Have you ever been in two minds about a decision? Either a minor decision like what to wear or eat, or a major decision like whether to get married or not.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT?
Most of our decisions are made unconsciously (Benjamin Libet’s experiment from the 1980s), and voiced by the conscious mind. And we make a gazillion decisions a day, each of which has the potential to contribute positively to our lives or detract from our happiness and joy and creating the life we desire.
Remember, what I refer to as the “unconscious mind” is the survival brain, that is hardwired by the age of 6 or 7 to act “in your favour” to keep you safe and alive. It also runs additional programs that have been implanted into the database of “rules to follow to make life work” by things we have perceived (using our five senses) as we move through life, and as they were demonstrated at a time of heightened awareness (during an exciting movie or parents fighting etc) or repeated over and over (again by movies, comics, computer games, teachers, the media etc), we accepted it without making a conscious decision, into the unconscious book of rules.
What I refer to as the “conscious mind” is the Cerebral Hemispheres, which are so prized in our world, as that enables us to collect data, regurgitate it onto an exam paper or into a discussion, and to reflect on that information and rationalise our choices, decisions and behaviours as well as the world around us.
At the same time, our “conscious mind” has made various decisions, based on facts and rationalisation, about what we desire, what we find desirable, what is right and wrong, good and bad in life… while our “unconscious” is just sorting for survival, based on the imput from the five senses, that triggers a survival reaction in EVERY area of our interaction with the world.
The trick is to listen to the unconscious mind AND the conscious mind, and let them work in balance and harmony.
When you don’t listen to the unconscious, as its aim is SURVIVAL, it gets louder and louder and more insistent – which could involve giving you “ill health” or painful situations, to draw attention to what it’s trying to say, or to prevent you making what it considers a mistake.
A lot of my work is to help people learn how to communicate with their unconscious mind, and be aware of what is a rationalisation from the conscious mind, and how to integrate the two parts to achieve an outcome that provides a life where everything is handled with more ease and brings more joy.
A hint is, what do both minds have in common as a communication tool? The body and its feelings.
If you find your body is not functioning the way you would like it to, which means it’s shouting at you for not listening, maybe you would like to learn how to find the balance between the two minds, and create a life that’s more in balance.