The Subconscious

The term subconscious is defined variously, as an adjective or noun. In the strict, psychological sense, the adjective is defined as "operating or existing outside of consciousness". The term also appears in Sigmund Freud's very early work, to denote the unconscious. It may also be used to describe the preconscious, information contained in the mind, which although not presently in the conscious, maybe recalled by "directing attention to them", such as memories not being recalled at present, but still available to be recalled at will.

The definition provided by the Concise Oxford Dictionary is a little less specific, defining it in similar terms to the unconscious: an area of the mind one cannot be entirely aware of, but that still exerts influence on one's thinking and actions.

The notion of a subconscious in some branches of psychotherapy is considered to be the deepest level of consciousness, that individuals are not directly aware of, but still affects conscious behavior. Subconscious handles all processes that have been in conscious mind, but which are not being joust anymore. They ’sink down’ to the subconscious. Handling 'all processes’ means also that feelings (fear, drifts, passions, weaknesses etc.) where also ‘processed within’. Conscious mind may block many feelings, but the un-conscious mind doesn’t. Because consciousness operates in ’short-term memory’, and has no direct access to information ’that has been forgotten’. By making ’clues’, intuition from un-consciousness brings up (’eureka’) the exact information. The more feelings where put into emotions, the better it was remembered. The un-conscious mind brings conscious thoughts, but more important to notice, are influences that un-consciously have their influences on conscious processes (thoughts). This notion is similar to, but not precisely the same as, the notion of the unconscious in psychoanalytic theory.

Is the subconscious altogether inaccessible, or is it just hard to access? As some of the above examples indicate, material is constantly moving from the conscious mind to the unconscious and vice versa. The conscious mind only holds a small amount of information at any given time. Because ’internal and external influences’ have a constant effect on ‘processes of thinking’, thoughts are also ’subjected there self‘. It is like ‘locking yourself up in little rooms’. In many cases information - especially easily accessible memories - can be called into awareness at will. That will be an ‘explicit direction of thinking’, by noticing ‘explicit signs’.

That is the ‘side-effect’ of consciousness, which ‘autistics’ don’t have. Autistic's awareness is on ‘un-conscious ways’. Awareness operates in most optimal way, namely by ‘total recognition’. Because the conscious mind does not control awareness, environment will be noticed ‘without interference of consciousnesses. That results in an automatic recognition of signs that are not familiar. The totality of recognitions is put together in understandings, which ‘saddles in subconsciouses.

Dreams are needed to develop understandings, and make processes possible between consciousnesses and subconscious. When asleep, dreams happen, when awake, it is cold ’intuition’, and is just getting clues and new understandings out of un-conscious processes. Most mental health professionals believe that the subconscious has an "influencing power" in shaping one's destiny. It is logically the more the unknown gets known, the more potentials to create (also understandings) are being developed. From ‘inner-experts’ view, like some people with Asperger-syndrome, who can use the benefits of thinking, ‘understand’ that it is so. It is more in experiences, total understandings and feelings which are totally understood. They are all part of ‘one whole of mental processes’.