Learning the 'Language' of the unconscious

[j0hnny#]

If self mastery involves mastery of the unconscious aspect of influence in a persons life then the unconscious aspects influencing a person at any given moment will have to be learnt. How can a person learn what the unconscious influences are?

All feedback appreciated.

Regards
j0hnny#

[TaffyE]

If self mastery involves mastery of the unconscious aspect of influence in a persons life then the unconscious aspects influencing a person at any given moment will have to be learnt. How can a person learn what the unconscious influences are?

All feedback appreciated.

Regards
j0hnny#
One place to start might be to ask your unconscious mind what are the influences in ( whatever context you are wondering about)
I would be inclined to go for individual situations rather than general, you wouldn't want to learn too much all at once would you?

[j0hnny#]

Ok cheers Taffy..... so I could ask my unconscious mind such a question in a particular context I am interested in finding out about (unconscious influences)... thanks, that is a useful reply... To get closer to what I am really asking I need to now understand how I will understand what the unconscious mind is telling me when it tells me what it tells i.e. how does the unconscious 'speak', what is its language, how does it communicate, and how (if the language is entirely symbolic and not necessarily as plain talking as the conscious aspect of mind) should what it tells be interpreted - how can it tell what it tells... by what means will a person understand the unconscious influences and be able to feed back into them?... is there some rules governing correct understanding or is understanding entirely subjective, and if the latter how will it be possible for a person to get at the correct meaning it is giving?.... Does the unconscious speak in a similar manner for everyone or is how it speaks only dependent on individual content? Also, what is the presentational content of the unconscious mind - pictures, feelings... what?

Sorry, that is a lot of questions....

Taffy, everyone.... cheers.... all replies appreciated.


j#:)

[Don]

One of the "prime directives" of the unconscious is to preserve the body (and therefore, the mind and spirit) to the best of its abilities with the skills and knowledge that it has. This means that your unconscious will not reveal secrets to you until it determines that the conscious is ready to deal with it for the good of the whole. No matter how much psychology you study and how much meditation you do, unless your unconscious is sure your whole self can deal with certain bit of information, it will not share its secrets with you.

Although psychoanalysis doesn't use the above terms, it works with this paradigm. The approach is to use dream interpretation and free association to work with the unconscious and prepare the conscious for information to be communicated from the unconscious. Such work takes many months or years. Then, just before the consciousness is ready to receive the information from the unconscious, the psychoanalyst reveals it. The result is two-fold. First, it results in a catharsis, a release of the energy associated with the information (a technique which dates back at least to Mesmer's claim that there is no cure without a "crisis") and the appearance to the patient that the analyst is a genius.

There is technology for doing this much more quickly. One such technology is hypnotherapy.

Do you work with someone doing hypnotherapy on you regularly? Do you do self-hypnosis to achieve these goals regularly? If you are not doing either or both, you are telling your unconscious that you are not ready to learn its secrets. I realize that you are repeating here that you want to know, but you are telling us and your conscious, not your unconscious.

Your questions beginning "how does the unconscious 'speak', what is its language, how does it communicate..." have a subtext that you do not trust your own unconscious! The subtext says that you don't think your unconscious is wise enough to be able to communicate to your consciousness in a way that your conscious mind can understand.

Perhaps you experienced in school a teacher or administrator called a young student stupid or dumb. Did that student try to prove this was not true through a demonstration of wisdom and ability? Of course not. Instead, the student looked down, felt horrible, and became afraid to communicate for fear of being made to look even more stupid.

Your unconscious is like a five-year-old child, eager to please and do what it is told. But with no intended malice, your questions like this are telling your unconscious that it is stupid and it's going to respond in the way of a young student.

I would respectfully suggest that instead of unknowingly insulting your unconscious, you begin by trusting it and knowing that it will do the best for your entire body. With hypnotherapeutic techniques you can ask it direct questions and it will respond in a way that your conscious can understand. I believe that. I know it is true. I believe in the excellence of your unconscious to communicate what is needed and the excellence of your consciousness to understand.

Over the ancient temples of wisdom were the words, "Know Yourself." Your desire is admirable. Your current techniques, however, can lead you farther from your goals.

[j0hnny#]

CHeers Don, a fine reply... I feel suitably cautious now.... it seems from what you are saying (and I think you have answered one of my questions here at least) that how the unconscious speaks (as I have put it) is a personal thing - the language it uses, or how it communicates is entirely personal - and this seems to be on the level of what it reveals or will reveal for the personal and greater good (on your understanding of it)... I, like you, value the personal investigation and am happy to take time (despite a deep interest) to learn about how the unconscious functions. Though I am thirsty, I am not concerned to learn everything now (for me) as yourself and Taffy have shown concern over....

If you like please shift the attention away from me personally (I will learn what I need to learn in the course of things (for me)... perhaps in the manner you suggest) - and now refocus, if you will, on the general case... how it will function for a person when it functions... this will be something that needs to be understood by the therapist, for example, or at least, so I imagine...

Thanks though Don, and I am interested precisely in knowing myself as you relate.... I think there is much to be learned from the outside, from the inside, and most prominently from that which links the two... deed...

Regards (and I take your point seriously... I have become aware recently of the power of rapport with hidden self and have respect for it... thanks for pointing out the potential for unwitting insult here..)

j

Perhaps the existential investigation is the only way for true significance... it may(or may not) be that the empirical investigation points fingers in the rights direction.