The subconscious

Hello all,
In my journaling I ran into a question that's kind of been nagging me for a while. I was reading something of Dr. Schubiner's where he mentioned that our conditions are often in response to subconscious triggers- which to me implies we don't have a clue what it is that's bothering us. My dilemma is that I could journal away about all the things that are bugging me, which would help me resolve some of the woes I am aware of, but wouldn't address those subconscious issues. I have found meditation to be somewhat helpful with this, but I was wondering if anyone had any other strategies to tackle the subconscious? Thanks, and all the best.

 

Hi there, a great question, if you've journalled extensively and have come up with no results. Speak to your subconscious mind and make a gentle enquiry, ask what it's trying to tell you. Do this with love, openness and calmly. If your still unable to do so, try and look at the now and try and identify any limiting beliefs and where these stemmed from, where they your own or inherited fears, trauma. Once you've a clear understanding about self you can look at transforming any limiting beliefs by the use of being mindful, EFT or Affirmations.

Just as open writing is beneficial in exploring the subconscious mind, insight meditation is also beneficial in that you can learn to not act upon thoughts or emotions when they come into awareness. But simply sit and be with. If those keep occurring, all I can say is breathe, breathe, breathe. Eventually these thoughts will pass, as clouds do.

Wishing you every success in your journey and healing.

 

Hi, dcl. I agree with Mike that meditation can help to discover our repressed emotions. My favorite form of meditation is the Relaxation Response. It relaxes the mind and relieving anxiety, mental stress, headaches, and even physical pain. There are many ways to practice meditation but I have found the most successful to be a technique called the Relaxation Response.

A friend who is a psychiatrist says about it: “It is so good, so well established. I taught this approach to stressed out teachers, with success! It is simple, not "spiritual," and readily available. This is important: It is the practice, and becoming a habit that is powerful.”

It is done 20 minutes once or twice a day, before a meal and works best if not practiced within two hours after a meal.

Just sit, close your eyes, don’t listen to any music, try to avoid outside noises. Let your mind think of a word such as "One " which has no real meaning or association. Say the word silently over and over. At the end of the 20 minutes, picture and feel yourself as you were when you felt your best, and in a place where you felt that way.

Follow the technique below and see how fast you calm. It is similar to Transcendental Meditation but unlike that technique which many consider to be a religion or cult, and that costs $1,000 from a trained TM coach. The Relaxation Response is not a religion or cult and costs nothing.


Here is an article about the Relaxation Response and how to practice it:

Herbert Benson, M.D. documented benefits experienced through traditional forms of Christian and Jewish prayer. Benson published his “Relaxation Response” method of stress reduction without the mysticism associated with TM. Short structured rest periods provide health benefits.
Herbert Benson, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
and founder of the
Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
824 Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-2508
Phone: (617) 991-0102 Toll free: (866) 509-0732
MBMI@CareGroup.Harvard.edu


The following is the technique reprinted with permission from Dr. Herbert Benson's book
The Relaxation Response pages 162-163
1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Deeply relax all your muscles,
beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face.
Keep them relaxed.
4. Breathe through your nose.
Become aware of your breathing.
As you breathe out, say the word, "one"*,
silently to yourself. For example,
breathe in ... out, "one",- in .. out, "one", etc.
Breathe easily and naturally.
5. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm.
When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes,
at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened.
Do not stand up for a few minutes.
6. Do not worry about whether you are successful
in achieving a deep level of relaxation.
Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace.
When distracting thoughts occur,
try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them
and return to repeating "one."
With practice, the response should come with little effort.
Practice the technique once or twice daily,
but not within two hours after any meal,
since the digestive processes seem to interfere with
the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.