Self Hypnosis: Using Unconscious Learning ways to boost Health and well being

Your mind is similar to a computer, what you experience shows up on the monitor within your consciousness, without a thought of where it came from. But, like your computer, much work happens behind the scenes, processes, programs, electrical pathways of information and direction, and the vast storage of memory.

You may think you have one mind, but you actually have two, or perhaps better put, you have two parts of one mind: the conscious and the unconscious. The conscious mind, like the computer monitor, enables you to experience what's going on, gives you choices, and brings awareness, enables you to interact.

When you use your computer, occasionally you get automatic messages that pop-up on the screen. Many of these messages are routine prompts from the computer to perform a routine action, and others come with immediate warning, and may bring a sense of confusion and frustration. These messages come from the computer program or processor, from behind the scenes, similar to the thoughts and feelings which appear in your thoughts, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ever ask yourself where your thoughts come from? Some are directed by the conscious process of concentration, initiated by a focus of directed thought. But, most thoughts throughout the day seem to just pop into your mind. If you're like most people, you then feel the obligation to begin pondering on those thoughts, sometimes right out to the bitter end.

The conscious mind is your monitor for the world, it gives you important information for your consideration and action. Prior to taking action you must choose, using your critical thinking, will power, and reasoning… all, important facets of your conscious mind.

Your unconscious mind, however, is void of judgement. Like the computer processor, it performs its functions dutifully and without question. A computer will run a bad program, equally well as it does a good program. It does what it believes you want by the direction it is provided.

Unwittingly, you give direction to your unconscious mind every day. Each time you repeat an action, any time you use a common word or phrase, and even the emotions you feel most often become direction for your unconscious mind. This direction we can also call learning. As a computer is programmed, so to is your unconscious mind through all of your life's experiences. The unconscious mind, running all body systems and automatic functions, takes in all your experiences, all sensory input from sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and so on. It also records events, images, thoughts, and feelings over your entire life span, and stores them as memory. It has been estimated that the human memory can store billions of bits of information each second, and by the time you're eighty or ninety you still will have only used about two-thirds of its capacity. Your memory seems virtually limitless.

The problem is, you do not need all that information. It would be system overload if all of your life's experiences came flooding through. When you're on your pc looking for a file or searching the web for information, you don't want all the data your computer has stored, you just want the information you need now.

Therefore, the unconscious mind must have the means to process information, and to prioritize and retrieve what it believes you need, when you need it. It must learn. In fact, one of the prime directives of the unconscious is to gain learning. As the unconscious has no judgement, it regards everything as learning.

Your learned behaviors can be good or not a good idea. All of us possess both good habits and bad habits, but you may not be aware that they're created by the same process associated with unconscious learning.

Consciously you can determine, or choose what is desired and not desired. But your conscious mind isn't always given the choice before the unconscious has acted upon it. The unconscious mind provides treatments to all of your inner resources; memory, recall, creativity, and body functions.

Everything you are very good at, every talent, skill, and capability follows this same path of learning. This unconscious learning occurs in three primary ways: repetition, association, and emotion.

Repetition - the more you repeat a behavior, the more you'll probably repeat the behavior, as your unconscious mind develops an easy pathway for it. Your mind believes you want this frequently used behavior by the actual fact that you keep on doing it. Actions sometimes speak louder than words. Look at the smoking habit, what more than smoking does a smoker do each day. A pack a day smoker repeats this behavior 20 times a day, every day. There's a lot of repetition there. That's why “practice makes perfect". Even things you start out doing bad, in time become easier as you master the behavior, talent or skill.

Because your unconscious runs all your body systems, it can help you develop in the repeated behavior. Every smoker will tell you that in the beginning cigarette taste terrible. But, in time, with practice and diligence, repeating smoking again and again, an amazing thing happens. The cigarette that tasted terrible now becomes enjoyable. The unconscious mind, taking out of all information from your body and all the senses, makes it much simpler for you by adjusting the sensory information to really make it more enjoyable. This is the way you acquire tastes for things. The unconscious mind helps you do what it believes you want, without judgment, even if its not a good idea.

This is an excellent example of the difference in conscious and unconscious processing. The conscious mind knows all of the perils and problems of smoking, yet, the unconscious mind, attached to the body, drives the smoking habit.

Even if you don't smoke there are many examples that you experienced of this process. Maybe you have worked at a spot for several years, driving your car the same route every day? Then, one morning you drive to work, park your car, and as you close the door think…"how did I get here?" While your conscious mind was wandering in dream, worry, or thought, your unconscious mind and your body were driving the car. They know the route well. Or, have you ever been anxious to get home, and suddenly look down to find that you are speeding. Your foot has unconsciously pushed down further more on the pedal. Just the thought made your body react, without any supervision from your conscious mind.

Association - the unconscious mind works primarily by association. As one behavior is associate with another, there's a double bind. That's why even the aroma of coffee can result in an urge to smoke a cigarette. Have you every discovered that when you turn on the TV you suddenly feel a bit hungry? When you are with friends telling jokes, does that trigger you to suddenly think of some funny things yourself? Since your unconscious mind and your body are in constant communication, your body reacts to these triggers.

Emotion - emotion is the strongest form of communication from the unconscious mind. Isn't it true that your strongest and most vivid memories are those linked with strong emotion. Emotion drives the most fundamental programs for your survival, the “fight or flight" response. Think about what emotion is helpful for a fight - anger. Anger can mobilize powerful resources within your body to help you fight with power and fury. An emotion that is helpful to flee from a threat is - fear. Fear will put an extra skip in your step, allowing you sprint like an Olympic athlete. You can run pretty fast without fear, but with it your body springs into action automatically, you don't even have to consider it. Emotion helps the mind distinguish between events and information from your life's ordeals, which it thinks is important for both you and your survival. Those things without emotional value are lost to conscious recall.

The unconscious minds ultimate precedence is to assure your survival. Keeping automatic functions like your heart beating and breathing going is a job it takes very seriously. Since the unconscious lacks reasoning, it interprets any negative emotion as communication to mobilize the body for action. That's why when you're anxious, stressed, worried, or depressed, you feel that unconscious muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, or back, your heart race, and that pit in your stomach.

These sensations are your body speaking to you. This communication is important for you to be aware of as your body may be used to communicate messages back as well. A tense muscle calls for more support and energy from the unconscious mind. The unconscious responds with the release of stress hormones, sympathetic nervous system response and quickened pulse. It all happens automatically, but, if a tense muscle calls for the stress response, then a relaxed muscle will reverse the request and call for relaxation.

Breathing is another powerful mind-body communication method. Breathing is important since it is an automatic system run by the unconscious mind, yet it is also consciously controlled. Breathing provides a valuable and effective bridge of communication between conscious and unconscious mind. During stress you breathe shallow and rapidly, sometimes even holding your breath. But, when you're relaxed you breathe deep and slowly, like when you sleep. When you consciously change the rate of your breathing, a chemical change occurs within your body. Stress hormones begin to stem their flow, and the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged with all of its calming effects.

You communicate guidance to your mind and body with the words you use.

What words do you use in that running commentary of your internal thoughts? Are those words supportive or penalizing? Words are electric, you need to choose them for the emotional voltage that they carry.

Remember that emotions are the most powerful driver of unconscious processing. Words stimulate emotion, and emotion is the source of all motivation. Begin to think of your thoughts as magnetic. Whatever you hold in your predominant conscious view, will simply attract a lot of same. Worry and self-doubt will come as easily as confidence and focus. The unconscious mind provides you with what it believes you're asking for by association. You get what you ask for, so choose only good things.

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