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Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: A World of Suggestion

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A new suggestion…

Roughly speaking, the left brain is the home of personality and ego, the right brain is the home of our evolutionary history, our intuition, and our connection to spirit.

Eminent Yale psychologist Julian Jaynes hypothesized that, prior to the dawn of consciousness—that is, left brain ego—right brain automatically dictated human response to environmental and physical triggers. He went so far as to suggest that humans have always had voices in the head telling them what to do!

Carl Jung named these innate programs archetypal images that directed human behavior, unconsciously, through directives to the subconscious mind. Prior to the birth of ego consciousness, humans functioned as do animals, automatically reacting to the world according to the directives of archetypes. With the dawn of ego consciousness, humans developed the ability to reflect and choose whether to follow the automatic promptings of archetypal images or not.

The biblical Garden of Eden story depicts this moment of ego wrestling the ability to choose from the control of the archetypes. God essentially cast humans from the Garden for their decision to break from archetypal mandates. Thus, fledgling ego was left to both think for itself and manage the influence of archetypes upon itself. Left brain development gave humans the power to suggest their own destiny.

Nineteenth-century psychologists were immersed in the study of hypnosis, which could so deeply impact human behavior through the use of suggestion. Their studies proved that once a subject established connection with a hypnotist, it was even possible to be influenced by a mere thought of that hypnotist, though they be miles removed from the subject’s location.

Here we have an example of right brain non-spatial interconnectedness utilized by a hypnotist to circumvent a subject’s ego control and direct their subconscious to act. In clinical terms, we might call this an established transference, where the hypnotist becomes the authority figure that takes over the operation of the mind of the subject.

Psychic researcher Frederic Myers predicted, in the late 19th century, that hypnosis, with its components of trance and suggestion, would be foundational in clinical research in the 20th century. He was right. However, what took up the charge in the 20th century was applied marketing psychology, with the intent of material gain through influencing human behavior.

Psychologists Walter Scott and John Watson scoffed at the notion that humans were reasoning animals, calling them instead “creatures of suggestion”. They were able to demonstrate how easily the supposed ego could be subverted by powerful suggestions. They founded the advertising industry, perfecting the use of archetypal images in advertisements as bold suggestions, combined with verbal or written commands, to influence consumer’s purchases.

The modern world is dominated by an advertising industry that has now morphed into a social media that directly subverts the fledgling ego of humankind via hypnotic suggestion. Today, when a candidate runs for office, the main concern is the size of their war chest, that is, dollars to be spent to hypnotically entrance the electorate.

No longer is science or rational thought a trusty guide. The world is largely run by influencers, who through word, image, repetition and command entrance the populace with suggestions that become facts via their action upon the subconscious mind.

We are indeed creatures of suggestion, but with a reasoning capacity. The ego, however, is easily possessed or circumvented by the power of hypnotic suggestion. In fact, most of daily functioning is driven by one incessant voice in the head, the internal dialog.

To take back our extraordinary power to manifest via our subconscious powerhouse, it is best to assume conscious control of our innate suggestive tendency. Begin by identifying where you have unconsciously transferred your personal authority, allowing it to be controlled by the commands of authority figures.

Break the spell of these figures by commanding your central nervous system to go calm when you think of or visualize them. This is taking back inner control of the self. Regularly send the subconscious new suggestions to get calm. Exercise your own reasoning capacity, allowing it to guide your understanding and actions.

Truly take charge of your self-hypnosis with suggestions consciously intended for the betterment of self, and the greater good. Suggestion is indeed a highly influential force in human manifestation, but exercise it with reasoned care.

Go deeper into calm,

Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Stress of Desire

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Like clouds, dreams and fantasies manifest…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

Who has not had the occasion of a middle of the night awakening to the largesse of a fanciful thought seeming utterly possible? Upon awakening  the following morning, as one rubs the sand of those late night castles from the eyes, the absurdities of such midnight logic come to light as they are banished from the realm of actual possibility.

Nonetheless, the power of these energized thoughts and fantasies do exert a stress upon the subconscious mind. And it is the stress generated by these enacted desires in the play of night that can powerfully influence the subconscious manifestation of their intent in the light of day.

The subconscious is the seat of power in human manifestation. It houses the best and the worst of human experimentation and evolution in its vast library of possible programs to be run, and has the direct ability to generate a major change in the self, overriding one’s current operating system of self definition. It even has the power to make changes in the physical body.

The placebo effect is nothing other than a direct suggestion taken up by the subconscious resulting in actual physical change. The advantage the subconscious has over the conscious mind is that it is not limited by rational thought, it is free to enact the possible without limiting beliefs.

I have often written about the power of a stated intent, mantra or prayer to influence the subconscious to activate a latent program or install a revised program to form a new habit. These efforts are instigated by the conscious will but are also often contradicted by doubt and limiting beliefs, which tend to weaken the stress placed upon the subconscious to generate change.

Contradictory messages to the subconscious tend to cancel the potency of one’s stated intent. This should not discourage the conscious will from stating its goal. However, do realize that by mitigating blocking beliefs, the stress for change, acting upon the subconscious, will strengthen.

Perhaps the most potent influence upon the subconscious mind is the enactment in the imagination of one’s intended intent. Although the middle of the night fanciful convictions might not survive the light of day, they are extremely emotionally impressive to the  subconscious mind, accruing significantly toward their realization.

Thus, if one imagines a new business venture, a soulful relationship, or a life unburdened by a limiting habit, the subconscious is treated to thoughts, images and emotions that might activate both its attracting and enacting power.

Too often, we limit our freedom to consciously dream our desires, as we fear the possibility of them not coming true, with its consequent sting of disappointment. This refusal to fully imagine deprives the subconscious of a highly charged suggestion, which might indeed contain the very energy needed to enact the desired change.

Of course, we must also face the possibility that what we most consciously want may actually be at odds with the desire of another part of who we are, mainly the High Self. Although the subconscious may be influenced to realize a desire from our conscious will, if that desire is contraindicated for the greater balance of the self, the High Self might interfere with its realization.

In general, intentions do best that reflect the greater good of the whole self. Sometimes the ego intent is partial to its limited purview, which often compromises its realization. In setting any intention, one does well to first present it to the boardroom of the greater self. When there is consensus of the greater self an intent is freed to move smoothly forward.

Cleared of inner prejudice, let your intent be stated aloud and given the full freedom of imaginative play and realization, whether it be in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. As always, no attachment to outcome, but rest assured, the stress of your desire is mounting toward its enactment by the subconscious mind.

In the calm of mounting stress,

Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Impressing the Subconscious

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Each new dawn is an opportunity to intend change…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

The subconscious mind is command central for the human mind. Nonetheless, though it sets in motion the bulk of everything we think, feel and do, it itself does not think. The subconscious mind simply obeys suggestions. The intensity or accrued stress of the suggestion determines the likelihood of it being activated.

The subconscious is the programmed mind. All animals respond almost totally to circumstances with preprogrammed instinctive behaviors. Humans have the innovation of consciousness, which allows for the possibility of choice of response to any given encounter, over simply the automatic, unreflected action of the subconscious mind.

Nonetheless, the subconscious remains formidably dominant in human behavior. A person might choose to confront a situation that their subconscious mind’s program determines should be avoided. This program can be overridden by the conscious will, however, the subconscious might concurrently generate pervasive anxiety to freeze the intended behavioral action of the conscious will.

However, the proficiency of the evolutionary programs of the subconscious that have led to individual survival, and survival of the species for eons, tend to reassert themselves pretty easily over orders directed to the subconscious from the conscious mind. Anyone who has attempted to establish a new habit is well acquainted with the tendency of older, more established habits, to defeat conscious efforts to change.

The subconscious is comprised of evolutionary habits, as well as habits rooted in one’s outer socialization. The rules and expectations of significant others, in the impressionable years of childhood, are often internalized as powerful programs for behaviors that eventually operate unconsciously through the subconscious mind. These internalized programs are incessantly reinforced by the internal dialogue, which automatically judges self and other with predetermined prejudice.

The key to establishing a new habit in the subconscious mind is suggestion. When a hypnotist puts a subject into trance, they are essentially turning off the subject’s conscious mind. Next, a suggestion is made to the subject that goes directly to the subconscious mind and is then behaviorally enacted upon, as suggested.

Not everyone can be put into trance by a hypnotist, but everyone is put into trance by the many powerful programs that run daily, through suggestions operating at a subconscious level. Thus, if one has an internal dialogue that repeats the suggestion, “I am unworthy of love”, the entranced outcome will be a mood and behavior that reflects unworthiness and lack of lovability. These programs are often so powerful that even constant feedback to the contrary, from a loving partner for instance, cannot change this embedded suggestion.

Though a hypnotist might temporarily suggest a new program, creating change in a subject, the locus of control remains in the hands of another person, the hypnotist. This is why self-hypnosis is the preferred vehicle of change.

Saturation of suggestion during waking life definitely implants a suggestion to the subconscious. Thus for instance, if I want to remember my dreams, or become conscious while out-of-body during sleep, I might state this intention incessantly throughout the day.

Regardless of outcome on any given night, if I persevere with stating my intention, every day, that suggestion will reach subconscious action at some point. Every time we state an intent, we accrue energy toward a powerful suggestion becoming operational.

Unfortunately, we don’t know for certain how much energy must be accrued before it tips the scales to action. The guidance here: perseverance furthers.  As well, just as the hypnotist silences the conscious mind prior to implanting a suggestion, it is best to relax the body and mind prior to stating one’s suggestion.

Be of calm body and mind, state your suggestion many times a day, many days of the month. With the calm abandon of detachment, yet with the knowing certainty that the subconscious will be impressed, await the manifestation of your dream.

Suggesting,

Chuck