How to change your subconscious mind? This is a question I get asked a lot. Your subconscious mind is like a computer. It's always on, and it's always running programs during your entire life telling you how to think and act. These programs are usually based on your beliefs, which were passed on to you through your DNA or adopted at some point in your life from your environment.
If you want to achieve success, you need to reprogram your subconscious mind with new beliefs that support your goals. In this blog post, we will discuss how to do this and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way!
Introduction to our subconscious beliefs
After a few years of trying different things, I started to see some repeating patterns where I was not getting the results I wanted even though I had the knowledge and tools. This got me to ask myself, What am I missing? This was the beginning of my personal development journey which helped me realize that it is not the conscious mind that determines my results but what is programmed in my subconscious mind.
Most of us have a preconceived notion of what we believe we are entitled to or capable of doing. But these beliefs are deeply rooted in our subconscious mind and it takes time to discover them, until we identify our true beliefs we will not be able to steer our life to a more successful and brighter future.
When life departs from our intended course or doesn't happen the way we were hoping for, we frequently become dissatisfied and irritated. Then we asked ourselves, "What is wrong with me?" or “Why is this happening?”. The answer to that question usually lies in the programming of our subconscious mind. But this dissatisfaction or negative feeling can become very powerful and a catalyst for action.
Having worked with hundreds of people one-on-one, I realized dissatisfaction or negative feeling plays an important role in the evolution of the human race. Because we are designed to survive, grow and reproduce, like every other creature in this world, we are constantly seeking ways to improve our condition and lifestyle. But evolution through our lifetime is not a straight line; it's a process of trial and error, of successes and failures. And in order to make progress, we need to feel dissatisfaction in order to take action.
Only when we become dissatisfied with our current state or results can we identify the areas in which we need to make changes. However, this doesn't mean that we should always be in a state of dissatisfaction. We need to find a balance between being content and being dissatisfied. The key is to act on our dissatisfaction by taking action and making changes, which will lead us closer to our goals and the vision we want to experience.
The one action, that will pay off in a huge way and you can start taking today, is becoming aware of your limiting beliefs that are stored in your subconscious mind. You need to identify the negative thoughts and emotions that are holding you back from achieving success. Once you have identified these limiting factors, you can begin to reprogram them into positive beliefs that will support your success.
Now, in order to change our beliefs, we need to be open-minded and willing to experiment with new ideas. We also need to take action and put these new beliefs into practice. This is the only way that we can create lasting change in our lives.
The good news is that we can reprogram our subconscious mind by deliberately changing our thoughts. We do this by first becoming more aware of our negative thoughts and feelings. Then, with constant repetition of postive affirmations, visualization, and positive self-talk on a regular basis, we can install new programs into our subconscious minds that will support our goals and dreams.
This is easy but not simple. It takes dedication, time, and effort to change our subconscious minds. But if you are truly committed to making a change in your life, it is definitely worth the investment!
The reason you're subconsciously blocked must be revealed
If you are having trouble earning more money, moving forward, not able to finish projects, unstable relationships, or continued chronic health issues, there is a problem that is pulling you back. Because no matter how hard you work or try, you keep getting the same results. Even when you take more action, the stress does not go away. But more action will not change your results.
You must look into why you are getting the results you are experiencing before you can take any action. It might involve subconscious beliefs such as: “If I make more money I fear losing everything”, “I am not good enough”, or “I do not deserve to be wealthy and happy”. But if we don't think these thoughts consciously why are we experience them in our daily life? The answer is found in our subconscious minds.
As you continue reading this article, you will find that the subconscious mind is very powerful and it controls most of our behavior.
Let's now dive into the world of the subconscious mind and explore how you can change your limiting beliefs to support a successful future!
What is the subconscious mind?
Since this topic is not taught in school, I did not know what the subconscious mind was or the powerful role it played in my life. After reading a few books and doing some online research, I started to better understand the meaning but I still did not know how to tap into it or change it.
Many of the information I bumped into, focus on describing the subconscious mind rather than explaining how it works. I believe this is because most content creators are more fascinated by the power of the subconscious mind than how to use that power in their lives. Plus, writing about "the how" is not easy until you have fully experienced and internalized how the subconscious mind works.
Most people's knowledge on this subject is very limited and is usually just a mixture of myths, Hollywood movies, marketing schemes, and some information they may have heard from friends or family members. This lack of understanding about the subconscious mind often leads to people giving up on their dreams because they believe that their limitations are set in stone and cannot be changed.
A general understanding of the subconscious mind is that it is a recording device that stores all of our memories and experiences in our brain. It also controls all of our automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion, just to mention a few examples.
As a human potential and brain health professional coach, I knew I had to go beyond what I found on the internet and most books. I realized it was very important to provide not only an insightful definition of what the subconscious mind is but also a working model. Because in order to change the subconscious mind, we need to have a picture of the mind. Would you know what to change in your kitchen if you have never seen it before? I don't think you can.
From personal experience, I strongly believe the subconscious mind can be best described as a storage bin for all of our memories and emotions, both positive and negative. It also houses our automatic behaviors, daily habits, and limiting beliefs such as fear and self-doubt about ourselves and the world around us. Some of these came from our genes which I refer to as nature-given, and some came from our environment where we grew up and I refer to these as nurture-given.
The subconscious mind is constantly running all these programs, from the moment you were born until you die. During your childhood, puberty, marriage, at work, everywhere you go they are always there waiting to be activated unconsciously and are constantly sabotaging your success. In fact, a lot of what we do on a daily basis is controlled by our subconscious mind.
For example, when you are driving and suddenly realize that you have arrived at your destination without consciously thinking about it, that's your subconscious mind in action. Or when you have a fear or phobia, that's your subconscious mind trying to protect you from a potential danger which is a good thing when you want to stay alive.
However, when you need to get in shape, start your own business, stop smoking, or simply want to increase your income, the beliefs stored in your subconscious mind will prevent you from achieving your goal.
Increase Confidence, Decrease Doubt, and Switch To An Abundance Mindset.
How does the subconscious work?
I don't want this post to become a dissertation so I will keep it short. It is known that our brain is made up of two hemispheres, the left and right. The subconscious mind is controlled by the right hemisphere of our brain. This part of your mind does not speak in words or sentences, but rather communicates through thoughts and emotions which create mental impressions. Then, based on all your experiences, your subconscious mind will filter all the information you are letting in and it will then edit your responses. It does this while generating or expanding on a belief or an opinion about a situation.
The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. These are great news because by imagining that you are fit, healthy, and wealthy, your subconscious mind will start to believe it and then your body and conscious mind will act on those beliefs by manifesting the extraordinary life you seek.
Why is the subconscious mind so powerful?
Eighty-five percent of our daily activities are driven by the subconscious mind making it incredibly powerful. Besides influencing how we feel, think, and act, it is also checking and managing our body’s vital organs.
The part of the brain where some of the subconscious minds are located is constantly monitoring the condition of our heart, lungs, and other internal organs by integrating signals it receives from them. It also regulates our blood pressure and keeps track of how much oxygen and carbon dioxide is in our blood. It also heals you when you get the flu by increasing your white blood cell production or by increasing the number of antibodies you produce. All of these functions are essential for keeping us alive and healthy.
Our subconscious mind is interlinked with the unconscious mind or the most primitive part of our brain and they both are in constant communication. And because of this connection, the subconscious mind becomes very powerful.
Reprogramming Your subconscious programs: A step by step guide
The subconscious part of your brain controls everything from what food you eat to the actions you take every day. Your subconscious mind essentially resembles the flight control systems of an airplane. It has been programmed to take a certain course and you can't go further without changing the directions in the first place.
Increase Confidence, Decrease Doubt, and Switch To An Abundance Mindset.
Step One: Become aware of your negative subconscious thoughts
From past experiences and by constantly interacting with toxic people, our brain generates new neural pathways that with time become part of our subconscious reprogramming creating new negative memories and beliefs.
Our conscious mind and brain are constantly processing all the information we perceive through our five senses; see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. This information triggers thoughts and these thoughts produce emotions which is the language of the subconscious mind. If we want to be aware of our subconscious thoughts we will need to take a step back and start putting more attention to our emotions that are triggered by our environment and circumstances.
This is a learning process where you want to bring self-awareness to your conscious mind of your behavior when a situation arises. Below are five steps that will help your conscious mind become more aware of your subconscious emotions.
- First, pick one situation where you are not happy with the results you are getting. Observe your environment and pay attention to the details.
- Describe the situation in as much detail as possible.
- Use the information you wrote above and highlight words that evoke a strong feeling. (I did not like, he/she made me feel, is not fair, he/she doesn't like me, never/always, blame, guilt).
- You can now make a list of negative subconscious emotions.
- Repeating steps 1 through 4 several times will help you listen to your emotions to then list the negative thoughts that are holding you back.
- Replace the bad feelings from step 5 with positive ones by writing the polar opposite of that emotion.
This exercise would serve as a barometer of your subconscious programming and the kind of mindset you project to the world.
Step Two: Access your subconscious mind
Before diving into the how, it is critical to understand the distinction between the conscious, analytical, and subconscious mind. This is important to know to help us increase our conscious awareness as we create a model to understand the mind.
Our conscious mind is our thinking mind, our educated mind. It’s our intellect and is the part of our mind that we have 100% control over. Here we can choose our thoughts, accept, reject or ignore any idea that we want to think.
Our subconscious mind is our emotional mind and the emotional part of our personality. Here is where the conditioned behaviors and beliefs systems are located and where our paradigms live. This part of the mind only accepts ideas that are delivered to it with emotion and repetition.
Now that we know the difference, I want to introduce the analytical mind which is the one standing between the conscious and the subconscious mind. The analytical mind is full of information, things, and always worrying about time. It is like a computer machine processing everything and never being able to stop. For this reason, our brain is always producing 13-40 Hz beta brainwaves which is a very active state of mind. In this state, we are can't access the subconscious mind.
So how do we go about accessing our subconscious mind? We need to move from a beta state to an alpha state until we reach a theta state where our brain produces 4-7 Hz brainwaves. At this stage, the brain activity decelerates to the point where the body is asleep but the person is awake. If you are falling asleep at the beginning don't get frustrated, it takes about a week for your body to understand what you are trying to achieve.
The main focus of this step is to stop our conscious mind from taking in information from the outside world so our thoughts become more centered. You feel more present and this new state of well-being is no longer worried about negative thoughts or people. You will then be feeling positive emotions which will help you shift your reality in your subconscious mind.
We can lower our brainwaves with meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, binaural beats, and brainwave entrainment. This will switch your mind from “beta state” to “theta state” where the subconscious reprogramming process starts. As an additional tip to increase the chances of success, doing the meditations early in the day or right before going to bed are very good times because your mind and body are in a more relaxed state.
Binaural beats and brainwave entrainment are sounds that are delivered to each ear through headphones. The sounds are slightly different frequencies, and when both sounds hit the brain at the same time, they create a third frequency which is called the “beat” frequency. This beat frequency will cause your brainwaves to synchronize with the frequency of the sound.
This technology has been around for a long time, and it’s becoming more popular as people are looking for new ways to improve their mental and emotional state. Binaural beats and brainwave entrainment have been used to help with anxiety, stress, sleep, and focus.
There are other methods you could use such as hypnosis. This could be performed by an expert in the field of hypnosis or self-hypnosis if you know what you are doing. Although self-hypnosis could take some time to master.
Step Three: Reprogram your subconscious mind
Fifteen minutes into your meditation, focus on your heart and imagine yourself in the most beautiful and serene place you could ever be. Then use the list of positive emotions you created in step one to help you construct affirmation, ideas, and feelings that are consistent with the new life you want to experience.
Affirmations, thoughts, and emotions have to be believable and expressed in the present tense, for example: “I am now a healthy person” or “I can easily earn more money”. These positive statements will help you change your mindset and beliefs over time which will eventually lead to success and happiness.
Performing subconscious mind programming is easy but not simple. You do this through repetition and by getting emotionally involved with a constructive idea, this is the only way to rewire your negative subconscious patterns.
The subconscious mind doesn't know what is real or not, and when we feed specific thoughts or positive thinking, the mind will believe it to be true and make them a reality. This is where positive affirmations, using your imagination, and positive emotions become very powerful because they are positive actions that we repeat over and over again until it becomes part of our subconscious mind. By using your imagination and allowing yourself to get emotionally involved with the idea you want to become, you start to rewire your neurons and a new personality is created.
The importance of repetition
Repetition is something that should not be underestimated because it is the key to success in everything in life. Reprograming your limiting beliefs is a lot like exercising in the gym, you're not likely to see immediate results in a few weeks and it requires time for you to build any muscle over time. This is also the same when it comes to your subconscious mind, you will not see results overnight but if you are consistent with your affirmations, thoughts, and emotions then eventually they will become a new reality.
If you skip a day or two of doing this process, don't worry because the subconscious mind doesn't forget what you have taught it. You need to keep repeating these affirmations until they become new habits and a part of who you are and how you think about yourself and the world around you.
Focus on training your mental muscles repeatedly and continuously to gain power, and set goals to establish habits that aligned with a successful and positive persona. It can guarantee lasting success in your life.
Know what you want in your life
When attempting to change your life and your subconscious programs, you MUST decide which things you want to improve. Being specific gives you true power to achieve the goal with much greater certainty. Focusing on multiple goals can confuse our subconscious mind and deter any progress.
Start by writing down a list of things where you are not getting the results you want. Once you have the list, write the polar opposite which is what you want, and get emotionally involved with each item, then imagine what it would feel like to experience them. This will help imprint these goals on your subconscious mind and increase the likelihood to achieve them.
Remember, the subconscious mind is like a computer and it responds to the commands that we put into it. If we program our minds with positive thoughts, emotions, and images then success will be inevitable. With enough practice and repetition, you can reprogram your subconscious mind to achieve anything you want in life!
