The Conscious Mind
We all know something about our conscious mind and we make certain presumptions about our consciousness. Consciousness, for most of us is the fact of awareness of our thinking, feeling, and doing. Although, the reactions to the stimuli may differ from from time to time and person to person, the fact that everyone is capable of reacting, is taken as a sign of consciousness. These conscious acts are termed as conscious mind.
The Sub-Conscious Mind
Similarly, certain acts are performed reflexively or without conscious awareness. For instance, mind goes on thinking bad thoughts despite attempts to control them. From where such thoughts as of fear, anger, lust, jealousy, hatred, and even desire to harm others, come? Same is the case with good or noble thoughts also. Selflessness predominates in some persons to the extent that these persons give up everything and start working for the welfare of the society.
From where do such thoughts arise?
They arise from the subconscious mind. Subconscious mind is the sum
total of our past experiences. What we feel, think, or do forms the
basis of our experience. These experiences are stored in the form of
subtle impressions in our subconscious mind. These impressions
interact with one another and give birth to tendencies. We become
prone to react in a particular way to a particular situation or
stimulus depending upon the tendencies in our subconscious mind. The
resultant of these tendencies determines our character. Depending on
the strength and nature of their character people respond to the
same stimuli or the situation in differing ways. The reaction varies
according to the character of the individual.
Let us explain the concept with one example. The hot summer dries up
everything, including the weeds, in a farm, and the field appears
barren. Apparently there is nothing but black soil. Soon the rains
soak the land and the imbedded seeds sprout up and fill the field
with unwanted weeds again. The farmer never desired to have them,
but when certain conditions were fulfilled the weed came to life.
The rain water, the weather, and the seeds were sufficient to cause
the weed to appear above the ground. However, the weed did not come
with rain-water or from sky, or somewhere else; the weed was
always present in the seed form in the soil itself!
Same is the case with us. There are impressions in the subtle form
in our subconscious mind. On coming with contact with certain
external factors the necessary conditions are fulfilled and these
subtle impressions surface in their manifest form.
Areas of Concern
For instance, suppose there is silent unseen and unknown tendency to
take alcohol, or to smoke, in our subconscious mind. necessary
conditions in the form of a friend, a bar, a cigarette vendor, etc.
would bring forth the desire to drink or to smoke; and we are in
there!
Another person has a latent or dormant tendency to seek God. The
necessary external stimuli in the form of a scriptural text, meeting
a Holy person, visiting a temple (or Church,) etc. attracts him/her,
and what a wonder! the person is totally immersed in various
spiritual practices, he becomes God centered.
There never was any conscious effort or desire or thought to drink,
to smoke, or to seek God. But fulfillment of necessary
conditions was responsible for activating impressions in
subconscious mind, and thus followed a particular behaviour.
But what about free will? Can we not choose the way we will react to
a given condition or circumstance? Yes, we can choose; but the will
is not absolutely free. The will, by which I make choices, behaves
in accordance with my character, that sum total of all past deeds,
thoughts, and feelings: The impressions not only from the present
life, but also the whole record of many past lives that the
subconscious mind carries.
Then is there no way out? There is. We have to empty the mind
of all unwanted subconscious impressions and tendencies: the weeds.
It is almost an impossible task; almost but not totally impossible.
It is possible to change the contents of mind (just as it is
possible to sow groundnut seed so as to start replacing the weed).
And as we have seen that the conscious experiences get stored up as
subconscious impressions, we have to control and handle both
conscious and subconscious mind. Our actions, thinking, and feeling
should be such that the subconscious mind is cleansed of its dirty
contents.
Hypnotherapy: The Answer
Suppose you have the problem of cleaning a dirty ink bottle that is fastened to the table. You can't pick it up and empty the ink out. What will you do? You pour clean water in the bottle, and the ink and the dirt will come out. You keep pouring in the clean water until all the ink and the dirt have been washed out and the bottle contains nothing but clean water. In the same way, although it is not possible to empty the mind by throwing out the contents of consciousness and making it blank; what one can do is to keep pouring clean water of pure thoughts, virtues like love, selflessness, altruism, etc. into the mind until all the dirt of past impressions spills out
During spilling out
of this dirt, we may appear miserable and suspect the cleaning operation. The dirt of hundreds
of past births may take quite some time to clear. Therefore, patience and perseverance are essential.
In short, we tackle the subconscious mind, by HYPNOTHERAPY and
start filling it with noble thoughts.
Areas of Concern
- Smoking Habits
- Drinking Habits
- Undue Stress
- Fear & Anger
- Anxiety
- Confidence building
- Past experiences
- Diabetes
- Arthritis