How Can We Control Our Subconsciou1

How can we control our subconscious?
Yohan John
Research Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at Boston University (2020–

present)Upvoted by
Eduard Sebastian
, studied Psychology at Facultatea De Psihologie Si Stiinte Ale Educatiei Babes

Bolyai (2020)Updated 7y
One word: Practice.
It might seem that by its very definition, the unconscious mind is beyond our
conscious control. I sometimes find it strange to associate the unconscious
aspect of behavior with the 'mind' at all. The word 'unconscious' (or
'subconscious') seems to refer to some mysterious well-spring from which all our
tendencies, habits and ingrained patterns emerge. It might seem as if we have
no control over them, since they are instinctual, like reflexes.
But I think we can learn from people around us. People do change. Some of this
is definitely the result of effort — there are things that we are not conscious of
that we can become conscious if we try. For example, we can become more
sensitive and less rude over time.
But there may also be a more indirect way of changing unconscious processes.
Here I think athletes and musicians can give us some inspiration. When a tennis
player is in the 'zone', she is not always conscious of the subtle movements of
her body, or of the split-second decisions she is making about where to place
herself and where to hit the ball. But these movements and decisions are not
pure instinct — an amateur player is incapable of them. They are a kind of
hybrid of conscious choice, instinct, and practice.
When someone starts learning a sport (or a dance, or a musical instrument),

there needs to be a great deal of conscious effort. Everything can seem difficult
— as if the conscious mind does not know where to find the levers and buttons
that control the body. But with repetitive practice, things that initially require
effort eventually become second nature. Once this happens, the conscious mind
is 'freed up' — either to think about higher-level matters such as strategy, or to
simply 'watch' as the body flows.
I think it is the same kind of gradual learning and practice that allow people to
change their subconscious patterns of thought and behavior. This is why
meditation and discipline are so often stressed by monks, mystics, and gurus.
We gradually discover which parts of the unconscious mind can be subject to
conscious control by practicing. By trial and error. By exploring.
If this sounds vague and hand-wavy, let's talk about this from a neuroscientific
perspective. There are two kinds of memory: declarative and
procedural. Declarative memory is what most people mean when they use the
word memory: it's the ability to recall names, dates, facts, figures, and events.
Declarative memory might be called the 'what' memory. We can learn what a
person's name just by hearing it. We can learn what a bicycle is by looking it up.
But procedural memory is very different: it's not the 'what' memory, it's the
'how to' memory. How to ride a bike. How to do the macarena. How to play
tennis. This kind of memory requires time.
Both kinds of memory involve changes in the brain — these changes are
called neuroplasticity, and their are two kinds.
 Synaptic plasticity involves changing the connections between neurons.

 Non-synaptic plasticity involves changing the neurons themselves.
Perhaps procedural memories take more time because they involve
learning new ways to control the body. So learning how to ride a bike may
involve more widespread and slow changes to the brain than, say, learning what
the capital of New Zealand is. Perhaps procedural learning is like adding major
renovations to the architecture of the brain, enabling new 'paths'. Renovations
take time.
I think that our unconscious patterns of thought and behavior are often so
deeply ingrained that only consistent practice can bring about change and/or
control. We need to use effort to start acting and thinking differently, but this is
only the first step. If this effort isn't consistent, then we often lapse into old
habits — perhaps this is because we haven't given the brain a chance to create
a new 'groove'.

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How can we control our subconscious?

Research Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at Boston University (2020–

, studied Psychology at Facultatea De Psihologie Si Stiinte Ale Educatiei Babes

When someone starts learning a sport (or a dance, or a musical instrument),

 Synaptic plasticity involves changing the connections between neurons.

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