"You see, it is not so much "what" actually happens in our lives but "what we do with it", how we log it into our subconscious, that matters most." ... Tam

The Conscious and Subconscious Minds

Most people agree our minds are incredibly complex and wondrous. They are designed to constantly seek ways to "make sense of" and "respond to" what is happening both inside and outside of ourselves. They are also designed to "learn" from these experiences and to develop patterns that allow us to deal with these, or similar, events in the future.

From our experiences, we learn skills and habits. We develop patterns of thinking, solving problems and behaviors. We develop beliefs and patterns of relating to ourselves, other people, and the world that serve an important purpose for us at the time they were learned.

And all of this learning becomes "sub" conscious, operating at a level below our normal everyday, conscious awareness.

You could think of the subconscious as the hard drive on your computer.

Your normal everyday, conscious awareness, is more like the computer's monitor screen and keyboard, always relaying information to and from the subconscious

It is that part of your mind that is always interacting with the world; the part most of us consider "me". It involves our short term memory, is engaged in the immediate world, and is analytical. Yet it represents only the "tip of the iceberg" of who you really are.

The subconscious is much more powerful and is really the driver in our lives.

It is the seat of;

• our autonomic processes (like breathing and heart rate)
• our automatic habits (like teeth brushing or tying your shoes)
• our values and beliefs -(maybe you don't think teeth brushing is important!)
• our long term memory,
• and our feelings and emotions.

Thank goodness for the subconscious!

It directs us in so many aspects of our lives, that without it, our lives would have little context and not much would get accomplished! For better or for worse, what is stored below our conscious awareness, what is ingrained into our subconscious directs what we think, how we feel, and what we do.

The Subconscious and Change:

Anyone who has ever tried to change a behavior understands how the subconscious mind likes to "snap back" to old patterns - they are familiar and do meet some real need inside us, that's how that learning got there in the first place!

Sometimes we try to use our "will power", that is the force of our normal everyday, conscious minds. Sometimes this works. More often, will power does not work, especially if it conflicts with our deepest subconscious learning.

The lessons and processes we have developed over a lifetime and which exist in our deep subconscious mind are resistant to change, mostly because on some level, they have worked for us.

Consciously, someone may know that eating too many cookies before bedtime is contributing to their being overweight. Yet some part of them derives some benefit from sitting down with a box of cookies anyway - no matter how much they want to do something differently on a conscious level.

When what you have learned is no longer working for you; when you are ready to break old habits, to learn new skills, to develop new ways of being, to grow in unexpected ways, please feel free to schedule a FREE, NO OBLIGATION, 1/2 hour consultation with Tam to discuss your specific goals and how hypnosis or counseling can help.

Tamera L. Fontenot LMHC, NCC, CCHt St Petersburg, FL 727-543-7556 Contact Tam

Servicing the Tampa Bay Florida area including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Gulfport, Seminole, Tampa, Pasco County, communities of the Tampa Bay Gulf Beaches including St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, The Redington's, Madeira Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach, Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, Dunedin, and surrounding areas.