How to Listen to Your Subconscious Mind's Messages
Your subconscious mind speaks to you all the time, sending you messages that you can learn from to better navigate your waking reality.
As I study hypnotherapy, I learn more and more about the subconscious mind...
And it's giving me more context on my dreams and what they mean.
Did you know that the subconscious mind speaks to us through metaphors?
It also understands metaphors MUCH better than it does regular language.
That's why in hypnosis, suggestions are made through METAPHOR.
We utilize pictures to break through the barrier of consciousness and plant seeds of positive suggestions - and it works, so well.
So I've had an easier time interpreting dreams now, because of this training.
There's one dream that I will get every so often, repeatedly.
It's a stress dream. I'm in a car, driving SUPER FAST, getting on the freeway - but my car seat is pulled all the way back so that I am laying backwards and can't see above the steering wheel.
In last night's dream, I had a huge glass jar in my hand full of something, and I was holding that rather than the steering wheel.
Despite all this, I'm driving easily 90 MPH, the freeway is curving, and there are other cars.
Needless to say - even in dream world, I am FREAKING OUT.
This, of course, is my subconscious mind expressing its fear to me.
It's saying: "I feel like we are a little out of control right now. I'd like to regain control. I feel like I can't see what's up ahead and I'm charging through. I feel like I need to slow down. I need to see better. I need a seat belt."
What gets tricky is figuring out whether these are the workings of the egoic mind, or the intuitive mind.
Ask yourself: Where is this fear coming from?
My answer: It's coming from my need to be in control of my body, of my mind, of my life.
Ask yourself: Is this fear real? (For me, are you really out of control?)
My answer: Well, I did have too much wine the other night, and I am afraid that I'll slip back into my old self who drinks too much and makes mistakes.
Ask yourself: When have you felt this way before?
My answer: In the past, when I used to drink too much, make bad decisions, and have no way to fix them. I am afraid that even a glass of wine will send me back to my old self and that I will make mistakes I can't fix. It gives me anxiety to think that I can't go back and make better decisions.
Ask yourself: What do you need to feel?
My answer: In control, grounded, centered.
Ask yourself: What can you do now to make yourself feel that way?
My answer: Forgive myself, send love to that past version of me, give up the unnecessary glass of wine (to me, it just isn't worth it. Saying no to it will help me to retain control). Meditation, a grounding hike, affirmations, and giving myself a lot of love. Loving myself instead of punishing myself.
Therein lies the power of dreams and the subconscious mind.
Think about what happens when you dream...
You lay down, close your eyes, and go into a world of visuals and metaphors.
Very much like taking a plant medicine journey, or meditating, or even hypnosis - but it's happening without us doing anything to induce it!
This is the best psychotherapy ever, and we have access to it EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
Our sleep allows our subconscious mind to work through things that we are experiencing in our lives. It gives us an outlet to deal with emotions that, on a conscious level, we might not have access to.
Pay attention to the metaphors and visuals of your dreams - they will give you deep insight into what must be healed, accepted, forgiven, and worked through. Your dreams can guide you.
We all have access to this.
I'm going on my hike now to work through my feelings of losing control :P
I'm also going to keep reminding myself - One thing at a time. Deep breath. One thing at a time. I don't need to do it all at once. I got this.