Conscious link to the Subconscious
My personal perspective to a mind that is so directive
Stoopid Subconscious. That's all I hear in my head when I reflect upon something I wish I had the foresight to change. A bad conversation, wrong choice of words, slipped and fell, feelings of doubt, slight remorse and embarrassment. A general lack of foresight or not knowing another path is what it boils down to, all because of my subconscious. It is you, without having anything tangible to call you, like staring at a dark barrel of water from the top, it seems without depth, width or structure. That water in the barrel is you, your experiences, language, memories, habits, all that you are is a complete dark mystery. With concepts or theories of dreams or meditation being the only way to tap it, as tho it would have the ability to talk back to you directly.. without some sort of translation...The subconscious has the links to muscle movement (all conscious movement goes through subconscious parts of the brain) and the explanation of why you prefer brunettes. It is everything your conscious is not and everything you are.
First let's find out the latest clinical definition of what consciousness is. According to Nobel Peace Prize Winner and P.H.d, also the founder and director of The Neurosciences Institute of research, Gerald Edelman defines consciousness as the end result of re-entry. Reentry, is a process of ongoing parallel and recursive signalling between separate neuronal groups along parallel reciprocally fibers that link these groups anatomically. Reentry alters the activity of the target areas it interconnects until a synchronous activity across these areas is created, this may be the direct biological mechanism of consciousness. The repetitive process of reentry may explain how the millisecond time scale of neural signalling is turned into the time scale of seconds characterizing our impression of the duration of a given content of consciousness. - Edelman
So within these main massive bundles of nerve fibers in your brain, your mind chops up your perceptions to each individual area needed for ability to perceive. For instance, there are 5 categories within the visual cortex alone to perceive vision.. motion, color, depth, size, shape etc. So when u see an object, your mind brings that image into the mind, then through re-entry carries it to the visual cortex, and allocates each perception to the necessary area within that visual cortex. Then after your area of the brain is done converting that perception into something your brain can recognize, carries it to other parts of the brain, say for association, conceptualization, etc... All very fascinating.
What is this mass I call my cerebral cortex that lays like a lazy parasite ontop of my primitive subconscious brain?
Humanity to be the only species on earth with such a highly developed frontal lobe, with other species only sharing similar parts in a vain attempt at immitation. The subconscious I get, stay alive.... The basic of all fundamental principles adhered by all species on earth. It's single purpose, is procreation and elongation of the species. The continuation of the verbatim. Darwin's conclusion of the self invention of the Consciousness (with respect to the evolution of the cortex) was based off challenge from environment, for increased survival which means more chances to breed and a longer timeline of the species. Simple enough to grasp.
So then what is it? What is the link between conscious and subconscious? Before I tell you my opinion let me ask you a question. Exactly. Why? I believe that fundamental question, perhaps the oldest and first question to ever be conceived brought on all inventions, language, concepts, understanding and forethought. It is either directed at a lack of understanding of the environment, or through the lack of understanding ones self. Asking why something works forces one to look inside, asking why I can't do that forces one to try. Here's the key to it tho, you can ask why subconsciously or instinctively. As a curious kid, or a cat, the question of why comes natural to those without higher reasoning. However to fully understand concepts one has to utilize them, which requires memory of the function beyond the remembered present. The oldest part of the brain, the Hypothalamus dictates control of that function to the subconscious brain. Like a traffic director, it's function is not to be the memory, but to direct the experiences to the subconscious brain for later recollection.
Here's where our newly evolved cerebral cortex comes in. With concentration one can feel the separation of thought between that and your almost dead subconscious part of the brain. The consciousness, unable to ride the cyclic pattern of re-entry (from your perceptions) consciously from around all parts of the brain, the consciousness is not one single place within the brain. But the entire existence of the cortex without the ability to speak directly to your subconsciousness. If you had that power, you'd simply be able to turn off your attraction for females, stop your heart beat, create a nervous tick etc. So obviously we'd need some safeguards within the two minds(+C and -C) so conscious control of vital functions are not within our immediate grasp. But like a leg twitch from a dream that woke you up, you know there is a direct link between consciousness and subconciousness. It's the foottapping to the beat when you didn't realize you were doing it. It's humming a tune that you vowed you wouldn't do. It's the biting of the fingernails and all the nasty habits you picked up from somewhere early within your life. The conscious is a filter to the subconscious with abilities to directly program it. Between your arguable 5 perceptions in life that all stream up through the hypothalamus and then around the brain, your conscious (remembered present) that you have direct control of translates those experiences into a snapshot of a memory and then locates it to an area of the brain for later recollection. I theorize that each memory is marked with a unique chemical trigger for later recover. So say for instance I ask you to remember kindergarten you have a general qualia of memories, but then when I want you to focus in on your teacher or where you sat. Those are all kindergarten memories but now we're identifying the unique chemical trigger within the memory for quick recollection. Which the mind sacrifices quality of the memory for adherement and recollection speed.
Without that translation layer of the cerebral cortex we'd lose the ability to recall past memories, join them and conclude an entirely new outcome. Creation would die, language, passion, all that defines us as humanity would cease to exist without this conscious filter to an almost insane world. Almost like a necessity createed for that single purpose.
Here lays the problem. Vegging out. With enough discipline the mind and body has amazing adaptation powers. And what is the modern American adapting to? Taking their consciousness offline, turning on the TV, videogames, Food, drugs, generally being entertained. And certainly I feel the effects. The mind wrapped up on the visual images with sound, almost hypnotic like. The higher reasoning of the brain becomes inactive and one then modulates their brain waves in such a fashion that they open their mind to complete direct subconscious programming. The effect of advertisements, believing what you see on TV, not questioning because seeing is believing. People sleep for 8 hours a nite, work for 9 hours a day, that leaves them 6 precious hours to themselves a day. To expand their perception and understanding of life within the comforts of your home and mind. And the first thing people do is fire up the TV or a videogame. What that does is disables reflection within your mind. Reflection, the conscious digestion of your days experiences that programs your subconscious for later use. Those 6 hours one could have been using to come to their own conclusions in life, create something unique to them, discover their own abilities have turned into taking the mind and body offline, and accepting what you experienced for the day as the holy truth.
The next day when your boss asks you an addendum to his question from yesterday, one would then need to create a conjecture within the mind instantaneously on the fly. Which might not be the correct choice, since correct choices within the mind are based off your moral, social, environmental observations comparisons. With reflection of a mental rundown of the days events, one sets themselves up for instant recollection of their reflections at a later date because it was then consciously programmed into the mind by you from comparing what you know, with forethought.. You essentially begin to exist for the first time in your life once you begin this. And TV and being entertained in life becomes a distinct contrast in perceptions against creation. And vegging out looses it's appeal. What is the other choice? If you work 40 hours a week, and sleep 54 hours a week, that's 94 hours outta the 168 hours a week you get. That's not including travel, time getting up and ready, by the end of it all, you have roughly 50 hours a week to yourself. It's almost a full time job if you think about it. For those then 50 hours are you going to spend 3 hours of that a nite watching TV? Sure we can justify it as we need to unwind, we need to watch the news. The problem is with the body and mind adaptation of this method we then strengthen the neuronal pathways that allow us to realize this idealism subconsciously. And before you know it, that pattern has evolved you into exactly what you have become and becomes difficult to realize another path.
Once my basic theory has been understood (it's certainly nothing new) one has to ask the question "Why can't we communicate with it". Somehow assuming that within this realization, the subconscious would instantly become another personality within our mind and speak to us. You wouldn't want that, nobody would want that. As then you would have two distinct personalities within your mind. The ancient subconscious, and the temporary remembered present of the conscious mind. And that of course would cause anyone to question the sanity within their own mind. Communicating with the subconscious exists on a level that can only be explained through analogies. We'll stick with the water in the barrel theory for now. How does one get water out of that barrel, put water in? It's always through the use of a 3rd party tools. The hands, or a cup, always to take or to give. The Zero and One within the mind. The on and off, the to and from. The most complicated of all theories, computational algorithms, densest atomic element can all be reduced to a 1-bit integer (my geek knowledge shining through) of on or off.. 0 or a 1 state.. To talk to the subconscious one would have to adhere to that principal. The subconscious mind isn't there to offer you advice, it's primary function is data retention and recollection. The consciousness, the translation layer to give and get information to and from the subconscious mind. The conscious takes multiple subconscious concepts, combines them and is capable of formulating new ideas and conclusions within that. The newest addition to our minds (Cortex) purpose is to create that intermediate communication to and from the subconscious mind for that exact purpose. To take all of our observations and perceptions and alter them into a qualia state our subconscious can use and retain for later use. Which in turn creates our unique personality and outlook in life.
So if you got this far, one might assume u have a genuine interest in this topic, and as such I'm sure you've come across the webpages all stating that creation is within the subconscious. And to be truly creative one must "tap" into that subconscious mind, and within that is where all your ideas and unique insight comes from. You can do anything you set your mind too... blahblahblah....Those sites and pages are always selling something, along with almost always being distanced from the author. I'd like his other views on life to see if he really understands his grasp on the mind. (judgement) If he practices what they preach, or it was just an idea to get rich off his understanding of their basic self, and sell the obvious to the gullible. I don't subscribe to that.
However, with "filter" theory, your subconscious is merely the sum of all your experiences. When one "taps" into their subconscious to be creative one is really only removing the insecurity of the conscious mind to trust the flood of images and concepts coming from that subconscious mind (The dark water barrel). And to instinctively combine, or create new mental imagery based off that within the conscious mind. To essentially, trust their own style and mind. There is no secret, it places all your failures, victories, stress, emotions on your shoulders. The theroy links you directly responsible for everything you do. Unrealized or not. There is no such thing as chemical or hormonal imbalance. You want depression there's a contrast of a brain tumor that takes up the entire frontal lobe, compressing it yet the person is still able to function and claims they didn't know anything was wrong until the headaches started. Stated from another one of Edelmans books wider then the sky, "much of the cognotive psychology is ill-founded. There is no functional states that can be uniquely defined or coded computational states in individual brains and no procesesses that can be equated with the execution of algorithms" This was in reference to his clinical trail of using an magnetoencephalography to study possible patterns in thought given difference expereinces. Basically stated saying there is no empiricol professional proof that there is a correct way to think!!! There is no set pattern, no definitive chemical balance for happy vs sad. Giving the freedom back to you in your mind to allow it to do whatever it wants to, hopefully with the faith in yourself that the path is not one of negativity.
Those concepts are already within your subconscious mind through past observations or a unique perception to that observation. People just never take the time to realize and link them, as Americans love to pass the buck of responsibility off unto others. When one claims to achieve this state of harmony all that is happening is their conscious mind syncs (harmonizes brain waves) with the subconscious on the same topic. Pulling all the chemically marked experiences on the topic of focus into one coherent side state of mind in which one is able to create unique and original concepts based off the collective of those ideas. (Example: Create a unique image of christmas in your mind). With your own sense of evolved style, creation based off the subconscious feed of qualia becomes unique to you and your own style of the mind .(Now think TIm Burton's Christmas) If you don't like your sense of style, then it's within you to change that. Yes you'll run across ideas that have already been thought of, but with practice you'll understand where they got those ideas and how. And one wouldn't be depressed upon the idea of thinking of something someone already has on their own. You'd move on and adapt, the idealism of depression is when u are unable to move on. But that inability is your fault. Nobody elses and might be depressing at the subconscious realization of the inability to adapt. Which would then remove that trust/faith/harmony that your conscious mind had with the subconscious and drastically change your perception of your ability to control your mind, memories, emotions. Basically you create the "panic attack" or trigger within your mind and some don't have faith in their mind that isn't them. Akin to resisting a panic attack, one would realize they have been in this situation before and everything was fine, and thus it gets defeated. Hard to defeat the first time, easy to defeat the 2nd because of reflection.
Thus with discipline comparison and reflection is able to identify the minutia in memories (and people) which with poor recollection of fine detail of the memory forces one to "fill in" the gap to make a conclusion on your perception. (like creating a new beat to a song that the volume was too low to hear it correctly. The problem is, you never write that beat down) That "fill in" is your inspiration for your own ideas. What color shirt was your friend wearing 2 days ago? I bet you could visualize them in brown... now red... Practice that, and you can re-enforce your ability to create visual images within your mind. The opposite of watching TV since higher reasoning and creation is at it's peak during this time.
One last thing i'd like to touch on. Contrasts of perception. If you never know happy, do you know sad? Do you know if you would fail yourself if you jump out of a plane? You know you handle yourself fine in a controlled environment on the ground. Remove that illusion of control and one gets a vast perspective to all of lifes contrast. If one realizes all these things then the next natural progression of the mind is to test out the abilty of your mind to adapt and handle any perception you toss at it. With practice one might find joy in testing the limits to what you can adapt to. To try and actively break/stall/distort your conscious because of the perceptions you expose your mind to. With the foreknowledge that your conscious is a filter to your true depth, one will then be able to percieve all the incoming perceptions with a distinct detachment from emotion and view themselves in a unique light. Once you have faith in that, you'll never lose faith in your mind and thus yourself.
If you don't subscribe to this then that's fine. But know that the thought is out there, and others are as well. Discover the fallacy of truth that fits your style.
© Kiehl 2006