The Conscious And Subconscious Mind Must Harmonize

The conscious and the subconscious mind must harmonize in order for our life to exist. In the 1950's, there was a line in a popular song which very effectively illustrated this concept— 'you can't have one without the other'. For example, when we see any object such as a 'table', the conscious mind operating in the state of awareness sees the object. Without even thinking about it, the memory bank located in the subconscious mind, which holds the key for that symbol, quickly kicks in to give the conscious mind the ability to name the object. It is the conscious part of our mind which controls voluntary movements such as lifting an arm or a leg. While at the same time, the subconscious part of the mind, which is the seat of all involuntary action, supplies the strength to the extremity we desire to move. If for some reason we begin breathing rapidly, our consciousness has the power to direct the brain to slow the rate of breathing and proceed to continue with the activity that has been taking place. Once breathing rate has slowed, we continue the activity and without even being aware of it, the subconscious mind has restored the rate of breathing to its normal state and maintains that rate as we continue to pursue the said activity. The center of all our emotions resides in the subconscious part of the mind. For example, if one were to stand at the edge of a cliff, the conscious mind registers fear and begins to reason about all the things that could possibly happen if another step is taken. While ththat is going through the whole range of fear reactions, the subconsciousness is automatically working to restore harmony by the use of logic. It knows when to react to a situation and sends the correct response to the conscious mind. It is interesting to note that it is not the subconscious mind which directs our actions and thoughts, but rather that this is one of the functions of the conscious mind. For example, if we decide to break a habit, such as to stop smoking, the conscious mind, which is the center of higher thinking, makes the decision. Once a decision is made, it would seem that we could immediately be free of the habit. rnBut as we all know, many people who try to stop smoking often experience relapses where they fall back into the clutches of the habit. The reason we 'backslide' is because while the conscious mind has made a decision, the subconscious mind which is always working in the 'automatic' mode, is so attuned to the action taking place, it automatically resists the change. In the case of approaching a hot stove for example, the conscious mind needs the subconscious mind in order to protect one from experiencing the pain which accompanies the touching of the stove. While the conscious mind is aware that the stove is hot, it is the memory bank of the subconscious mind which instantly kicks in with the 'no touch' response. Just thinking about a simple process such as touching the stove should trigger our thinking skills to conclude not only that the conscious mind and the subconscious mind must harmonize, but why as well!