How does our Subconscious Mind learn?

Our subconscious mind controls and governs us 90% of the time therefore it is very important that we understand how our subconscious mind works and how it learns. 

A subconscious mind does not have any language then how can we make it understand what is to be done and what is to be avoided. How can we really get out of autopilot mode and start doing the things that are required to find the purpose of our life.

Our Subconscious mind subconscious mind basically reacts and learns on the basis of the following – 

1.Instinct

The survival instinct or the animal instinct which makes a human or animal react to a particular situation. For example if we have the following situations  –  

• We are preparing a very important project report which has to be submitted the next day   
• We start feeling hungry
• Suddenly a strong earthquake comes

our mind will not take time to understand and prioritize the task among these three. It will ignore the non important things and automatically run towards a safer place due to the earthquake. This will happen automatically without us thinking anything, like a reflex action. 

Instinct is not something that we learn, it is already there. Early humans who did not have any language still used to run away from the dangerous animal or hide themselves from adverse weather conditions. They did not have understanding as such but had the Instinct which was important for their survival.

As per Enneagram (a personality type system) there are 3 types of Basic Instincts of humans as follows:

• Self Preservation – the need to have safety of physical body, health, finance, from environment
• Social – the urge to be a part of community, acceptance from others, have relationships, friendships, dependency on others
• Sexual – Adrenaline rush, excitement, Intimacy , full involvement and deep passion

2) Natural behaviour

i.e. the natural tendency in which a human/ animal behaves. We are designed in a way where we think about ourselves before others. For example if an elephant is running behind a group of 10 unknown people then they all will run for their own life and will not think of the one who is the slowest or who cannot Run.  When we are emotionally hurt , we can’t start laughing and become happy all of a sudden. We take time. We forget and make mistakes. When we fall , we get hurt and it pains. When there is a scary noise, even a child starts crying.

3) Emotions and Feelings

Our Subconscious mind Learns by the vibrations triggered through the experience of different emotions and feelings. For example if we are feeling good , our brain secretes a hormone named dopamine which sends a message to the subconscious that everything is going good. When we do something and the reaction we get is not good, our subconscious mind does not let us repeat it because it does not feel safe.

However if we can consciously change the way we feel for any kind of outcome we will be able to manipulate our  subconscious mind. 

4) Habits

Subconscious mind also learns through habits or simply said by repetition of things till the time we become comfortable in doing that without thinking. 

We cannot control our Instinct or natural behaviour in the way we want but in a long period of time we can improve and change ourselves. Early man has also changed and developed till now in terms of understanding, feeling and judging the environment etc. 

When an early human used had a sexual instinct to have something, he just used to grab it. But then society norms came. Concepts of approval and consent came. Humans have become mature in hiding their sexual instincts and behaving as per what the society accepts as being right. 

These types of changes have taken decades to mold. You can also relate this with the fact that nowadays kids are smarter in sensing their feelings and if other people are making fun of them. What we used to understand in our college time, nowadays kids understand the same in their primary classes. No matter how much we learn and behave differently ;our basic instinct will remain the same. 

If we want to really take the control of our life by controlling our subconscious mind, we need to focus only on following 2 options – 

1. Controlling our Emotions and feelings
2. Modifying our habits for better – Changing the bad ones and replacing them with good ones. Making new habits for success.

Want to learn how to replace an old bad habit and learn a new Habit; then read the next article coming soon.