Communicating with Your Unconscious Mind (a Two-Way Street)

Keep your eyes on the watch…

During the most recent SFWA Nebulas Conference I had the opportunity to speak with author Lawrence Schoen about hypnosis. One of the conference events is something called “office hours” during which authors, publishers, and other conference attendees share their time and expertise in scheduled fifteen-minute one-on-one conversations. Lawrence was offering to share his knowledge in regards to hypnosis, and I signed up out of curiosity, and because I already knew and liked Lawrence from last year’s SFWA conference in Pittsburgh, where he was my conference mentor.

Going into the conversation I knew very little about hypnosis. I knew that therapeutic hypnosis could be used for a variety of applications, everything from smoking cessation to wart removal, and also that some susceptibility to hypnosis might be related to dopamine levels in the brain, regulated by activity of the COMT gene. Lawrence confirmed the former and strongly disagreed with the latter, a position which appears to be backed by fairly recent scientific research (susceptibility to hypnosis appears to be unrelated to dopamine levels and the ability to focus attention).

Lawrence, who is a licensed hypnotherapist and a doctorate of psychology (in the field of psycholinguistics) gave me a very brief overview of practical hypnosis. During the process of hypnosis, a trancelike state (induced by focussed attention or some other means) provides a window whereby the unconscious mind is potentially open to information and/or suggestion. The way Lawrence explained it, the unconscious mind (that part of the mind not readily accessible to conscious attention, including deep memories and early formative experiences) is trying to keep us safe, but is essentially flying blind, without access to our current, present-day reality. What is true for the unconscious mind is always true, unless we provide information to the contrary.

For example, if at some point we teach our unconscious mind that smoking keeps us safe (via social inclusion or some other core part of our identity), then that deeply held belief will override whatever information we learn about adverse health effects, excessive cost, etc. until we induce a trancelike state and explicitly convey the new information to our unconscious mind — we don’t need to smoke to be safe and whole.

I’d always thought of the unconscious mind as a potential source of creative ideas, repressed emotions, and habitual behaviors, but I had never thought in terms of providing updated information to the unconscious mind.

Using Your Unconscious Mind as a Creativity Engine

Sometimes I’ll give my unconscious mind a task. Sometimes it will be something small, like How do I solve this programming problem? or What should this character in my novel do next?

Sometimes it will be a big, difficult question, like How do I navigate a complex issue in a close relationship? or How do I solve a particular health problem?

More often than not, a possible course of action will spring into my head, often within hours (though more often the next day, after a good night’s sleep). The solution won’t always work, but often the spontaneous idea provided by my unconscious mind is ten times better than whatever I could come up sitting there squinting, stroking my chin, and consciously thinking hard about the problem or issue.

And notably, the possible solution provided by my unconscious mind is direct, simple, and easy to execute (in contrast to the more circuitous and complicated solutions I might come up with using conscious thought and analysis).

Related post: A Multi-Modal Approach to Solving Extremely Difficult Problems

I think my experience is probably pretty common. Everyone’s unconscious mind provides solutions all the time, even when not directly asked. The ask is whatever issue or problem you focus your attention on.

The trick, if there is one, is to focus your attention, at least somewhat, on issues that actually matter in your life, and not entirely on trivial distractions (celebrity drama, for example, or for me, the details of a Dungeons & Dragons character build, or how to grow the French empire while playing Civilization).

Inducing (or Noticing) a Trancelike State

According to hypnotherapists, it’s necessary to induce a trancelike state in order to facilitate communication with your unconscious mind, and to plant suggestions. Lawrence pointed out that trancelike states tend to occur spontaneously throughout the day when we’re physically relaxed, comfortable, calm, and not thinking about anything in particular. A natural trancelike state might occur while walking the dog or taking a shower. You can try to become aware of those mental states, and use them as windows of opportunities to talk to your unconscious mind.

Or, there are various meditative practices that you can use to induce a trancelike state. Or you can visit a hypnotherapist.

Riding the Elephant

One metaphor for the unconscious mind is the enormous portion of an iceberg that lies beneath the surface of the ocean. Another imagines the conscious mind as a small spotlight shining on a tiny portion of some vast complex surface.

I like the more active metaphor of riding an elephant, with the rider being the conscious mind, and the elephant being the unconscious mind. The elephant is bigger and more powerful, and also quite intelligent. It knows how to take care of itself, and will avoid most hazards, follow known paths, etc.

But the rider has access to abstract thought and complex strategic thinking. The rider also has the superior view from atop the elephant.

Ideally the rider and the elephant are looking out for each other, and in constant communication, providing useful information in both directions. The rider is in charge of choosing a good direction, but the elephant knows how to navigate the terrain.

The Parent Who Listens

Another metaphor is the conscious mind as parent, and the unconscious mind as child. A parent who only barks orders at their kid will miss useful information. But a parent who lets their kid make all the decisions without taking charge, setting boundaries, and shaping behavior will end up miserable (and so will the child). Ideally, a parent listens carefully to what their child has to say (even to the point of being persuaded into novel behaviors), but ultimately takes charge and makes responsible decisions.

Before talking to Lawrence, I took more a receptive attitude toward my unconscious mind. I was missing the part where I provided information and direction to my unconscious. I was like a parent following their kid around, or a rider letting their elephant wander. Which is probably better than whipping your elephant (or your child), but still isn’t a good self-governance strategy.

Results

Lawrence has used self-hypnosis to dramatically increase his daily word count, lose weight, and improve his health. I’ve just started to experiment with providing information and instruction to my unconscious mind, and to make explicit requests for solutions and ideas.

The results have been so startling and quick that I hesitate to immediately share them. I need a minute to see what’s real, to see what sticks. But suffice to say that opening this channel of self-communication is potentially quite powerful, provided you are willing to act on the ideas your unconscious mind provides, and to provide clear instructions and context for how you would like your unconscious mind to reprogram your own behavior.