Concious v Subconcious

[Krypton]

I have a question...

When you are sitting there tapping a pen on your desk and your mind starts to daydream, which part of your mind is doing what ? Is it your subconcious mind that is having the thoughts while your concious mind is tapping the pen in perfect rhythm ? Or is it the other way round ?

I have heard it mentioned before that going into a trance is similar to when your're driving down the highway and you are thinking about something (daydreaming) so much that you miss your turnoff yet you are still able to drive the car safely. Which part of the mind is daydreaming and which is doing the driving ?
In hypnosis, which part of the mind is doing what ? Is the concisous mind sleeping and the subconcious listening ? Or what is going on exactly ? Thanks.

[Annie]

> sitting, and tapping a pen on your desk, and in perfect rhythm, and driving

present 4 of the quadrillion skills you practiced Consciously, 'til your subconscious learned to master each. so, on you merely thinking/intending doing an action, your Sub-conscious then co-ordinates all of your various body-parts required in order to carry out your intent.

Each of us in a ' trance-state ', of one sort or another, every moment of our life; with
a "Hypnotic-trance" being a special kind of trance, where you decide to (willingly by-pass, as opposed to sleep/trance, your limited conscious/judgment -filter) enable your unlimited unconscious resources.
Your unconscious mind "sleeps" when it
wants/needs to integrate New learnings.

Your *unconscious*-mind is the most powerful *Learning* computer going. What a great Blessing you have ! Enjoy all you can achieve with it, of a positive Beneficial nature :)


Annie

[TaffyE]

I have a question...

When you are sitting there tapping a pen on your desk and your mind starts to daydream, which part of your mind is doing what ? Is it your subconcious mind that is having the thoughts while your concious mind is tapping the pen in perfect rhythm ? Or is it the other way round ?
All behaviour is unconscious. Did you consciously decide what rhythm to tap the pen? Did you consciously control the specific muscles needed to tap the pen? Did you consciously decide to daydream?

[/QUOTE] I have heard it mentioned before that going into a trance is similar to when your're driving down the highway and you are thinking about something (daydreaming) so much that you miss your turnoff yet you are still able to drive the car safely. Which part of the mind is daydreaming and which is doing the driving ?

When a behaviour (driving a car) is learned well enough to perform automatically, the responsibility for carrying it out passes to the unconcious, e.g. do you still have to think about the actions needed to make the gear change. While making that journey, do you deliberately decide to daydream?

[QUOTE]In hypnosis, which part of the mind is doing what ? Is the concisous mind sleeping and the subconcious listening ? Or what is going on exactly ? Thanks.
Could be either or both. Some people's conscious mind goes walk-about, while others don't. Maybe all the time, or only parts of the time or non of the time.

Simplistic explanation, but I hope that helps.

[Merlin]

Conscious/sub-conscious/un-conscious are just metaphors. They are terms to make conversation easier.
Conscious is what you are currently aware of.

there is disagreement about the other terms.

[Krypton]

The reason I am asking is that I am curious as to what you should be experiencing in your mind on a conscious level as you go into hypnosis. I have tried various self hypnosis tapes/mp3's etc and have even volunteered at a stage hypnosis show but was unsuccessful at 'going under'. I find it difficult to conjure images in my head and my mind often wanders, all the hypnotic inductions I have tried so far use guided imagery or "imagine this" "imagine that" but what do you do for someone like me who has trouble focusing and imagining things ? Geez I must seem like the nightmare subject ! When listening to some inductions they might say to imagine a beautiful staircase or long sandy beach and all I would see in my head would be black. It is my understanding that everyone is hypnotizable, so what kind of induction would be best suited for me ? I am not a sceptic of hypnotism as about 12 years ago I studied hypnosis until I could comfortably hypnotize a friend of mine (which I found quite easy to do), and my partner at the time also volunteered at the stage show we went to and was one of the most entertaining subjects of the night !

Thanks in advance.

[Merlin]

This is the reason I have long stated that such inductions should not be used. You are fine, it's the hypnotist's methods which are wrong.

This is also why I say MPO3s/recordings are a problem. There are many suitable inductions for you. Instant/rapid inductions being best IMO.

[Don]

I agree with Merlin and just want to amplify something she wrote.

Note that she did not say that MP3s or other recordings are wrong or bad, just that they are a "problem." When people create them, they follow a pattern which they hope will work with a large group of people. The "problem" is that you and I are not large groups of people, we are individuals. That, IMO, is one of the secrets of hypnosis.

A recording may very well work for some people. But if you don't mesh with practically every aspect of the recording, it won't work for you.

As Merlin wrote, "You are fine, it's the hypnotist's methods which are wrong." In the case of recordings, we could modify that to say "You are fine, it's the recording you are trying to use that is wrong."

From what you have posted, Merlin is correct in saying instant/rapid inductions would be the best for you. However, I would want to interview you personally, first, before making such an assessment. Sometimes we think we are one way when in reality we are another.

For example, you say it is difficult to conjure images in your head. Let's try an experiment. Describe your bedroom. If you're in your bedroom now, don't look around. My guess is that you can do a great job describing the bed, dresser, what's on the walls, where the doorway is, where a closet is, etc.

In order to do that you had to "see" what was there. That's very good visualization skills. So here's something to think about and consider: perhaps your ability to "'imagine this' 'imagine that'" is good, but you think it should work in a different way?

[Krypton]

Thanks for the replies and useful info so far.

I think you're right about recordings being too general and not really suited to everyone.

Don, yup I could easily picture my bedroom in my head, I could do this fine as it is something I am very familiar with and have seen before. I think my problem is that I am not a very visually creative person and if I have to picture something madeup or imaginary then that is where I get stuck, perhaps if an induction was using imagery of something I was familiar with rather than something I had to makeup in my head this would be better ?

I am considering making up a self-hypnosis recording for myself to help me with my current sleeping problem. I know it would be better to go to a therapist but I would like to give it a go on my own first. I am wondering, as it would be my voice on the recording would it be more effective to use "I" instead of "you" ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Merlin]

In practical use *I* or *you* won't matter.
Your mind will understand either way.

[Don]

Hi, Krypton.

FWIW, one of the techniques used by Ericksonian hypnotists is using visuals you are familiar with and then leading you deeper into them to induce a trance.