When it comes to self-awareness, I tend to think mostly about mental/emotional self-awareness since that is my area of preference. But of course, physical self-awareness is just as important as any other type. You would think that people, living in such a physical world as we do, would have a great sense of physical self-awareness, but it seems to me to be quite the opposite. Many of us eat food and expose our bodies to all sorts of things without paying attention to how it really makes us feel physically. Unfortunately, paying attention would take more time and effort than most people are used to devoting to themselves.
Of course, if you are interested in learning more about your body, there are tools out there to help you with that. Sometimes your immune system reacts to certain "normal" things in your environment; we call this an allergic reaction. Many of us know our big allergic triggers such as snow mould, cats and dogs, and dust. But do you really know all the things you are allergic to?
There are some conventional medical tests available to determine allergies, namely the scratch test. Unfortunately, the scratch test is uncomfortable and not always accurate, especially in the area of foods. You get one scratch for every item being tested and if you really want a comprehensive test, you might run out of areas on your body to scratch (or you would have to come back for multiple sessions)! An alternative way of determining your allergies is called the Vega Test (also known as electrodermal testing (EDT) and electroacupuncture according to Voll (EAV)).[1]
The Vega Test generally involves using a special machine to measure the body's electrical resistance at acupuncture points.[1] A circuit is created and possible allergens (things you may be allergic to) are placed within the circuit to measure the electrical changes in your body. While this test is related to acupuncture (see my previous post on acupuncture), there are no needles involved in the procedure.
The theory behind the Vega Test is that your body reacts energetically to things (good and bad) before it reacts physically and that you can detect the energy changes through acupressure points. While certain aspects of the theory do have some supporting evidence, there have been few scientific studies of the Vega Test, and those that have been conducted have generally not found positive results.[1] From what I have read of these studies, they sometimes assume that scratch testing gives true results or they test only respiratory allergies. It is unfortunate that there are few studies showing positive results because anyone I have talked to who has experienced the testing have found the results very useful in improving their health.
The Vega Test is often available from naturopathic doctors and sometimes certain chiropractors or other practitioners. Becoming aware of what your body reacts to allergically can help you make decisions to benefit your health, whether in diet, lifestyle, alternative treatment or other areas.
[1] Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Vega Test. Accessed December 29, 2010 from http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/HolisticHealth/AlternativeTherapies.aspx?ChunkID=37438
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Blessings of Christmas
It is Christmas time again! I have four days of planned celebrations covering 5 different locations with 11 (if not more) individual family units. It's going to be crazy busy - and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it! There are always some downsides to this time of year including some financial pressure and the stress of making sure that you get everything done and see everyone; but to me, it's all worth the fun and companionship that comes with the holidays.
First of all, there's the presents. It doesn't take much to make me happy in the present department - a really good stocking full of goodies and 1 or 2 things I need as presents and I'm set! I had as much fun making presents this year as I am going to have opening mine. All I have left to do is wrap my gifts to others later today and I'll be all ready for the big event. I'm looking forward to watching my 2 year-old daughter open all of her gifts.
And then there's the food. From fondues parmesan, to perogies, to turkey and stuffing, to mashed potatoes, to green olives and Christmas baking, it's all so delicious. I just finished making my homemade cranberry sauce. I think my favourite is the stuffing - I can't seem to get enough of it! As an extra bonus, I don't have to cook all of Christmas dinner this year - just cranberry sauce and some baking.
Most important of all, there's the friends and family. I get to see friends that I have barely seen all year. Sometimes people come back from out of town and you get little mini-reunions of friends. And I get to see lots of different family members - some people may think that sounds horrible, but I am more than happy with it!
While Christmas may not be the best time of the year for my physical health (I won't be eating the healthiest food, and I'll take far too much of it), I get a real boost to my emotional and social health!
So, here's hoping that you have as many Christmas blessings as I do! Happy Holidays!
First of all, there's the presents. It doesn't take much to make me happy in the present department - a really good stocking full of goodies and 1 or 2 things I need as presents and I'm set! I had as much fun making presents this year as I am going to have opening mine. All I have left to do is wrap my gifts to others later today and I'll be all ready for the big event. I'm looking forward to watching my 2 year-old daughter open all of her gifts.
And then there's the food. From fondues parmesan, to perogies, to turkey and stuffing, to mashed potatoes, to green olives and Christmas baking, it's all so delicious. I just finished making my homemade cranberry sauce. I think my favourite is the stuffing - I can't seem to get enough of it! As an extra bonus, I don't have to cook all of Christmas dinner this year - just cranberry sauce and some baking.
Most important of all, there's the friends and family. I get to see friends that I have barely seen all year. Sometimes people come back from out of town and you get little mini-reunions of friends. And I get to see lots of different family members - some people may think that sounds horrible, but I am more than happy with it!
While Christmas may not be the best time of the year for my physical health (I won't be eating the healthiest food, and I'll take far too much of it), I get a real boost to my emotional and social health!
So, here's hoping that you have as many Christmas blessings as I do! Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Small Acts of Conservation
I hope I'm not overstating things when I say that most of us know that we should be conserving water and power. You can easily find all sorts of suggestions on how to conserve water and power online. Most home conservation efforts seem to be focused on these areas, but is there anything else you can do at home to help the environment?
The answer is, of course there is! And you might even be able to think of a few things right off the top of your head. I'm definitely not the model of conservation, and I have to say that parenthood has reduced my conservation efforts even further, but I have a strange personality quirk that has always pushed me to conserve certain little things that others may overlook.
My best example of this is paper towel. When I was growing up, we each took turn setting the table including putting down paper towel as napkins for each person. Before "select-a-size", or whenever my mother would buy a brand without that feature, I was bothered by the fact that the paper towels were so much bigger than what we really needed. I would actually fold each paper towel in half and rip them apart before setting them at the table. Now, I simply can't bring myself to buy paper towel that isn't "select-a-size-able."
Then there's soap-like products, namely shampoo. It seems like the last few handfuls of shampoo are almost impossible to get out of the bottle. But I will work at getting every last drop of shampoo out before I wash and recycle the bottle. As I see it, if I'm going to send chemicals down the drain, I'm going to make sure they've done something for me before they go. I can only imagine how much soap, shampoo and other chemicals from the bottom of the bottle gets flushed away unused or even gets thrown into the landfill. Another thing I do with shampoo is play a little game where I see if I can figure out what's the least amount I can use and still get a good lather. I always overdo it right after I get a haircut! I wonder how many bottles of shampoo I'll save myself from buying over the years?
I'm no great environmentalist though every little thing helps. Pick up even one small conservation habit a year and you can make a difference. What does this have to do with holistic health? The health of the environment affects the health of each and every one of us who live on this planet, and it might help your pocket-book a little too. You can use the money you save to treat yourself to an alternative health session.
I'm interested in picking up more small conservation habits. What small acts of conservation do you do?
The answer is, of course there is! And you might even be able to think of a few things right off the top of your head. I'm definitely not the model of conservation, and I have to say that parenthood has reduced my conservation efforts even further, but I have a strange personality quirk that has always pushed me to conserve certain little things that others may overlook.
My best example of this is paper towel. When I was growing up, we each took turn setting the table including putting down paper towel as napkins for each person. Before "select-a-size", or whenever my mother would buy a brand without that feature, I was bothered by the fact that the paper towels were so much bigger than what we really needed. I would actually fold each paper towel in half and rip them apart before setting them at the table. Now, I simply can't bring myself to buy paper towel that isn't "select-a-size-able."
Then there's soap-like products, namely shampoo. It seems like the last few handfuls of shampoo are almost impossible to get out of the bottle. But I will work at getting every last drop of shampoo out before I wash and recycle the bottle. As I see it, if I'm going to send chemicals down the drain, I'm going to make sure they've done something for me before they go. I can only imagine how much soap, shampoo and other chemicals from the bottom of the bottle gets flushed away unused or even gets thrown into the landfill. Another thing I do with shampoo is play a little game where I see if I can figure out what's the least amount I can use and still get a good lather. I always overdo it right after I get a haircut! I wonder how many bottles of shampoo I'll save myself from buying over the years?
I'm no great environmentalist though every little thing helps. Pick up even one small conservation habit a year and you can make a difference. What does this have to do with holistic health? The health of the environment affects the health of each and every one of us who live on this planet, and it might help your pocket-book a little too. You can use the money you save to treat yourself to an alternative health session.
I'm interested in picking up more small conservation habits. What small acts of conservation do you do?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Water - Special Molecule with a Memory
We all know that we physically need water to survive; our bodies are over 60% water after all. Water is essential to all life on Earth, covers most of the Earth's surface, and there is water in the air too. Water was once considered one of the four elements from which all things were composed. We don't really think twice about what water does and how special it is because we see it every day of our lives.
But water is actually a very special molecule with properties that are rare in the chemical world. Water is a polar molecule which means that, in the simplest terms, it is slightly electrically positive on one side and slightly electrically negative on the other side of the molecule (to my scientist friends: please don't try to correct me on this... I'm just trying to make it simple).[1] This polarity creates a state where it takes a lot of heat to turn water from a liquid to a gas. This makes water useful in regulating our climate and weather.[1] The polarity of water also enables it to be an excellent solvent, meaning that all sorts of different substances easily dissolve into water; this is important in our bodies.[1] Water also has a high surface tension which gives it that little tough surface which is useful in a number of different ways.[1] Another interesting characteristic is that ice is less dense than water, allowing it to float.[1] This protects water below the surface of the ice, which, among other things, makes it harder for lakes to freeze solid and protects marine life.
But what if the special nature of water gives it another important characteristic? What if water can actually remember and store energetic information? This is something that is completely disregarded in mainstream scientific circles because there is no tangible evidence of it, at least not yet. Experiments trying to test the theory have been inconsistent at best. I think this is one area that is just incredibly difficult to test because there are so many unknown variables - and to get reliable scientific results, you need to control as many variables as you can and then test just one or two variables. But let's look a little at the theories that are out there.
Some people believe that water can remember something about substances that it contains even after those substances are physically/chemically removed. This is one of the theories under which homeopathy and flower essences work. Other theories and even some preliminary experiments show that water can retain a "memory" of conscious intention.[2] For example, when a healer did some intentional healing on water and that water was then given to a culture of tumor cells, the tumor cells showed reduced growth compared to a control group.[2] Dr. Masaru Emoto has been experimenting with intention and water crystals for some time. He believes that music, type of water (distilled, spring water, tap water, etc.), prayer, and plain old words change water, and that those changes can be seen when you freeze water and examine the shape of the crystals.[3] Dr. Emoto does not use scientific method in his experiments, nor does he claim to, but his writings are very interesting.
Dr. Glen Rein says there are many theories to explain how water can retain memory of intention, but that one the most likely one may involve "quantum fields in quantum domains."[2] Basically, that means that it's a matter of quantum physics which is not surprising since a lot of energy healing theories seem to bring us back to quantum physics.
The significance of all this? If water can store energy signatures, it can be used to carry healing energy. It also means that you might want to surround yourself with good energy (good words, good feelings, good intentions, etc.) so that the water in your body stores healing energy. Water can be good for you in more ways than one!
[1] Gray Pilgrim, Polarity of Water, 2010. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/polarity-of-water.html
[2] Glen Rein. SSE Talks - Water Memory: Carrier of Conscious Intention, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://www.scientificexploration.org/talks/27th_annual/27th_annual_rein_water_memory_intention.html
[3] Water Crystals. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://hado.net/watercrystals/index.php
But water is actually a very special molecule with properties that are rare in the chemical world. Water is a polar molecule which means that, in the simplest terms, it is slightly electrically positive on one side and slightly electrically negative on the other side of the molecule (to my scientist friends: please don't try to correct me on this... I'm just trying to make it simple).[1] This polarity creates a state where it takes a lot of heat to turn water from a liquid to a gas. This makes water useful in regulating our climate and weather.[1] The polarity of water also enables it to be an excellent solvent, meaning that all sorts of different substances easily dissolve into water; this is important in our bodies.[1] Water also has a high surface tension which gives it that little tough surface which is useful in a number of different ways.[1] Another interesting characteristic is that ice is less dense than water, allowing it to float.[1] This protects water below the surface of the ice, which, among other things, makes it harder for lakes to freeze solid and protects marine life.
But what if the special nature of water gives it another important characteristic? What if water can actually remember and store energetic information? This is something that is completely disregarded in mainstream scientific circles because there is no tangible evidence of it, at least not yet. Experiments trying to test the theory have been inconsistent at best. I think this is one area that is just incredibly difficult to test because there are so many unknown variables - and to get reliable scientific results, you need to control as many variables as you can and then test just one or two variables. But let's look a little at the theories that are out there.
Some people believe that water can remember something about substances that it contains even after those substances are physically/chemically removed. This is one of the theories under which homeopathy and flower essences work. Other theories and even some preliminary experiments show that water can retain a "memory" of conscious intention.[2] For example, when a healer did some intentional healing on water and that water was then given to a culture of tumor cells, the tumor cells showed reduced growth compared to a control group.[2] Dr. Masaru Emoto has been experimenting with intention and water crystals for some time. He believes that music, type of water (distilled, spring water, tap water, etc.), prayer, and plain old words change water, and that those changes can be seen when you freeze water and examine the shape of the crystals.[3] Dr. Emoto does not use scientific method in his experiments, nor does he claim to, but his writings are very interesting.
Dr. Glen Rein says there are many theories to explain how water can retain memory of intention, but that one the most likely one may involve "quantum fields in quantum domains."[2] Basically, that means that it's a matter of quantum physics which is not surprising since a lot of energy healing theories seem to bring us back to quantum physics.
The significance of all this? If water can store energy signatures, it can be used to carry healing energy. It also means that you might want to surround yourself with good energy (good words, good feelings, good intentions, etc.) so that the water in your body stores healing energy. Water can be good for you in more ways than one!
[1] Gray Pilgrim, Polarity of Water, 2010. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/polarity-of-water.html
[2] Glen Rein. SSE Talks - Water Memory: Carrier of Conscious Intention, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://www.scientificexploration.org/talks/27th_annual/27th_annual_rein_water_memory_intention.html
[3] Water Crystals. Accessed December 10, 2010 from http://hado.net/watercrystals/index.php
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Acupressure Massage
If you're interested in the positive effects of acupuncture (see my previous post on acupuncture) but aren't into needles, listen up because acupressure massage might be for you! And even if needles aren't an issue for you but you enjoy the feeling of bodywork such as massage, you might be interested in acupressure.
Acupressure (sometimes called acupressure massage) is an ancient Chinese technique which involves applying pressure to acupoints - points on the skin that lie along energy meridians through which qi flows. If you're interested in knowing a little more about qi and energy meridians, see my previous post here. When qi is not flowing ideally, physical and emotional discomfort or illness can occur. Acupressure is a way of repairing and restoring proper flow of qi.
There are a wide number of studies that have shown that acupressure is beneficial to people in a number of different ways. Acupressure has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping and pain, reduce nausea caused by chemotherapy, improve insomnia symptoms, and reduce chronic headache pain.[1] It is also "believed that acupressure can reduce your blood pressure, regulate your menstrual cycle, lessen the pain of labor, treat mental anxiety, treat stomach problems like indigestion and nausea, relieve headaches and migraines, eliminate pain in the neck, shoulders and back, help with insomnia, enhance your spirituality, improve your mental aptitude and increase your overall energy levels as well as treat other disorders and ailments."[2]
So that's all the good news about the benefits. But when it comes down to it, acupressure feels great! I experienced a couple of sessions a little while ago and I was surprised about how good the acupressure felt. It was absolutely relaxing! As with other bodywork therapies, the style of your practitioner can make a big difference so you might want to shop around. A good practitioner will teach you how to work on your own acupressure points (at least one or two that are most useful to you and your situation) if you ask them to. Sometimes acupressure massage is covered under some insurance plans so check yours out!
Some people believe the benefits of acupressure come from the movement of qi it can create and some believe the benefits come from the increased blood flow and relaxation effects. Whatever the source of the benefits, acupressure is good for you and feels great!
[1] Acupressure News and Reviews. The Healthy Fellow. Accessed December 7, 2010 from http://www.healthyfellow.com/491/acupressure-news-and-reviews/
[2] Dana George. Benefits of Acupressure. Accessed December 8, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/about_4612730_benefits-of-acupressure.html
Acupressure (sometimes called acupressure massage) is an ancient Chinese technique which involves applying pressure to acupoints - points on the skin that lie along energy meridians through which qi flows. If you're interested in knowing a little more about qi and energy meridians, see my previous post here. When qi is not flowing ideally, physical and emotional discomfort or illness can occur. Acupressure is a way of repairing and restoring proper flow of qi.
There are a wide number of studies that have shown that acupressure is beneficial to people in a number of different ways. Acupressure has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping and pain, reduce nausea caused by chemotherapy, improve insomnia symptoms, and reduce chronic headache pain.[1] It is also "believed that acupressure can reduce your blood pressure, regulate your menstrual cycle, lessen the pain of labor, treat mental anxiety, treat stomach problems like indigestion and nausea, relieve headaches and migraines, eliminate pain in the neck, shoulders and back, help with insomnia, enhance your spirituality, improve your mental aptitude and increase your overall energy levels as well as treat other disorders and ailments."[2]
So that's all the good news about the benefits. But when it comes down to it, acupressure feels great! I experienced a couple of sessions a little while ago and I was surprised about how good the acupressure felt. It was absolutely relaxing! As with other bodywork therapies, the style of your practitioner can make a big difference so you might want to shop around. A good practitioner will teach you how to work on your own acupressure points (at least one or two that are most useful to you and your situation) if you ask them to. Sometimes acupressure massage is covered under some insurance plans so check yours out!
Some people believe the benefits of acupressure come from the movement of qi it can create and some believe the benefits come from the increased blood flow and relaxation effects. Whatever the source of the benefits, acupressure is good for you and feels great!
[1] Acupressure News and Reviews. The Healthy Fellow. Accessed December 7, 2010 from http://www.healthyfellow.com/491/acupressure-news-and-reviews/
[2] Dana George. Benefits of Acupressure. Accessed December 8, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/about_4612730_benefits-of-acupressure.html
Monday, December 6, 2010
Anger - Good or Bad? (Part 2 - Anger Expression)
A few weeks ago, I talked about sources of anger, and how those sources affect whether your anger can be good for you or bad for you. But of course, anger is a natural part of life and you're bound to experience it at some point or another. What do you do then?
Basically, one answer is to express your anger. "Anger expression typically takes one of three forms: anger-in, anger-out and anger control."[1] Anger-in is anger directed inwards or perhaps suppressed. While some people think anger-in sounds like a good way of expressing anger, the anger can actually "leak out" in the form of passive-aggressiveness or cause further emotional problems such as depression.[1] Anger-out is anger directed outwards which can include verbal or physical assault.[1] Anger-out is not a good way of expressing anger for what I hope are obvious reasons.
Anger-control is considered to be the ideal means of anger expression. There are many ways to control your anger, but one effective way is to talk things over with the person that "caused" your anger.[1] And of course this talking isn't supposed to involve yelling but rather a discussion that leads to a resolution of the issue that triggered the anger. Sometimes though, it's not an option to talk to the person that triggered your anger whether it's because they are a stranger you will never see again or because no other person was involved at all.
Otherwise anger-control involves whatever helps you to best unwind. For some people exercise is the key, for others meditation, and others yet watching a good comedy. Talking to a friend can be helpful too. But if you're an anger-in kind of person, it's good to let the anger out in some way, even if it's just writing down your feelings in a journal. And if you're an anger-out kind of person, it's still good to let the anger out, just in a safe and calm manner.
When I think of anger expression, I tend to think of Yosemite Sam. When he gets angry, he starts with an anger-in sort of tendency where he bottles it all in and starts to turn bright red with hot steam starting to leak out. Then, it becomes all too much for him and he continues with anger-out expression involving some violence. Yosemite Sam is your shining example of what not to do with anger expression.
As for me, I'm mostly an anger-in kind of girl. I find it hard to admit to others that I am angry about something because I think it makes me look bad. But I am aware that stifling any sort of emotion can lead to health problems down the road so I am working on learning some more useful anger-control.
Do you have trouble expressing your anger?
[1] "How Anger Works: I Need to Vent! Anger Expression," Molly Edmonds, accessed December 5, 2010 from http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/other-emotions/anger3.htm.
Basically, one answer is to express your anger. "Anger expression typically takes one of three forms: anger-in, anger-out and anger control."[1] Anger-in is anger directed inwards or perhaps suppressed. While some people think anger-in sounds like a good way of expressing anger, the anger can actually "leak out" in the form of passive-aggressiveness or cause further emotional problems such as depression.[1] Anger-out is anger directed outwards which can include verbal or physical assault.[1] Anger-out is not a good way of expressing anger for what I hope are obvious reasons.
Anger-control is considered to be the ideal means of anger expression. There are many ways to control your anger, but one effective way is to talk things over with the person that "caused" your anger.[1] And of course this talking isn't supposed to involve yelling but rather a discussion that leads to a resolution of the issue that triggered the anger. Sometimes though, it's not an option to talk to the person that triggered your anger whether it's because they are a stranger you will never see again or because no other person was involved at all.
Otherwise anger-control involves whatever helps you to best unwind. For some people exercise is the key, for others meditation, and others yet watching a good comedy. Talking to a friend can be helpful too. But if you're an anger-in kind of person, it's good to let the anger out in some way, even if it's just writing down your feelings in a journal. And if you're an anger-out kind of person, it's still good to let the anger out, just in a safe and calm manner.
When I think of anger expression, I tend to think of Yosemite Sam. When he gets angry, he starts with an anger-in sort of tendency where he bottles it all in and starts to turn bright red with hot steam starting to leak out. Then, it becomes all too much for him and he continues with anger-out expression involving some violence. Yosemite Sam is your shining example of what not to do with anger expression.
As for me, I'm mostly an anger-in kind of girl. I find it hard to admit to others that I am angry about something because I think it makes me look bad. But I am aware that stifling any sort of emotion can lead to health problems down the road so I am working on learning some more useful anger-control.
Do you have trouble expressing your anger?
[1] "How Anger Works: I Need to Vent! Anger Expression," Molly Edmonds, accessed December 5, 2010 from http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/other-emotions/anger3.htm.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Conscious and Unconscious Mind
In my time studying holistic health, one of the things that has struck me the most is how powerful the unconscious mind is and how it can so strongly affect your life. Before I was interested in holistic health, the unconscious mind was something I never thought about all, and certainly something I didn't understand. So lets begin with some definitions...
Conscious Mind: This "includes everything we are aware of."[1] The conscious mind includes your rational thinking and what's in your easily accessible memory.
Preconscious Mind: This is the part of your memory that is not immediately in your consciousness but can be easily retrieved at any time.[1] You don't always remember your phone number while you're going about your daily life but as soon as I mention your phone number, you remember it - it is in your preconscious mind.
Unconscious Mind: This "is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that [are] outside of our conscious awareness."[1] Some believe that the unconscious mind holds everything a person has ever experienced. Some believe that the unconscious mind holds even more than that - more on that coming up. The unconscious mind also takes care of your autonomic nervous system and other body processes (breathing, heart rate, body temperature, digestion etc.).
Subconscious Mind: There is a lot of controversy over this word. It has been used interchangeably with "unconscious mind" and others are beginning to use it to mean "preconscious mind" but it looks like it's basically a popular term that has no real basis in psychology. That's enough reason for me not to use the term!
Okay, so we have the basic psychological definition of the unconscious mind but there's a lot more to it than that. Most of these terms above were defined by Sigmund Freud, but his once-student Carl Jung had a particular interest in the unconscious mind. Jung worked to uncover his unconscious mind through a variety of methods including hallucination and dream analysis. He believed that the unconscious mind also included the collective unconscious - a library of human consciousness that is structured in the form of archetypes (see my previous post on archetypes). Perhaps as an extension of Jung's theories, some people believe the unconscious mind is a person's link to God.
Perhaps the unconscious simply benefits from not being restricted by the filter that limits the information that reaches the conscious mind, thereby keeping us sane. As if full knowledge of your past and the past of humanity is not enough, recent mind-boggling and fascinating experiments have shown that the mind is able to "anticipate future experiences."[2]
So if your unconscious mind knows all this, shouldn't it be your best friend and ally? Well, it can be... but it can also cause you problems. There is so much more to be said about the unconscious mind, I'll have to save it for next time.
What do you think the limits of the unconscious mind are?
[1] Kendra Cherry. "The Conscious and Unconscious Mind." About.com Psychology. Accessed December 1, 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/consciousuncon.htm.
[2] Dr. Melissa Burkley. "Have Scientists Finally Discovered Evidence for Psychic Phenomena?!" Psychology Today, October 11, 2010. Accessed December 1, 2010 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena
Conscious Mind: This "includes everything we are aware of."[1] The conscious mind includes your rational thinking and what's in your easily accessible memory.
Preconscious Mind: This is the part of your memory that is not immediately in your consciousness but can be easily retrieved at any time.[1] You don't always remember your phone number while you're going about your daily life but as soon as I mention your phone number, you remember it - it is in your preconscious mind.
Unconscious Mind: This "is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that [are] outside of our conscious awareness."[1] Some believe that the unconscious mind holds everything a person has ever experienced. Some believe that the unconscious mind holds even more than that - more on that coming up. The unconscious mind also takes care of your autonomic nervous system and other body processes (breathing, heart rate, body temperature, digestion etc.).
Subconscious Mind: There is a lot of controversy over this word. It has been used interchangeably with "unconscious mind" and others are beginning to use it to mean "preconscious mind" but it looks like it's basically a popular term that has no real basis in psychology. That's enough reason for me not to use the term!
Okay, so we have the basic psychological definition of the unconscious mind but there's a lot more to it than that. Most of these terms above were defined by Sigmund Freud, but his once-student Carl Jung had a particular interest in the unconscious mind. Jung worked to uncover his unconscious mind through a variety of methods including hallucination and dream analysis. He believed that the unconscious mind also included the collective unconscious - a library of human consciousness that is structured in the form of archetypes (see my previous post on archetypes). Perhaps as an extension of Jung's theories, some people believe the unconscious mind is a person's link to God.
Perhaps the unconscious simply benefits from not being restricted by the filter that limits the information that reaches the conscious mind, thereby keeping us sane. As if full knowledge of your past and the past of humanity is not enough, recent mind-boggling and fascinating experiments have shown that the mind is able to "anticipate future experiences."[2]
So if your unconscious mind knows all this, shouldn't it be your best friend and ally? Well, it can be... but it can also cause you problems. There is so much more to be said about the unconscious mind, I'll have to save it for next time.
What do you think the limits of the unconscious mind are?
[1] Kendra Cherry. "The Conscious and Unconscious Mind." About.com Psychology. Accessed December 1, 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/consciousuncon.htm.
[2] Dr. Melissa Burkley. "Have Scientists Finally Discovered Evidence for Psychic Phenomena?!" Psychology Today, October 11, 2010. Accessed December 1, 2010 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena
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