What does the unconscious mind do?
Ever wished you had an owners manual for your mind? In this blog I give an overview of the 'prime directives of the unconscious mind'. Any material on behavioural change will feature frequent references to the unconscious mind. There's a good reason for that. All change, learning and behaviour is performed in the Unconscious Mind. But what does the unconscious mind actually do and why does it cause us to think and do all sorts of random and seemingly self-defeating stuff? Getting to grips with it can help explain an awful lot.
Prime Directive of the Unconscious Mind
1. Stores memories
Both temporal (in relationship to time) and atemporal (not in relationship to time). It stores them on your timeline, however you perceive that to work, and as individual events.
2. It's the domain of the emotions
This is where your emotions are stored and organised. Any processing of emotions happens here, which is why when we try to use our conscious mind for this we usually struggle.
3. Organises all your memories
But not necessarily in a logical order. Most people think of their memory like a video, where 'footage' is stored chronologically and factually. In fact, your brain separates out the component parts of information and stores them in different places according to sound, look, feel, taste, smell etc It's more like a complicated filing system rather than reviewing CCTV.
4. Represses memories with unresolved negative emotion
One job of the unconscious mind is to preserve us (see 8) so when memories are too painful to deal with at a particular time, the unconscious mind will repress them so you don't have to think about them. Allowing you to continue to function (see 6).
5. Presents repressed memories for resolution.
Repressed memories are those with an unresolved negative emotions. The unconscious mind can also present those memories when it's time to resolve them.
6. May keep the repressed emotions repressed for protection
Alternatively the unconscious mind may continue keep memories repressed to keep you safe to maintain the 'ecology'of your well-being (see 8).
7. Runs the body
All the useful things that we don’t consciously think about such as keeping your heart beating, digesting your food, keeping you breathing etc.
8. Preserves the body
In addition to keeping us physically safe the unconscious mind keeps us psychologically safe too. It will come up with many complex behaviours for doing this. Do you have behaviour that you'd like to stop or one that is even self-destructive? Your unconscious mind has developed that behaviour for self preservation. It wont be a logical strategy but it will have a positive intention.
9. Is a highly moral being
The morality that you were taught and accepted. What is moral to others might not be moral to you but whatever morality you have been taught and chose to accept, your unconscious mind will live by.
10. Enjoys serving, needs clear orders to follow
You unconscious mind needs very clear, very direct orders to follow. It struggles with multiple conflicting instructions. One of the most helpful things you can do for your unconscious mind is give it clear and consistent orders to follow. A lot of people don't do this, telling your mind "I'm going to achieve my goal" only to tell it in the same instant "but I'll never do it I'm not good enough".
