The term subconscious mind is derived from two terms Sub and Conscious.
Sub means below while conscious has something to do with awareness. So in this context we can say: Sub conscious means ‘Below awareness’
And no! this isn’t just a woo woo or deep talk because it’s true the subconscious mind is the part of our mind that operates below our conscious awareness.
So let’s uncover some mysterious facts and phenomenon about the subconscious mind.
1. It take control over our functions and decisions even if we are not aware of it. sub conscious means below awareness. And for those who may not become conscious of it’s existence, (Congratulations for showing interest in how this crazy mind works by the way) may never know the individual who is real controlling. The subconscious mind is like a driver seated at the back of the car with a remote control while the conscious mind sits at the driver’s seat. The passenger unaware of the guy at the back literally believes the conscious mind is the main driver even though the guy on the wheel does little work like focusing while the guy at the back does the heavy work like controlling the moving car through walking.
2. It started developing while we were in womb.
Yes! Unlike the conscious mind which doesn’t start developing untill we turn 7 years, the subconscious mind starts develops from 0 till we’re 7 years. Those wiser to us claim the brain starts to develop from the back, a reason the subconscious forms before the conscious.
3. It takes everything Literally.
The subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what’s right and wrong, good and bad, negative and positive or true and false. It takes everything thrown at it as true and stores it even when it’s wrong.
Kids aged between (0-7 years absorb everything thrown at their eyes, ears, skins or tongues and store it without filtering. It’s a reason most Parenting coaches urge parents to stop negative labeling their kids with negative words or exposing them to traumatic visuals.
Imagine calling a Kid “You’re shy” … Of Course he/she will take everything literally and believe in you because they believe their parents are much wiser and experienced even though otherwise. So a kid walks around with this identity for centuries… Ooh! For years as if they have a tag on their face that label them as shy. No it’s a label the subconscious mind absorbed in childhood.
It doesn’t reason or evaluate; it simply accepts what it’s given. If you repeatedly tell yourself negative things, your subconscious will accept them as true. As Henry Ford said, “if you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right!”
3. It controls 95% of our daily activities.
The subconscious mind controls 95 % of our brain activities and exponentially 95% of our lives.
Think of all the actions and behaviours you automatically act out like ‘walking’, checking your phone immediately you wake up, taking shower and even reading this text from left to right.
All habits, routines and automatic responses are controlled by the subconscious mind.
The conscious mind only controls 5% of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and this involves; focused attention, logical thinking and willed intention.
4. It knows no time; It’s always Present- based.
Ever wondered why most manifestation coaches and those guys who tell people to shout some repetitive affirmations while facing the mirror urge their clients to use present tenses of ‘now’ in their affirmation?
It’s because the subconscious mind knows no time. Unlike the conscious mind which knows the difference between past and future, future will forever remain future to the sb even if the future in reality arrives.
While manifesting for wealth, one is asked to sit at a quite place and in an exercise people call meditation divorce his/her focus from the external world to the internal world and start visualizing his future ideal self as if he were seated there and now!
“With your eyes closed and your physical body immobilized, induce a state akin to sleep and enter into the action as though you were an actor playing the part. Experience in imagination what you would experience in the flesh were you now in possession of your objective. Make elsewhere HERE and then NOW. And the greater you, using a larger focus, will use all means, and call them good, which tend toward the production of that which you have assumed”
~Neville Goddard
This isn’t enough to have money dropping at your laps immediately after the meditation and visualization exercise though. Visualization only aids in priming the subconscious mind to make decisions that align with our desired reality.
5. It Acts as a Vast Bank of Memories and Beliefs.
The Subconscious mind stores all the memories, emotions and beliefs that accrues from the experiences we encounter with the external world.
Infact what the psychologist call , core beliefs, are beliefs created and stored in the subconscious mind from birth to age 7 based on what wee internalized from our parents figures and those closest to us.
Addictions are just but long term memories associated with positive euphoric feelings while Trauma is a long term memory stored after one experiences an encounter that comes with negative emotions.
The sb also stores emotions that can be triggered by an external stimuli.
It also has different emotions associated with certain places, people and environment.
6. It Can Be Reprogrammed through Repetition, Exposure or strong emotions.
Repetition of words, images, feelings are all deep programming to the subconscious mind.
In Machiavellian school of politics, repetition creates belief.
In self-help circles, Repetitive positive affirmations help to rewire the subconscious mind.
A habit is just but an action performed repeatedly before becoming automatically without conscious awareness.
Addictions and Traumas are just but as a result of the subconscious mind being programmed by strong emotions on different sides of the spectrum.
Any experience that comes with it a strong emotion, is stored as a long term memory.
7. The Subconscious mind doesn’t Know the difference between you and others.
This might sound mysterious indeed and should have been our number one.
Did you know that when you judge or criticize others, your subconscious mind interprets it as self-talk? It doesn’t distinguish between internal or external direction, it simply absorbs the emotional energy you project.
This is why the words you use matter; they shape how your mind perceives reality and, ultimately, how you feel about yourself.
For example, imagine someone constantly saying, “People are so unreliable.” Over time, their subconscious internalizes this belief, making them more critical of their own reliability or attracting situations that confirm this bias.
That moment when ancient wisdom hits you like a thunderbolt and everything suddenly makes sense.
The old hermetic teachings contains the law of correspondence which states “As within so without “. What we project outward returns inward. Our minds become imprinted with the very judgments we cast on others.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
~ Matthew 7:1–2
8. The subconscious mind has no will of it’s own.
The subconscious mind has no will of it’s own it just obeys what it has been commanded to do.
The conscious mind instructs while the subconscious mind obeys.
The conscious mind gives orders while the subconscious mind stores them and transforms them into reality.
Happiness only comes to us when we steer it toward fulfillment, joy, and authenticity by consciously thoughts and actions that resonate with our highest potential and surrounding ourselves with positivity.
The subconscious mind doesn’t debate or object, rather, it implements the ideas given to it, whether negative or positive.
9. It automatically takes control of everything when the Conscious mind sleeps.
Every actions or behaviour one acts out without conscious efforts like focus on his part is automatically being controlled by the subconscious mind.
Picture this;
An individual taking a meal divorces his/her attention from the meal and places his/her focus on phone or television while they continue to eat because the subconscious mind automatically takes over the eating action as focus goes to the TV/Phone.
Or someone walking while his mind ruminates about some celebrity or Future or Dubai.
10. The Sb Can’t tell the difference between Imagined and Real Experiences.
The mysterious mind can’t tell the difference between what’s imagined and real.
This again is where visualization and meditation as a way to prime the subconscious mind to work in favour of our desired reality comes in.
You visualize your future self even if your current reality is otherwise.
11. The Subconscious Mind is always awake
The sb mind never sleeps, rests or takes a break because it controls all vital processes and functions of the body.
For instance; heartbeat, blood circulation, digestion and elimination.
When we go to sleep, our conscious mind becomes dormant or passive while the subconscious mind stays fully awake.
12. It is habit-based
As we go about our daily routine such as waking up, travelling to and from work, eating, drinking and going to sleep it becomes second nature, we’ve formed habits.
Unlike the conscious which tend to be voluntary-based, the subconscious is habit based.
13. The subconscious mind doesn’t understand negatives.
Just to expound on our fact number 2, this friend of ours , though it can process negative statements, tends to focus on the core concept rather than the negation.
Instead of understanding “I don’t want X,” it might focus on “X.”
This is why using positive phrasing can be more effective when communicating with the subconscious through meditation, visualization or repetition.
The Ancient spiritual teachers all warned us against focusing on what you don’t want. They instead advised initiates to focus on what they want.
The Hermetics claim; “Energy flows where attention flows and attention flows where Focus Flows ”
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) emphasizes using positive language when communicating with the subconscious because it bypasses the need to process the negative first.
14.The conscious and subconscious minds engage in a constant feedback loop, with the conscious mind often reacting to information processed by the subconscious as the later obeys the commands received from the conscious.
15. The Subconscious mind is a multi-tasker.
The conscious mind can only focus on one thing at a time.
Try to pay attention to two things at once, you’ll realize that your neuronal attention will be rewarded to one thing, then the other, then back to the first thing. It’s quite impossible to give simultaneous attention to two things at once like feeling happy and sad at the same time or angry and calm even though we can switch between emotional episodes very quickly. Our subconscious however is a born multi-tasker.
The very reason you can be walking right now while eating a fruit with your focus attuned to this text is a statement enough to confirm that the sb can multitask for the walking and eating process has been taken over by our friend.
16. It’s quicker and sharp than the conscious mind.
The subconscious mind detects threats & rewards, pick up on signals from the external environment, programs tasks and suggests decisions more faster than the conscious mind.
17. It has different emotions for different people, places and activities.
Most of us always associate emotions with the heart but the subconscious mind too stores emotions and has different emotions for different places, people and activities.
These emotions can be triggered when the individual exposes himself and herself to those places/environment and activities.
18. It never Forgets.
Unlike the conscious mind which forgets, the subconscious mind never forgets. It still remembers the words you were told as a kid, the images displayed and experiences you were exposed to.