Subconcious Mind | wichitahypnotherapy

How The Subconscious Mind and the Conscious Mind Work

Our thought processes can be broken down into two basic functions

1. The thinking conscious mind. That mostly consists of our conscious thoughts, plus our analytical thinking and decision making.

2. The subconscious mind that sits just outside of our awareness. The subconscious mind consists of things like our memories, beliefs, values, emotions, and conclusions. The subconscious mind wants rewards now, prefers what is familiar, and is resistant to change.

For this discussion, I will use some of these terms interchangeably that mean the same thing such as; conscious mind, critical mind, conscious thoughts, waking thoughts. These all mean the same thing, the conscious mind.

Likewise, terms like subconscious thoughts and subconscious mind are used to mean the same things as well.

So, the conscious mind has two main jobs. First, it is always analyzing and processing new information. Secondly, it acts as a very strong analyzer and filter of new ideas that are not yet accepted by the subconscious mind.

Mostly the conscious mind relies on the subconscious mind to supply it with the already accepted beliefs, values, and conclusions it needs to make quick decisions.

The conscious mind will most often reject a new idea if the subconscious mind already has a belief, value or conclusion on the subject.

While the subconscious mind stores and organizes our values, beliefs, memories, and conclusions, it also happens to store your "permission to smoke" as a conclusion that it's okay to light up the next cigarette.

This is why it is so hard to stop smoking. The subconscious mind keeps supplying the permission to smoke, every time the subject of quitting enters the conversation between these two parts of your brain.

The subconscious mind does not always have the same agenda as the conscious mind and will respond with very often by supplying conclusions, and beliefs that are based on instant gratification.

I know this may seem illogical. But, the subconscious mind is ruled by emotion and lives in the now present moment. It leaves logic and concerns about the future up the conscious mind.

Why Hypnosis Is So Effective

It's important to understand that the conscious thinking mind is controlled by an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, located near the forehead region. This area of the brain helps us to make thoughtful decisions and is where we exercise our sense of judgment, aka executive function.

During the hypnosis process, the conscious mind (prefrontal cortex) slows way down (similar to sleep).

Then with the full power of the conscious mind out of the way, the subconscious mind can more easily accept new ideas, beliefs, and conclusions without the interference of the conscious mind getting in the way.

During our session together, we spend about 25 minutes getting you to the perfect hypnotic depth. At this point, the brain waves in the prefrontal cortex drop into what's known as an alpha-theta state.

Then hypnotic suggestings about stopping are carefully laced into a conversation we have during your trance. Yes, I said conversation. You will be conscious to varying degrees during this entire experience, and much of what we talked about in the first hour of your session comes into play.

It is during this phase of the session that we work with the subconscious to supply new conclusions to feed to the conscious mind on the subject of smoking cigarettes. We also revisit your memories of when you first started smoking, and effectively remove the permission to smoke that is still planted there.

After the session, the conscious mind will accept these new ideas without rejection, or conscious interference.

There are a few other steps to the process that I won't bore you with them now. But at this point, I hope you are able to get the basic ideas behind hypnosis and why it is so effective.

Each case is a little different, but after a 2.5-hour session with me, you will be free of tobacco for the rest of your life.

So imagine the sense of freedom you will feel, as a permanent non-smoker! To never again be a slave to this stubbornly persistent and insidious habit.

My clients have had enormous success with this model, and it's something I personally developed over several years of research and experience. It works!