Does the Subconscious Mind Affect Cognitive Behavior?

Does the subconscious mind affect cognitive behavior?

The short answer is, “Depends on who you ask.” Just like with most things the thoughts on this are divided. With that said, I think it does. I can only base this answer on my studies and experiences with hypnotherapy sessions I have done personally.

According to Dr. Milton H. Erickson, know as the father of modern hypnotherapy, and whose techniques I have studied, it appears there is alway communication between the concious and subconcious, not only in one’s own mind, but between the minds of others, such as the therapist and client. While the therapist attends to the patient’s conscious verbal communication, he also notices the patient’s body movement, posture, and vocal intonations, what many today would call body language.

Dr. Erickson believed that these unconscious modes of communication between therapist and client were very important, in fact, more important in the healing process than conscious communication.

In my own experience, noticing where a client chooses to sit (either close by or distancing themselves across the room), their facial expressions, when the eyes take on a little more light, or get a little heavier, etc., these are communications that are as equally important as what the patient communicates verbally with his conscious mind.

Can memories be trapped in the subconscious that affect cognitive behaviors?

I may be reading your question wrong, but I think what you are asking is about an idea that was presented by Sigmund Freud, that something in our past controls our present. A belief that neurosis is caused by unresolved conflict, and that by revisiting the past, the present will change.

It is also commonly called regression therapy today.

This type of therapy has been proven to be ineffective and in many cases actually does more harm to the client.

Regression is not reality, it is only a metaphor, or an illusion because it is impossible to see things from the same vantage point today as yesterday. Also, memory is very unreliable. What it can’t recall it will create something to fill in the gaps. The therapist can also be in danger of creating false memories when working with the subconscious and without being omniscient, have no way of knowing which event it the one to pinpoint as the cause. There may even be more than one cause.

Applied Contextual Psychology therapy or ACT for short, would be a better approach to situations like this. It would take a book to descibe ACT, but a quick run down of the key concepts:

1. You cannot deliberately get rid of your psychological pain, but you can take steps to avoid artificially inflating it
2. Pain and suffering are TWO distinct states
3. You do not have to become your suffering
4. Accepting your pain is the first step in ridding yourself of suffering
5. Psychological pain is normal, important and everyone has it.

Mindfulness Based Stress Therapy is also another, and better, technique than trying to dig up and pinpoint past memories that are fuzzy and unclear at best, or simply not true at worst.

How does spirituality play into all this?

As a minister and studying human behavior and psychology for over 30 years, one thing I’ve learned, and am sure you will agree with. People tend to demonize things they don’t have a clear understanding of.

Hypnosis is one of them. Hypnosis is nothing more than being in a trace state.

Trance is natural phenomena, like when you are driving down the road and 15 mins later you don’t remember how you got there, you were in a trance. Or, watching a TV show and lose focus on anything else going on around you in the room.

Many preachers put their congregations in a trance, most of the time without being aware of it.

Most religions, if not all, use some form of trance inducing techniques, like the alter call, prayer, ritual, music, etc.

Those who oppose hypnosis or say it is demonic usually:

1.) Fail to understand hypnosis or

2.) Fail to understand their religion.

So to answer your question is it spiritual, or how does spirituality play in all of this?

The Greek word for spirit, pneuma, means breath. So, I guess in that sense it is as spiritual as breathing.

Hope this helps.

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