Self-healing is possible thanks to the power of your subconscious mind. Let’s learn how to use this power.

Unless you’ve been reading up on the subconscious mind and its workings, you probably know very little about it. Scientists and psychologists emphasize the importance of understanding the subconscious to enable you to use it to your benefit.

Your subconscious mind is essentially what is running your life. It affects your life in the ways you are usually unaware of, which is why getting a grip on your subconscious mind will help you go through life with more mindfulness and control.

Before delving into how you can resolve issues residing in your subconscious mind and use its self-healing powers, it’s imperative to understand how it functions.

The Workings of the Subconscious Mind

Differentiation between visualizations and real situations

The subconscious mind does not act rationally, which is why for many people horror movies are scary despite knowing very well that everything in them is fake. They still experience the rush of adrenaline, they sweat and their heart paces.

This happens because the subconscious mind responds to visual cues. It does not distinguish between real and imaginary, which is why it assumes you are facing an actual threat.

In the same way, if you are someone who gets nervous before presentations, you feel better when you have rehearsed your presentations a couple of times in advance. Since you’ve ‘visualized’ your presentation, you manipulate your subconscious mind into thinking that you’ve already given it, and the automatic response is reduced anxiety and calmer nerves.

The perception of time

The subconscious mind has a distorted perception of time. Time is faster according to the subconscious mind, which is why you feel it passes by faster when you are enjoying yourself. Because you don’t usually remind your conscious mind of the time (by checking your watch) when you are having fun, you rely on your subconscious mind.

The beliefs held by your subconscious

The longer your subconscious mind believes something, the harder it will be to change it. Since the subconscious mind is irrational, it becomes important to address the beliefs it may be holding because they can become a hindrance and prevent you from progressing in life.

You should know that beliefs held by the subconscious mind have physical reactions as well. Your fear of presentations may be triggered by your past experiences, which could cause you to sweat and your heart to pace.

The fine line between realization and your subconscious

The moment you or someone else ‘affirms’ something to your conscious mind, it works to prove it. If you tell yourself that you are going to fail your exam, your subconscious will do its best to make you fail.

If you already doubt the way you look and someone else points it out, your subconscious will believe you don’t look good, which in turn will alter your mood and may even lower your self-esteem.

Again, your subconscious mind is not rational, it does not know what benefits you and what doesn’t. So, it needs to be guided in the right direction.

The self-healing power of your subconscious mind

There are several methods that have emerged that help you access your subconscious mind and alter it so you are able to go through life with more control over your mind and reduced anxiety and stress.

Hypnotherapist, motivational speaker, and author, Danna Pycher believes the subconscious mind can be altered through hypnotherapy.

Pycher believes that when an event happens in our life, it gets recorded in our brains. When we experience a stressful event, it gets recorded and creates a shock. Stress signals are sent to the brain, the body goes into defense mode and the endocrine system releases adrenaline and cortisol. As those levels increase, the immune system deteriorates.

Our initial response to stress is good because it protects us from harm, but the accumulation of stressful memories and the “continuous attachment to the stress” are bad, says Pycher.

The recordings of times of extreme stress will eventually wreak havoc and will overstress the nervous system. This may lead to depression, an overproduction of stress hormones and the weakening of our immune system.

Pycher believes that hypnosis allows you to heal your mind and body of ailments and resolve the issues that haunt you from your past, by accessing the subconscious mind and its self-healing power.

How to trigger this self-healing mechanism

Pycher asks her patients to access their memories of the very first time they experienced trauma. The ‘trauma’ does not need to be anything overwhelming like the loss of a loved one or an accident. It is anything that affected the patient in a significant, negative way.

For example, if a patient is struggling with depression, through hypnosis and visualization, Pycher guides her through her subconscious mind and asks her to retrieve memories of the times she felt emotions surrounding depression.

The subconscious mind starts collecting all such memories. The patient may recall memories of herself as a child who was caught up in her parent’s divorce and that she felt responsible for it.

Pycher then asks the patient, how she needed to feel as a young child. The patient responds that she needed to feel like a child, loved and comforted.

Pycher then asks the patients to fill their bodies with emotions that they needed at that specific moment. A child may need to be told that the divorce is not their responsibility and it is happening for the betterment of their family.

Acknowledging this is the moment when self-healing takes place. It is at this moment that the heaviness generated from this specific memory is lifted. Over the course of more sessions, Pycher will pursue to resolve other stressful memories.

You cannot change the past, but you can alter your mind’s perception so your body and mind can heal and finally let go of the past. This process allows your subconscious mind to cope with things it never got to cope with and reduces the recorded, unnecessary stress you have been carrying throughout your life.

As a response to lower stress levels, your nervous system finally relaxes as it no longer needs to be in defense mode. The endocrine system stops the release of stress hormones, reducing inflammation present in your body. Your mind will heal, and in turn, your body will heal too.

Watch the TED talk where Danna Pycher explains this process in more detail:


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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Don

    Impressive article. Thank you. We continue to learn.

  2. Eric

    One word of caution is in order. Many holistic health advocates recommend techniques for spiritual wellness that may ultimately be in conflict with Scripture and even become open doors for demonic activity. (Ex: Hypnotherapy)

    As for Transcendental meditation which describes as a technique for emptying the mind and becoming “one with the universe” or in this case seeking answers their subconscious. It encourages participants to seek the answers to life’s difficult questions within their own conscience instead of in the Word of God.

    Still, even still Faith and belief are the foundation of the subconscious. Do not forget that “you will be rewarded according to your faith”.

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