the
truth
is more important than being “right.”

Let’s look at how three different people may react totally differently to identically the same situation, not based on the truth or reality of the situation, but rather based on their past experiences. Imagine that I am giving a lecture on the subject I am presently writing about. I ask for three volunteers to come onto the stage. Three ladies, Mary, Sally, and Jane volunteer. I ask them to be seated at a round table. I tell them we are going to have a discussion about snakes. We are going to talk about the garter snake. I tell them how the garter snake does not have teeth, cannot bite, and eats insects, not people. I continue by stating there is no rational reason why one should fear a garter snake. Intellectually they all agree. I then say, “Good, as long as we now know there is absolutely
no
reason to fear a garter snake, let me introduce you to my pet, Larry,” and I pull out a live garter snake and drop it on the table.

Before the snake even hits the table, Mary is airborne, letting out an extremely loud scream as she sprints off stage, down the aisle and out the door never to be seen again.

What happened here? OK, let’s go through the four things we have just written about.

1.
Perception.
Mary perceives through her senses, in this case her eyes, an image of something alive, long and slender, and moving in a zigzag pattern.

2.
Comparison.
Mary goes to her subconscious (memory bank) and finds some data that quickly tells her this is a “snake.”

3.
Analysis.
In determining whether this is going to make her comfortable and bring her pleasure or make her uncomfortable, it takes her only a nanosecond to bring up the subconscious recorded picture of that little Jimmy Jensen in the third grade chasing her down the street with a garter snake, which he lovingly drops down the back of her blouse. Mary made a
life
decision at that point that she is never again going to be this close to a snake. In fact, if she is watching a movie and a snake appears on the screen, she will close her eyes or get up and leave the room. Think about this. Not the real object, but just a picture in a magazine can cause great anxiety and discomfort. And not based on the
reality
of the situation (like the snake is going to jump out of the T.V. and strangle her), but based on something that has happened to her in the past. Before we chuckle at Mary’s behavior, be assured we
all
have “snakes” in our backgrounds that may still be causing us to react irrationally to certain situations.

4.
Decision.
This is quite obvious. Based on her quick analysis, Mary makes a reactive decision and says, “That’s all folks. I’m out of here,” followed by primal screams as she runs a 40-yard dash down the aisle, out the building, and probably to the nearest pub.

Now let’s see how Sally reacts to the same situation. Sally was raised on a farm. She has been around animals her entire life. She loves animals and do you know what one of her favorite animal is? You’ve got it, snakes. In fact, Sally has a pet boa constrictor that she endearingly keeps with her in her condo. (A sparse dating life)

So, Sally goes through the same decision making procedure as Mary:

1. She
perceives
the object through her senses/eyes.

2. By
comparison
she identifies the object as a “snake.”

3. A quick
analysis
stirs up warm and loving feelings.

4. She makes a
decision
to move toward the snake, picks it up, caresses it, kisses it, or whatever people do who love snakes.

Now we get to Jane. She is rather nonplused over this whole situation and is probably wondering why she volunteered to be a participant. She is neither drawn toward snakes nor does she have any fear of them. She remains “inactive” or neutral to the whole situation.

So in this little example we have three individuals who have three different responses to identically the same situation based not on the reality or truth of the situation, but based on their prior experience(s) or data input regarding the subject. Bottom line, you and I are making decisions based not upon the unlimited potential we all have, but we are making decisions (today) based largely on events or information we have gathered from the past. How often have you sat down and taken inventory of all of your attitudes, opinions, feelings and “facts” and assessed how you might like to think or feel differently about some of these things. The problem is most people don’t do this because they don’t know
how
to change. They just resign themselves to a self-assessment and internal dialog that says, “I have always been good at
_________
, I have never been good at
_________
,
” and just plod
through life acting the same way over and over. It is almost like they are robots whose actions are predetermined by the conscious area of the mind barking out instructions to the subconscious.

The subconscious is a servo-mechanism that acts 24/7 on our behalf carrying out the orders given to it by the conscious mind. Let’s state again what we just said. Our subconscious is a
servant
that is available to serve us night and day. It is nonjudgmental; it doesn’t tell us whether we are making a good decision or a bad decision. It simply carries out the instructions given to it by its “boss”—the conscious mind. (Remember the captain of the ship and his crew in Chapter 1.)

The subconscious is the greatest tool we have to bring about positive change in any area of our lives, if used properly. We need to better understand the power of our own self talk and take better control of what we request of our subconscious.

This book shows you how to do that.

Before we briefly discuss the supraconscious, let us summarize what we have said. Our present decisions are based largely on our past experiences or information we have about something. We will show you how to modify or change that data which you identify you would like changed. We need to understand that we have also been conditioned to see certain things with a very subjective slant. This is where our prejudices come from.

Once we have been given the tools to bring about positive changes in our lives and we really learn how to use those tools, we are presented with an enormous opportunity to examine our subconscious to determine what data is no longer relevant to our current life experience.

An important thing to understand here is that when we perceive and identify something which strikes a negative habit pattern, the effect knocks out our “Analyzer,” and we behave consistent with how we have been conditioned to respond in such a situation. We act
totally
irrationally.

Once we identify our negative habit patterns, we can input new data into our subconscious that will help direct the action we desire. It also rids us of the bind that the negative habit pattern has had on us.

The third area of the mind is the Supraconscious. “Supra” means above or beyond, in this case, consciousness.

Please note that Dr. Murphy does not make reference to the supraconscious. Most of the work in this area of study has been done since Dr. Murphy wrote his book in 1963. The supraconscious is such an important part of our overall being that it must be included in any discussion of truly creative problem solving. In chapter 13, I will outline the step-by-step procedure for accessing this area of our mind.

The supraconscious is our source of all pure creativity. It is in that area where we receive great inspiration and creative solutions, the area where the information needed to solve the situation transcends any data stored in our subconscious, or memory bank. “Geniuses” seem to have an ability to tap into this vast reservoir at will.

The supraconscious is also our source of motivation and free energy when we are constructively motivated. We will discuss this in detail later as well.

In summary, we have three areas of the mind that all interact with each other—the Conscious, Subconscious, and Supraconscious. However, unless we are aware of them or know how they interact, we are apt to just drift through life on “auto pilot,” always doing well in certain areas, poorly in others, and making the same mistakes over and over. But, the promise of this book is, once you fully learn and understand the functions of each of these areas of the mind, combined with the tools we will give you to revise old or outdated information as well as how to input new data to help you achieve your goals more effortlessly, you will truly be able to take control of your life and direct it as you wish. You no longer have to live out a life as a helpless victim.