Taming the beast

Alright beloved world changers -

In this post, we're going to talk about how to harness the power of the mind so it serves us rather than deters us. We are going to cover some key characteristics of the mind, look at some hypothetical examples, explore the three best ways to tap into the mind’s potential, and end with some inspirational truths. Cool? Cool.

Characteristics of the minds

First of all, it's important to note that the mind exists on a spectrum that encompasses two distinctive parts - the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. You can think of them like an iceberg – the conscious mind being the visible part of the iceberg above water (the thoughts and beliefs we are aware of), and the subconscious mind is the unseen part of the iceberg below water (the thoughts and beliefs we are not overtly aware of).

The conscious mind is where our higher thinking capacity takes place. Conscious processing can be mindful and considerate, and with some intentional focus and applied effort, it can override a subconscious program or habit.

With that said, the subconscious mind is a REALLY. BIG. DEAL. It’s responsible for approximately 95% of all our behaviors and reactions – this includes our most common thought patterns, attitudes, and habits. It also stores information about our experiences, knowledge, and memories. Each piece of stored information has associated emotions that go with it. That’s why when you recall a memory, it doesn’t come back to you as neutral, it generally has a good or bad emotion tied to it.¹

So what is the evolutionary benefit of having a conscious mind and a subconscious mind? Efficiency. The conscious mind is relatively slow when it comes to processing, and it burns a TON of energy. If we only had the conscious mind, we would move through this world like an old computer with a poor wifi connection that loses its charge every two hours. So, the subconscious mind exists to optimize and automate the majority of our mental processes. This saves time and brain energy so we can efficiently navigate our way through the world...while mostly on autopilot.

And, I’m sure you can easily imagine how this whole “autopilot” thing could either work out really well for us, pretty much destroy us, or some combination of the two – depending on the quality of our subconscious programming.

Important Question:

What happens when our two minds are not on the same page?

Conflict between the minds occurs quite often - like every time you try to change a habit. Let’s look at some hypothetical examples detailing the associated mechanisms and possible outcomes:

Example 1: how the conscious mind can override subconscious programming

Say you just got cut off in traffic. Your habitual subconscious programming involves some combination of horn honking, profanity yelling, death glaring, and bird flipping…but you know…"new year, new you" - the doctor says you need to lower your blood pressure - so as you feel the familiar anger rising up, you summon the power of your conscious mind to employ a mindfulness technique you heard about on Tik Tok. You think, "Maybe that person is rushing to the hospital to say 'goodbye' to a loved one who is on their last breaths. Maybe there’s a kid in the backseat screaming, 'I have to pee!’” Etc.… As you think through various scenarios, you find that your anger has been diluted with the calming waters of compassion. Well done. Namaste.

So this example shows how you can use your conscious mind to RESPOND to a situation, thus overriding the subconscious REACTION. But what’s easier? Choosing how you want to respond or letting the reaction flow?

Reacting feels easy, natural, and effortless to us because it is our default setting. It is us operating on autopilot. On the other hand, choosing how to respond takes self-awareness, it takes effort, and if the reaction has some fiery emotions tied to it, it’s kind of like using your puny human will to stop an actual volcano from erupting.

Example 2: the conscious mind fails to override the subconscious mind

(this is the more common human experience)

So let’s say you just set a New Year’s resolution. The conscious mind says, “I want to get down to a healthy weight this year,” but the subconscious mind says, “being healthy is not available to you.” Unfortunately, this type of subconscious savagery is all too common.

The thing about subconscious beliefs is…well, they’re subconscious. You may not know that they even exist, yet they can insidiously and rather powerfully sabotage your best efforts towards living your best life. They can also be totally incorrect and completely illogical.

And how do these rogue beliefs get implanted into the subconscious?

Through A LOT of repetition and/or “absorption” during childhood. As I mentioned in my last post, up until age six, human kiddos exhibit theta brain waves which makes the subconscious mind extremely open to suggestions.

So, back to our New Year’s resolution. Here’s what the birth of a shitty subconscious belief might look like: maybe when you were young, your family members struggled to lose weight, it was a serious point of stress for them, they tried a myriad of diets and exercise programs, but were unable to stick with things long enough to see lasting changes. Eventually, they gave up on making healthy choices altogether. While a child may not understand any of this, their brain is absorbing these inputs. They are downloading all the data points they can from their parents because evolutionarily speaking, if people live long enough to procreate, then they must know some things about survival. As a child you are completely dependent on your caregivers - so if your caregiver doesn’t believe health is available to them, the subconscious concludes health is not available to you. It gets downloaded into the brain along with all the other things - how to walk, how to talk, how to mind your manners…

And now, as an adult, when you try to implement health-promoting behaviors - buy some vegetables, start walking to work, self-soothe with a bath rather than cookies. etc. - you can…but the whole time your almighty subconscious is like, “Um hi, yes excuse me, that action is contradicting a belief I have. Please revert to behavior that is in alignment with this belief” i.e. let the barrage of no motivation, intense cravings, and self-doubt commence! (Also, recall from my last post – the mind LOVES the familiar and resists the unfamiliar).

So, what I’m getting at here is this process can be incredibly difficult.

The subconscious holds TIGHTLY to its precious programming, especially programs that were acquired and repetitively reinforced during childhood. That said, this subconscious tenacity is beneficial in a lot of ways – it means we don’t have to keep relearning how to walk. Walking is a strongly engrained subconscious program, so we don’t have to think, “Ok here we go, left foot, right foot…” – no, we go on autopilot and run the subconscious program. The problem is, some of us have debilitating beliefs hiding out in our subconscious that have been activated just as often as the “walking program”. This means rewiring these beliefs would be as difficult as trying to learn a new style of walking. So, humor me, imagine trying to walk by taking two steps with your right foot and then two steps with your left foot. How much mental discipline and consistent effort would it take for this new walking style to feel natural to you?

I’m sure you’ve heard that it takes 21 days to start a new habit, which is true based on neuroscience, but often misinterpreted. The key word is “start”. It takes 21 days to START a new way of thinking, and it takes 63 days for a habit to actually mature and become an established pathway in your neuronal network.²

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of that timetable…it’s a bit long for my liking.

Can we hack it? How do we optimize this process? How do we tame the mind beast?

The 3 best tips for rewiring the subconscious mind:

1. Increase neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change, reorganize, and restructure its neuronal connections. If we want to transform some of our shitty, long-held beliefs into radiant, expansive,  and life-affirming ones, we’re gonna want to optimize our neuroplastic capabilities.

Exercise:

It is well-documented that physical activity supports neuroplasticity by increasing blood flow to the brain, enhancing the release of neurotrophic factors, and stimulating neurogenesis. Based on available evidence, it seems aerobic exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming are particularly beneficial. Additionally, activities that combine physical and cognitive demands, like dance or martial arts, may also enhance neuroplasticity due to their complex movement patterns.³

While consistent physical activity is required to confer optimal neuroplastic benefits, research also shows neuroplasticity increases WHILE performing aerobic exercise.⁴ Use this to your advantage - make sure when you’re hitting the treadmill the thoughts you think and the things you focus on are consistent with the beautiful beliefs you’re trying to wire into your brain. No comparison. No self-judgement. No self-defeating thoughts. Ok? Ok. <3

Playtime:

Considering our brains are most neuroplastic when we are kids, anything that puts you into that sparkly-eyed state of awe and wonder is likely to amp up your brain’s willingness to do some rewiring. There have been various studies demonstrating enhanced neuroplasticity through all kinds of fun activities including video games⁵, juggling⁶, playing an instrument⁷, and drawing⁸.

Meditation:

There’s heaps of research demonstrating that meditation promotes neuroplasticity. One study showed significant changes in the brain after just 11 hours of meditation (broken into 30 minute segments over a period of 1 month).⁹

I will eventually do an entire post dedicated to the phenomenal research regarding meditation, but for today’s purposes, I’m just going to give you a link to my all-time favorite guided meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRhrdm_1afQ&t=950s

• A quick synopsis so you know what to expect: It’s 20 minutes long, I like to do it in the morning, it was created by the founder of Mindvalley – Vishen Lakhiani, it was designed based on research, and it has six phases: compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, visualizing your ideal life 3 years from now, visualizing your ideal day, and asking God/universe/mother earth/higher power/whatever you believe in for a blessing. My experience is that this is essentially the best possible use of 20 minutes – i.e. you experience noticeable benefits right away.

1. Activating the quantum brain

This hack is based on the premise that the way our brain forms and reorganizes neuronal connections is informed by principles of quantum mechanics. While quantum entanglement and network dynamics appear to be key aspects of our neural processing, I’d like to focus our attention on a different quantum characteristic - the observer effect.

There’s a famous study in the physics world called the “double slit experiment”. And while I’ll spare you the heady details, this experiment shows electrons existing as a wave of probability, and the moment someone observes the electrons, they collapse out of their wave form and become manifest particles. Pretty weird, right? That’s what it’s like in the brain. When it comes to neuronal connections, there are infinite waves of probability, but it takes conscious focus from you - the observer - to collapse a potential connection out of the ethers into manifest form.

The point is, where we place our attention matters.

The soil of your brain is seeded with unlimited possibilities. Your focus is the sun and your emotions are the water. If you give a seed ample sun and water, it will germinate into a robust plant.

If you’ve got some mental weeds thriving in your brainscape, you need to withdraw the light of your focus and the weed will eventually deteriorate into compost. When a neuronal pathway does not get repeatedly activated, it will start to destabilize, and with time, the pathway will be completely broken down and recycled.¹⁰

But be careful here: this does NOT mean you suppress all negativity or ignore all uncomfortable situations in your life. It does mean that when difficult thoughts, feelings, or events happen, you get to engage your creativity, perform some mental gymnastics, and find a mental reframe for the situation that is in alignment with the beautiful life you’re creating. We don’t want to suppress anything, we want to make a clean pivot.

“What you resist persists” is a common saying, and while I like it, I find it more accurate to say: what you give energy to persists. This is how the mind works. The mind doesn’t care if you think “don’t eat the cake” or “eat the cake”…your thoughts are giving energy to the cake. The brain interprets that as “Oh, this human thinks cake is very important. Let me prime my sensory filter - the default mode network - to start looking for cake everywhere!” Not exactly the best pathway to activate when you’re in the middle of a diet. If you didn’t want to eat cake, a better strategy would be to pivot your thoughts and feelings towards something else that’s sweet - raspberries, a hug from your partner, feeling like a fucking minx in the new swimsuit you just bought.

So the point is, you are currently in the possession of a powerful quantum manifesting tool (your focus), and if used correctly, it will allow you to curate an exquisite brain garden and a magical life reflective of your highest ideals and loftiest dreams.

And beloved, be assured that if you are disciplined and intentional with your thought life, YOUR BRAIN IS CHANGING. DO NOT GIVE UP. IT WILL GET EASIER SOON. THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN FAIL AT THIS…unless you quit. This isn’t one of those wishy-washy things – like if you do this, it may or may not work – NO. If you regulate your mind, it WILL change your life.

3) Hypnosis:

There’s a lot of stigma and misinformation regarding hypnotherapy, but based on my research and experiences, hypnosis is a phenomenal, effective therapeutic tool when used correctly. It also has a wide array of applications – addictions, limiting beliefs, weight loss, improving vision, speed reading, and physical ailments (especially conditions that haven’t responded well to conventional treatments). Hypnotherapy is not mind control. It’s about helping people get into a deeply relaxed, healing state where the subconscious mind becomes receptive to suggestions. If there’s a limiting belief, behavior, or habit that’s been holding you captive for years, hypnotherapy could be something to look into. The method I’m most familiar with is called Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), and I highly recommend it.

Self-hypnosis is also possible. The brain waves of the hypnotic state are alpha and theta. When you transition from a wakeful state (beta waves) to a sleeping state (delta waves), you pass through the alpha and theta frequencies. To take full advantage of this natural process, you can listen to an audio recording of beliefs that you want to program into your subconscious mind when you go to bed. Eventually, your conscious mind will drift away and stop listening, leaving your subconscious mind wide open to receive the suggestions in the audio track.¹ You can make your own recording, or check YouTube for relevant affirmation or subliminal tracks.

And lastly, some inspirational truths…

The fact of the matter is you can upgrade your mind and redesign your subconscious programming at any point during your life. This is a message of hope, and the prospect of engaging in this creative process should be incredibly exciting to you. The mind is totally malleable, the subconscious programming is plastic, the whole thing is changeable, and what you do with it is completely up to you. You’re in control. Not your genes, not your parents, not your circumstances, not your trauma – YOU. This is what free will is all about, and it all starts in the mind.

So let’s end with one incredible application of mind power:

Dr. Joe Dispenza, one of my favorite neuroscientists, traveled the world to study people who had reported “spontaneous remissions” from chronic and terminal illnesses without receiving any medical interventions. One might speculate that spontaneous remissions might have something to do with spiritual beliefs, social support, diet, or other lifestyle factors. Nope. He reported that these individuals had 4 things in common – and they all have to do with the mind.

1) They believe that they have an innate, loving intelligence inside of them that has the power to heal (this is nothing mystical – people get better without a true therapeutic intervention all the time - think of the placebo effect, shows up in every study)

2) They believe that their thoughts directly impact their body

3) They believe they have the ability to reinvent themselves

4) They tapped into this deeply healing state by using their minds – through extended periods of introspection, meditation, or visualization in which they would lose track of time and space <-this is a good sign you’re doing something right

So these people took responsibility for their illness, they harnessed the power of their minds, and they reinvented themselves to the point that disease was no longer a vibrational match to who they had become. They would get to this place of wholeness – where they would feel so satisfied with who they are and so happy with themselves that they could care less whether they have a disease or not, and that’s when they would heal. Based on your thinking, you can cause the “old self” to disintegrate neurologically while giving the mind a new game plan, a new blueprint that details the “new self”. The brain does the bidding of the mind, so by changing your mind, you change your brain, and when you change your brain, the body has to change. You literally have the power to reinvent yourself.¹¹

Happy healing world changers!

<3 Mica

References:

1. Lipton, B. The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles. Santa Rosa, CA: Elite Books. 2005.

2. Leaf, C. Switch on Your Brain. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 2013.

3. Mandolesi L, Polverino A, Montuori S, et al. Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits. Front Psychol. 2018;9:509. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509.

4. Li S, Valkenborghs SR, Mu Y, et al. Exercise-induced neuroplasticity in neurodegeneration diseases. Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1296291. doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1296291.

5. Palaus M, Marron EM, Viejo-Sobera R, Redolar-Ripoll D. Neural Basis of Video Gaming: A Systematic Review. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:248. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00248.

6. Malik J, Stemplewski R, Maciaszek J. The effect of juggling as a dual-task activity on human neuroplasticity: A systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(12):7102. doi:10.3390/ijerph19127102.

7. Olszewska AM, Gaca M, Herman AM, Jednoróg K, Marchewka A. How Musical Training Shapes the Adult Brain: Predispositions and Neuroplasticity. Front Neurosci. 2021;15:630829. doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.630829.

8. Boyke J, Driemeyer J, Gaser C, Büchel C, May A. Training-induced brain structure changes in the elderly. Neuroimage. 2008;48(1):12-17. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.067.

9. Tang Y, Lu Q, Geng X, Stein EA, Yang Y, Posner MI. Short-term meditation induces white matter changes in the anterior cingulate. 2010:1-4. doi:10.1073/pnas.1011043107

10. Tracy, B. Understanding Your Conscious Mind. Brian Tracy International. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.briantracy.com/blog/general/understanding-your-conscious-mind/

11. Dispenza, J. 4 Beliefs That People Who Have Spontaneous Healings Share. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.healyourlife.com/4-beliefs-that-people-who-have-spontaneous-healings-share