Posted on February 4, 2011 by Karen Waters

(Note:  for the purpose of this article, the terms ‘unconscious’ and ‘subconscious’ mind are interchangeable and refer to the parts of the mind that are not conscious.)

Have you ever wondered why you’ve made a decision to start something new, followed all the instructions, done all the work, but still not accomplished your goals?   This is because we are running programs in our subconscious minds that are holding us back and that we are not even aware of.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could eliminate these blocks to our success?   We CAN and I can show you how!

I’m sure that most of you know something about icebergs.  90% of icebergs are submerged beneath the surface with only a small percentage being visible.  The same can be said of our subconscious minds.  Only 10% of our minds are conscious and this is the mind that we use on a daily basis.  This mind is great for reminding us to do certain things, remembering facts, even for creating visualizations.  As powerful as this brain is, the subconscious brain is far, far more powerful.  As it rests beneath our consciousness, we are not aware of what is going on in our subconscious minds and yet it controls most of what we do and think.

All of us have things that we do by habit.  For instance, we get out of bed, brush our teeth, put on our clothes, and make our tea or coffee all out of habit.   When something is a habit, our subconscious minds are directing us and we’re not really using much of our conscious minds.   Many of us even drive unconsciously.  I’m sure that you’ve had the experience of driving from one place to another and not really remembering much of the trip at all.  This is because our unconscious mind is directing us and keeping us safe.

Most of us live a good part of our lives unconsciously, even when it comes to our bodies.  Here’s a little experiment for you.  Whether you are sitting or standing while reading this article, stop now and become aware of your body.  Bring your awareness to your feet.   Are they planted on the ground?   Are you perhaps sitting on a stool with your feet on a rung?  Are you standing?   Are your legs crossed? Do you have even weight on both feet or more weight on one foot than the other?

Tune in now to your breathing.   Are you breathing shallow breaths from the upper part of your chest or taking deep breaths, extending your diaphragm every time you breathe?   Most of the time, we breath unconsciously as our conscious mind is busy with other things.  Our unconscious mind takes care of this for us.  It takes care of our heart beating, our internal organs, the blood flowing through our system of veins and arteries, the cells in our bodies, our immune system and so much more.  We can’t even imagine all of the things that our subconscious mind takes care of.

The unconscious mind takes its direction from the conscious mind and does this in a very literal manner.  The subconscious mind doesn’t differentiate between a negative and positive statement.  For instance, if you say, ”I want to eliminate debt”, the subconscious mind hears ‘debt’ and that is what it will focus on.

Most of us pay very little attention to the words that we use in our daily communication both in our conversations with others and in our private conversations with ourselves.   As the unconscious mind follows directions that the conscious mind gives it, we need to pay much closer attention to the words that we use.   Make a point of tuning in several times a day to really hear what you are saying.  Is the message positive or negative?   Research indicates that we have far more negative than positive thoughts on average.   Luckily for us, the positive thoughts vibrate with a higher energy than the negative thoughts, and with some awareness, we can tip the scale in our favour by replacing some negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

The subconscious mind also does not differentiate between real and imagined events.   This is why visualizations and affirmations are so important in terms of accessing the power of the subconscious mind.   The more you involve your senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste) the stronger the impression on our subconscious.  So, when you are imagining your goals and achievements be as vivid as possible and incorporate as many sensations as you can.

Clearing Emotional Blocks

If you’re serious about  accessing your subconscious mind and are ready to clear out the subconscious obstacles that have been holding you back, please see my article on Clearing Emotional Blocks.   I integrate this simple yet powerful technique into my coaching.

NOTE:  To help you make 2011 your best year ever, I am offering a Special Coaching Package to the first 4 people who take me up on my offer.

Karen Waters, MBA

Life Coach, Spiritual Coach, Business Coach and Healer