Let’s talk about the mind – because this is where everything begins.
In simple terms, we often describe the mind as having two key functions:
- The Conscious Mind
- The Subconscious Mind
They are not separate “brains,” but different levels of awareness that work together continuously.
Understanding how they interact helps explain why we repeat patterns… why certain emotions feel automatic… and how hypnotherapy creates lasting change.
The Conscious Mind – The Thinker…
This is the analytical part of you. Otherwise known as the ‘Captain of the Ship!’ It’s the part of the mind that reasons, compares, judges, solves problems and makes decisions. It’s logical, sequential and focused on the present moment. In fact, it’s the part reading these words right now.
When you consciously repeat a thought over and over, your brain begins to treat it as important. Over time, repeated thoughts can sink into our subconscious mind and become beliefs–those beliefs influence our perception, emotion and behaviour.
If you consciously accept something as true – especially with emotion attached – your deeper mind, your subconscious mind, begins to organise your experience around it.
This is how habits form. This is how fears develop. This is how confidence can grow too.
Our perceptions, emotions and behaviour are formed from both positive and negative thoughts and experiences.
The Subconscious Mind – The Emotional Mind – The Pattern Keeper…
The subconscious is the part of you that runs automatically. It’s our inner powerhouse! It plays out programs and conditioning we’ve picked up from our life experiences – it’s our habit centre.
Your subconscious…
- Stores memories.
- Holds emotional associations.
- Manages habits and learned responses.
- Controls bodily functions like the autonomic nervous system – regulating your breathing, heart rate, nervous system and our fight/flight/freeze mechanisms. These are known as your ‘Sympathetic, Parasympathetic and Enteric Nervous Systems’.
Its primary role is protection and efficiency. It wants to do right for you.
It does not analyse information in the same way the conscious mind does – it responds to repetition, emotion and perceived threat. Once it learns a pattern, it repeats it to keep you safe, often reinforcing patterns that began through conscious thought, emotional experience or repetition.
Sometimes those patterns are helpful. Sometimes they are outdated – and sometimes they are based on a misunderstanding that once felt very real.
The subconscious doesn’t analyse information in the same critical way as the conscious mind; it responds to repetition, emotion and perceived threat. So, it becomes helpful to become aware of the thoughts we repeat most often.
Liken your subconscious to a filing cabinet. Drawing information from its files. It guides us on how to deal with current situations using information from our previous experiences and memories.
This powerhouse is the creative part of the mind, your faithful servant. What you impress on your conscious mind the ‘Captain of the Ship’ is carried out faithfully by your subconscious mind … the ‘workmen in the engine room!’
How Hypnotherapy Helps…
Hypnotherapy works by guiding you into a deeply relaxed state of focused attention – similar to when you are absorbed in a book, on your mobile phone or just drifting off to sleep.
In this state:
- The conscious mind becomes quieter
- The nervous system calms
- The subconscious becomes more accessible
This allows us to gently explore and update patterns that no longer serve you.
We don’t “erase” memories. We don’t override your control. We help your system reinterpret and reorganise experiences in a safer, healthier way.
When the subconscious updates a pattern, change feels natural rather than forced.
A Personal Example – The Nocebo Effect…
I experienced this personally.
After one difficult experience, I developed a belief that electromagnetic frequencies were harming me. I began noticing physical sensations whenever I used my mobile phone. The more I focused on it, the stronger the sensations became. My brain was doing what brains do best: protecting me.
It began pattern-matching – looking for similar situations – linking phones to masts, masts to Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi to other electrical equipment. Each association strengthened the belief. Eventually, my nervous system was reacting automatically.
This is known as the nocebo effect – when negative expectations create real physical symptoms. It is well documented in neuroscience research. Studies have shown that expectation alone can influence pain perception and physiological response.
The symptoms were very real to me. The pain was real. But the driver was learned threat perception. Once I worked at the subconscious level and updated the pattern, the symptoms gradually resolved. It was a powerful demonstration of how deeply the mind and body are connected.
That experience showed me just how powerful – and changeable – the mind truly is.
You can read more information on Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity here.
Change Is Possible…
As we grow, some internal programs simply become outdated.
Hypnotherapy helps you:
- Release fear-based responses
- Rewire limiting beliefs
- Reduce stress-related symptoms
- Build confidence and emotional resilience
- Support mind-body healing
You are not broken. Your mind has simply been doing its best to protect you, in the way it understands and believes – and it can learn a new way.
Ready to update the patterns that no longer serve you?
✨ If you’d like to explore how hypnotherapy could support you, please get in touch.
Contact Us for more information…