Have you ever heard about power of the mind? As we know, the brain is still the great unknown and the more we discover about its functioning, we realize that we still have more things to know. Without a doubt, the mind is extraordinary and it is very interesting to discover each of the mysteries it hides.
One of those mysteries is about our subconscious or unconscious mind, but what exactly is the subconscious? How does it work? Psychoanalysis defines the subconscious as the least accessible part of our mind, where repressed memories and impulses are found. In this Psychology-Online article: What is the subconscious and how does it work?we are going to let you know in detail everything related to this very interesting topic.
What is the subconscious?
To explain this concept, an example is usually used. Consciousness would be the tip of the iceberg (it can be seen with the naked eye), so the subconscious or unconscious would be the last part of the icebergthe lowest one that is below the waterline and that we cannot see although we are certain that it is there since it is the base of the iceberg.
The subconscious or unconscious is an original term of psychoanalysis and refers to everything we have saved or stored beneath our own consciousness, as if it were hidden and we could not see it with the naked eye as is the case with the iceberg. It is for this same reason why people find it very difficult to access information that we have stored in it.
Definition of the unconscious
But what type of information do we store in the subconscious? The information that we have stored there and which we cannot access as easily as in consciousness, generally contains deep fears, repressed desires and traumatic experiences that even consciously we would not like to remember. All this content can lead to the appearance of certain pathologies such as certain anxiety disorders, etc.
However, despite how difficult it is for us to have access to the subconscious, we usually express all those contents that we have stored there unconsciously in different ways.
Examples of expression of the subconscious
To give some examples:
- Dreams: A person who suffered a traumatic experience in childhood may have dreams related to it even if they do not even consciously remember it.
- Unconscious actions: a person who unconsciously represses his homosexuality, who when he consumes alcohol becomes disinhibited and approaches people of the same sex.
- Slips of the tongue: when we are talking about a topic and suddenly we say a word or phrase that has no relation to it.
The moments in which this type of information that we have stored in the subconscious usually comes to light occur when our level of consciousness decreases.
How does the subconscious work?
Our subconscious works as a kind of message sender or stimuli that we process on a conscious level and that activate certain behavioral patterns without us being aware of it. That is to say, the decisions we make every day, although it seems that we make them consciously, are really highly influenced by our own subconscious.
Our subconscious is as if it were a computer program that we have been creating over the years with the experiences that we have stored and this same program (composed of ideas, deep-rooted beliefs, thoughts, etc.) causes us to lean more towards one decision than another.
Sometimes, our subconscious mind is in accordance with our true desires and we make the decisions that we really want, however, in others it is not and there is so much negative information that we have stored and that has been accumulating over the years. since childhood, that we can end up self-sabotaging.
Various researchers have determined that our subconscious is a source of creativity and that helps us solve problems, even those that seem to have no solution. They have been demonstrating this through various studies, one of which is quite interesting shows how we become more creative using our subconscious mind.
Does the subconscious tell the truth? psychological experiment
In this study, participants were asked to invent different ways to use a clip, for which they were assigned a certain time. One group of people was allotted 5 minutes, while the other was given only 1 minute.
Surprisingly, the people who were assigned less time they were more creative and found more ways to use the clip.
But, how did this happen? The researchers concluded that the subconscious mind was always on the go, working to generate new ideas in a divergent process, while people who were allotted more time entered into a convergent thinking process, so They consciously discarded all those ideas that they considered absurd or irrelevant, worrying about contributing only the “brilliant” ones, which limited them when it came to being creative. The people who only had 1 minute to do the exercise were not limited by “reason”, they let themselves go and were undoubtedly able to bring out all their creativity.
How to access the subconscious?
Nowadays there are various techniques that help us connect with our subconscious mind, among the best known that are applied in psychological therapy are the following:
free association
This type of method consists of express without using consciousness and freely, all those thoughts that come spontaneously to mind. This technique can be carried out using some element that triggers the association, such as another person naming a word, number, image, etc. to which you will respond instantly without stopping to think.
directed dream
This technique consists of causing the patient to enter a mental state that is between wakefulness and sleep. To do this, the patient has to be on the couch completely relaxed and with attention focused solely on his internal world. The therapist directs a fantasy which the patient has to begin to visualize (these fantasies have universal symbols) such as, for example, finding themselves at sea, discovering a treasure, etc. The objective is to encourage the patient to interact within his own fantasy.
Projective tests
One of the defense mechanisms we use to avoid assuming as our own what we attribute to others is the projection. When we talk about projection we refer to the unconscious process that we use to free ourselves from the weight generated by experiencing emotions or ideas that we do not want. The objective of projective tests is for the person to be able to externalize what they carry inside and that they cannot perceive because it is in their subconscious in order to be able to penetrate your personality and get her to know herself more.
Among the differences in projective tests that exist are structural, thematic, expressive or graphic, constructive, associative and those referring to movement. The best known projective test currently is the .
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a technique that helps us enter a deep state of relaxation and allows us to focus on ourselves and our experiences. Through hypnosis we can access the information that we have stored in the subconscious and which, being fully aware, is not so difficult to access.
In therapy this type of technique is used to identify which are the possible causes of problems and sufferings of a person, as well as to assimilate those negative experiences that were stored there and also restructure them and convert them into more positive ones. It is interesting to mention that there is also self-hypnosis where we are the ones who can induce that state of relaxation and help us reprogram our mind.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Linares, RL (2018, September 14). The power of the subconscious mind. Retrieved January 9, 2019, from https://www.elpradopsicologos.es/blog/el-subconsciente-lo-que-se-esconde-debajo-del-umbral-de-la-conciencia/
- Grippo, JG (2012, May 30). Free association. Retrieved January 9, 2019, from http://www.psiconotas.com/asociacion-libre-141.html
- Álamo, ARA (2004, September 15). Psychotherapy by directed dreaming. Retrieved January 9, 2019, from https://psiquiatria.com/psicoterapias-144/terapia-psicodinamica-con-tecnicas-de-ensueno-dirigido-ejemplo-de-un-paciente-con-personalidad-infantil-y-ataques -panic-with-hypochondria/
- Projective techniques. (2017, August 18). Retrieved January 9, 2019, from http://solopsicologia.com/tecnicas-proyectivas/