Your subconscious mind is always communicating with your conscious self. Wise people use journaling, dreams, intuition and other tools to decipher what the subconscious is saying. This is helpful, but it’s a one-way conversation from the subconscious mind to the conscious mind.

When you learn to communicate directly with your subconscious, you create a two-way conversation that better resolve hidden blocks and issues, and allows you and your subconscious to work together to create the change and the life you desire.

Learn the Languages of the Subconscious Mind

 

Most people talk to their subconscious mind the way they talk to another person.

The problem is that verbal language only conveys about 7% of a person’s overall message. Your conscious mind focuses on the words, but the subconscious mind has a larger set of evaluative tools like body language, tone of voice, emotional vibe, facial expressions and other non-verbal communication methods. Fully 93% of communication happens at this subconscious level.

Just like you can learn to use and read body language intentionally, you can learn to use the languages of the subconscious mind to better communicate with this part of yourself.

The Subconscious Logic Zone

 

The biggest mistakes most people make when communicating with the subconscious mind is assuming that it knows what your conscious mind means when it is thinking, and that it follows cognitive mind logic.
Not so.

The cognitive thinking mind is what you use when you balance your checkbook or write a computer program, operate in a linear, logical, problem-solving mode. In this mode you can consciously examine what you do and do not want, and even strong many “do not wants” together to decipher what you do want in a linear, logical progression.

Subconscious logic is literal and positive, meaning that it takes all you think about, imagine, envision and ruminate over as direction about what you want—even if consciously are are operating in the negative, or pondering what you do NOT want.

For example, if you are anxious about and thus ruminate over missing a train, the subconscious takes this as your desire to miss the train, amplified by the emotion of fret and repetitive thoughts about missing the train. Even though you are consciously using your thoughts to spur you on to catch the train, your subconscious is helping you miss the train, since that’s what it thinks you want.

This dynamic creates a lot of unnecessary drama and inner conflict.

Learning to create a unified, positive message will help your conscious and subconscious work together, which creates a more relaxed, harmonious life experience

The Subconscious Communication Zone

 

The cognitive, logical mind operates in the beta brain wave state, which is a wave language that your subconscious doesn’t operate in. When you try to communicate with your subconscious using beta waves, it’s like trying to use a Windows program in a Mac operating system. Nothing good happens.

You can find much more detail in my article explaining brainwaves, but when it comes to two-way communication with the subconscious mind, you need to operate in the brainwaves of the subconscious mind.

A relaxed, daydreamy state fo alpha waves is an optimal mindset to be in to communicate with your subconscious mind. In hypnotherapy, we go into the deeper brainwave states of theta and delta, but alpha is the gateway. Everyone daydreams, so everyone already familiar with their own alpha state. You can usually drop into an alpha daydreaming state by taking a few long, slow, deep breaths and relaxing as you exhale. In this state you can ask your subconscious questions and receive answers—in the languages of your subconscious mind.

Staying in the alpha brainwave state as you communicate with your subconscious is key to maintaining two-way communication. The conscious mind loves to pull you back into beta, so take a few slow, deep breaths each time this happens and return to your daydreamy alpha state.

The Language of Imagery, Imagination & Daydreaming

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, and using imagery, imagination and daydreaming are very effective ways to communicate with and to understand the communication from the subconscious mind. Even if you don’t “see” images in your mind well, using your imagination as you daydream serves the same purpose.

Since each time you daydream you communicate your desires to your subconscious mind, it’s important to pay attention to your daydreams and to train yourself to use them positively to envision what you want—to make your train with plenty of time and getting a great seat.

Because humans spend so much time in an alpha wave daydreaming mode—in the shower, while driving, cooking, exercising, etc., training yourself to imagine the outcome you desire is one of the most powerful tools for communicating with the subconscious what you desire.

Here are three tips to using your natural daydreaming time to communicate your desires to your subconscious.

1) When you notice you are imagining something you don’t want (missing the train) immediately reimagine what you do want (catching the train with ease) and use the tools of emotion, thought and body language to reinforce that desire.

2) Extend the daydream beyond catching the train to all the wonderful things that can happen when you do catch the train—you meet a friend for a perfect day of sightseeing, or you get to work and everything goes right, or you sit next to an amazing person who becomes significant in your life. It can relate directly to where the train is taking you, or general good things that you would like to experience. Both tell your subconscious that you want good things to happen.

3) Sometimes it’s hard to break a thought/daydream pattern, so having a regular positive, good-feeling daydream you can switch to is an excellent skill to build. I like to imagine walking on the beach, or or signing copies of my new bestselling book.

Choose Your Emotions Wisely

 

Your subconscious uses emotion to communicate with you, but these are generally warning emotions like anxiety, fear, dread, anger and such that call on previous bad experiences to caution you to not repeat them. It may seem unpleasant, but the primary function of your subconscious is to keep you alive, and fear as a default warning system is a critical survival strategy.

You can consciously choose to feel more buoyant emotions—enjoyment, compassion, gratitude, love, etc. These emotions both create beneficial chemistry in your body, and can help re-pattern your nervous system from reactive to responsive—but that is a topic for another blog.

Whether buoyant or fearful, emotions act as an amplifier for the subconscious. They tell it that what you are imagining is really important to you. When you feel dread, anxiety or fear around missing your train, it tells your subconscious that missing the train is important. If you feel happy and buoyant as you imagine catching the train, it tells the subconscious that is you want to do.

There are many other ways to use emotion to work with your subconscious, but for the purpose of this article, having an emotion if any kind amplifies the message you are sending with your imagination.

The Power of Repetitive Thought

 

Intentional thought, like the kind you use for problem-solving, is a beta brain wave pattern that can only be held for short spurts of focused time.

Most thoughts are alpha wave repetitive, mostly negative, thoughts that the mind gnaws on over and over—and consequently, telling the subconscious over and over that what you are ruminating over is what you desire. Repetitive thinking is often the ongoing commentary of repetitive daydreaming and repetitive emotions.

Sadly, but tellingly, 95% or more of most people’s thoughts are the same as they were yesterday, last month, and even last year. As with daydreams, it’s important to pay attention to your repetitive thoughts and to train yourself to use them to support what you want.

Training yourself to think in the direction of your desires is a powerful way to shift both emotion and imagination. Mantras and affirmations are ways that some people use intentional repetitive thought to change unhelpful thinking patterns. You can use the same three tools as you do with imagination and daydreaming to help shift repetitive thoughts to support the outcome you desire.

1) When you notice that you are thinking about something you don’t want (missing the train) immediately redirect your thoughts to what you do want (catching the train with ease) and add emotion, imagination and body language to reinforce that desire.

2) Extend your thoughts beyond catching the train to all the wonderful things that can happen when you do catch the train—you get to read your favorite book for a while, you get to relax and imagine the vacation you are planning, or you can think about the next wonderful thing you want to create in your life. As with daydreaming, your new thoughts can relate directly to your train ride and beyond, or general good things that you would like to experience. Both tell your subconscious that you want good things to happen.

3) It can be hard to break a repetitive thought pattern, so having positive, good-feeling thoughts, mantras or affirmations to think about can help you shift your thought patterns. A simple, helpful thought mantra is “Every day in every way my life gets better and better,” which works best when you can add imagery and emotion to what that better life looks and feels like You can also shift your thoughts to something that brings you joy, like holding your grandchild or playing with a puppy.

Mind Your Body Language

 

Body language is a well -studied subconscious cue that you use both to demonstrate your true feelings, and also read, consciously or subconsciously, in other people. How you hold and move your body can also communicate your desires to your subconscious.

There is a rabbit hole of nuance, but we’ll focus on some basics you can use to magnify or reinforce the message you want to send your subconscious.

When imagining something you want, you can increase ease and confidence by walking, standing or sitting with a straight but relaxed spine. If you are alone, boost confidence even more by standing in the Wonder Woman/Superman pose with your feet shoulder’s distance apart, hands on your hips and chest lifted—note that this pose can be interpreted as aggressive or arrogant by others. You can enhance the feeling of success by using the Victory pose—standing or sitting straight with your arms extended over your head like a V.

If someone is telling you something that you don’t wish to accept, like that you don’t deserve to catch the train, then standing or sitting straight (confidence) with your arms crossed (refusal) helps your subconscious know you are rejecting the opinion.

Training yourself to stand, sit and move with a confident posture most of the time can help you develop into a more confident person from the subconscious outward.

The Magnificence of Metaphor

 

Metaphor is excellent at communicating the direction of change you desires to your subconscious. Keep metaphors clear and simple, conveying the big picture rather than every little detail. For optimal shift, use the same metaphor consistently until you start being results. A great way is to imagine your metaphorical shift for a few minutes as you fall asleep at night.

Your subconscious best understands simple physical metaphors like trees, water, gardens and other elements of nature; common technologies like cars, computers and crosswalks; everyday things and activities like clothing, bathing and money.

First, decide the direction of change you desire, then choose a metaphor that represents that change, and finally, relate the situation you want to change with the metaphor in a way that shows your subconscious the direction of change you desire.

For example, if you feel stuck and want to have a more flowing life, imagine you are in a river stuck behind a rock, then kick free from the rock and imagine that you are flowing down the river, enjoying the flowing ride where life and the river take you.

If you’re unhappy in a job, relationship or other situation, you can imagine that as a wilting or dying plant. Then imagine digging up that plant and replacing it with a healthy plant, and see the new plant flowering or fruiting and growing in a beautiful way.

If you have a specific habit or mindset you want to change, imagine a computer screen and dragging that mindset and all the files within it into the trash, the emptying the trash. Then install the habit or mindset program that you desire and reboot the computer system, imagining that this new program upgrades the whole system..

Be sure to use emotion, thoughts and your other tools as you imagine your metaphor to reinforce the direction of your desires.

The Best Time to Start is Now

 

As with any relationship, it can take time to find your communication rhythm with your subconscious. Start small, with simple, consistent communication like feeling more confident or flowing with life. Then choose a metaphor to work with to improve an area of your life, or life generally.

Have fun with it. Subconscious change, like most change, often works best when you are relaxed, and in the flowing energy of fun.

Need More Help?

 

Not everyone likes to do inner work themselves, and some issues have very deep roots, which can be better addressed when working in the deeper brain wave pattern like theta and delta.

A good hypnotherapist can help you make rapid change in the direction you want using the above tools and many more. You can find the best hypnotherapist for you using the tips in this article.

You can also find out about my specialized hypnotherapy focus HERE.