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In addition to facilitating subconscious habitual programs, the mechanism is more akin to a jukebox loaded with behavioural conscious mind also has the power to be spontaneously creative in programs, each ready to play as soon as appropriate its responses to environmental stimuli. In its self-reflective environmental signals appear and press the selection buttons. If capacity, the conscious mind can observe behaviours as they're we don't like a particular song in the jukebox, how much yelling being carried out. As a preprogrammed behaviour is unfolding, at or arguing with the machine will cause it to reprogram its play the observing conscious mind can step in, stop the behaviour and list? In my college days, I saw many an inebriated student curse create a new response. Thus the conscious mind offers us free to no avail and kick jukeboxes that were not responsive to their will—meaning that we are not just victims of our programming. requests. Similarly, we must realise that no amount of yelling or To pull that off, however, we have to be fully conscious lest the cajoling by the conscious mind can ever change the behavioural programming take over—a difficult task, as anyone who's tried "tapes" programmed into the subconscious mind. Once we realise will-power can attest. Subconscious programming takes over the the ineffectiveness of thi tic, we can quit engaging in a pitched moment the conscious mind is not paying attention. battle with the subconscious mind and take a more clinical The conscious mind can also think forward and backward in approach to reprogramming it. Engaging the subconscious in time, while the subconscious mind is always operating in the pre- battle is as pointless as kicking the jukebox in the hope that it will sent moment. When the conscious mind is busy daydreaming, reprogram its play list. creating future plans or reviewing past life-experiences, the sub- The futility of battling with the subconscious is a hard message conscious mind is always on duty, efficiently managing the to get across because one of the programs most of us downloaded behaviours required at the moment without the need of conscious when we were young is that "will-power is admirable". So we try supervision. over and over again to override the subconscious program. The two minds are truly a phenomenal mechanism, but here is Usually such efforts are met with varying degrees of resistance how it can go awry. The conscious because the cells are obligated to mind is the "self", the voice of our adhere to the subconscious program. own thoughts. It can have great Tensions between conscious will- visions and plans for a future filled power and subconscious programs with love, health, happiness and pros- . . . can result in serious neurological perity. While we focus our conscious- The conscious mind can also think disorders. ness on happy thoughts, who is run- forward and backward in time, For me, a powerful image of why ning the show? The subconscious. while the subconscious mind is we should not challenge the How is the subconscious going to . . subconscious comes from the movie manage our affairs? Precisely the way always operating in the Shine. In the movie, based on a true it was programmed. The subcon- present moment. story, Australian concert pianist scious mind's behaviours when we are David Helfgott defies his father by not paying attention may not be of our going off to London to study music. own creation because most of our fun- Helfgott's father, a survivor of the damental behaviours were down- Holocaust, had programmed his son's loaded without question from observ- subconscious mind with the belief ing other people. Because subconscious-generated behaviours are that the world was unsafe, that if he "stood out" it might be life not generally observed by the conscious mind, many people are threatening. His father insisted that his son would be safe only if stunned to hear that they are "just like" their mum or their dad— he stayed close to his family. In spite of his father's relentless the people who programmed their subconscious minds. programming, Helfgott knew that he was a world-class pianist The learned behaviours and beliefs acquired from other people, who needed to break from his father to realise his dream. such as parents, peers and teachers, may not support the goals of In London, Helfgott played the notoriously difficult Third our conscious mind. The biggest impediments to realising the Piano Concerto of Rachmaninoff in a competition. The film successes of which we dream are the limitations programmed into shows the conflict between his conscious mind wanting success the subconscious. These limitations not only influence our and his subconscious mind concerned that being visible, being behaviour, but they can also play a major role in determining our _ internationally recognised, was life-threatening. As he labours physiology and health. As we've seen earlier in the book, the through the concerto, sweat pouring from his brow, Helfgott's mind plays a powerful role in controlling the biological systems conscious mind fights to stay in control while his subconscious that keep us alive. mind, fearful of winning, tries to take control of his body. Nature did not intend that the presence of the dual minds would Helfgott consciously forces himself to maintain control through be our Achilles' heel. In fact, this duality offers a wonderful the concerto until he plays the last note. He then passes out, advantage for our lives. Consider it this way: what if we had overcome by the energy it took to battle his subconscious conscious parents and teachers who served as wonderful life programming. For that "victory" over the subconscious, he pays a models, always engaging in humane and win-win relations with high price: when he comes to, he is insane. everyone in the community? If our subconscious mind were Most of us engage in less-dramatic battles with our subcon- programmed with such healthy behaviours, we could be totally scious mind as we try to undo the programming we received as successful in our lives without ever being conscious! children. Witness our ability continually to seek out jobs that we fail at or remain in jobs we hate because we don't "deserve" a bet- The Subconscious Mind: | Keep Calling and No One ter life. Answers Conventional methods for suppressing destructive behaviours While the "thinking self" nature of the conscious mind evokes include drugs and talk therapy. Newer approaches promise to images of a "ghost in the machine", there is no similar self- change our programming, recognising that there is no use awareness operating in the subconscious mind. The latter "reasoning" with the subconscious tape player. These methods forward and backward in time, while the subconscious mind is always operating in the present moment. The Subconscious Mind: | Keep Calling and No One Answers While the "thinking self" nature of the conscious mind evokes images of a "ghost in the machine", there is no similar self- awareness operating in the subconscious mind. The latter 30 + NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2006