Understanding Your Two Minds – The Conscious and Subconscious

In science, we just talk about the brain as one unit and in reality, the brain has two distinct parts in the brain. There is this conscious mind that contains all the thoughts memories feelings and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. Right now, when I’m talking, you are hearing me with your conscious mind and in the subconscious mind, think of that as kind of that vault that place where things from the past creep in. They’re stored there and then sometimes they come out in the form of anxiety. They come out in the form of shame. They come out in the form of triggers and different things that just are not healthy and that shadow, that follows you around that you wish would go away that can be that subconscious mind.

So, it’s very important to understand this when people are sharing things. The conscious mind is working – but then deep within, maybe anxiety is starting to come up and you don’t know why, you don’t know why that person across from you in a performance interview starts sweating, they start having a panic or some signs of just stress and overwhelm. Well understand that the conscious mind is processing but deep within the mind there is a subconscious mind on hidden alert, that perhaps the way that they were spoken to from a teacher, from a parent, maybe there’s some abuse, maybe there are some other things that’s triggering a hidden wound deep within that is still requiring some personal work on behalf of that person to heal and reduce the real impact of their subconscious mind running their reactions or emotions.

Think for a minute, how you as a manager can better understand the conscious mind as well as the subconscious mind and how your communication skills may be impacting someone on your team. It’s very important.