SIZE AND CONTENTS OF THE UNCONSCIOUS
The following excerpt is from the self help
psychology book, Be Your Own Therapist.
If I asked people to consider the size of their unconscious
minds and demanded they select from (pea-sized / melon-sized /
Montana-sized), most would pick pea-sized or melon-sized.
Historically, the unconscious was considered just a small part
of us with a few repressed memories and traumas, perhaps
pea-sized. In recent years, with the increased study of dreams,
images, consciousness and more acceptance of such things as ESP
(about half our population now believes in ESP), the role of the
unconscious is now often believed to at least rival that of the
conscious mind. While there is no so-called scientific proof for
my belief, it seems clear to me that my unconsious is so much
more powerful and knowing than my conscious mind that I would
pick Montana-sized. If your unconscious is as big as Montana,
then think of its vast potential! This allows for the
possibility that your entire self (including whatever one might
consider as a Higher Power a la 12-Step Programs) is completely
in charge of your life. Your Montana-sized unconscious would
obviously intermingle with others' Montana-sized selves. Such
mingling of unconscious fields has obvious similarities to the
collective-unconscious idea that was postulated by one of
psychology's pioneers, Carl Jung.
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Nothing is miserable but what is thought so, and contrarywise, every estate is happy if he that bears it be content... Boethius 500 A.D. |
More important than your thoughts about the size of your
unconscious are your thoughts about its contents. Historically,
it has been popular to believe in a dark, evil, dangerous
unconscious that needed strict controls to avoid disaster. What
a damaging belief to have about the unconscious mind! It is not
a happy life being unable to trust the unknown parts of oneself
and having to distrust impulses and dreams (the fountainheads of
much that is grand and wonderful about us). Yes, there may be
some traumatic memories contained in the unconscious, but to my
thinking they are a small price to pay for creativity, play,
joy, spontaneity, spirituality, self-trust and happiness.
I suggest that you trust and explore all impulses. I do not
recommend acting upon all. But they are always important to
examine and to trust as valid on some level. If the likely
consequences of following an impulse are acceptable, then acting
on the impulse is also recommended.
So how to respond to an unacceptable impulse, say to harm
someone? I repeat: the impulse has valid information for you,
the action is not appropriate. You probably do hate that person.
Can you change that hatred without denying it? Do you need to
pretend that person is in front of you and express your hatred
to them in fantasy? Should the hatred be directed at someone
else (see Chapter 9)? It is important to examine unacceptable
impulses with the question, "What do I need to learn from
this?". If the impulse still comes back, you haven't learned
your lessons yet. Therefore, make a new Stage IV choice.
We have all received training in distrusting our impulses. Such
training keeps us stuck in many areas of our lives.
Next Excerpt 
| Success Tip: You will be more likely to succeed if you give yourself concrete praise every time you perform a behavior you are trying to acquire.
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More Excerpts This Chapter
LET ME HIT YOU WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER
THE TYRANNY OF JUDGMENTS
THAT IS THE WAY I AM
YOU MAKE ME UNHAPPY
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS- THEREFORE YOU SHOULD CHANGE
STICKS AND STONES
WE DIG THINKING RUTS
SIZE AND CONTENTS OF THE UNCONSCIOUS
NATURE VS. NURTURE VS. LIFEPLAN
THE PERFECTION THAT YOU ARE NOW
BE HAPPY GETTING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT
YOU'LL SEE IT WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT
YOU GET WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN
HOW CLOSE CAN WE COME TO "HAPPILY EVER AFTER"?
Thinking Quiz - Cognitive Psychology Test - Behavioral Therapy Selfhelp
Book Table of Contents
Psychology of Sex Education - Psychological Sexual Health Care
SIZE AND CONTENTS OF THE UNCONSCIOUS © 1995-2004