Sometimes, however, subconscious information is difficult to obtain precisely because you don’t know everything that’s in it. Remember: by definition, it’s outside your conscious awareness. You may not know what information to ask for. When this happens, conflicts between your thoughts and emotions occur.
Here’s an illustration. Let’s suppose you are in a martial arts training program, and have to give up drinking alcoholic beverages. Clearly, you have a quality purpose and determination, and everything is going well in your training. At your workplace nothing has change. Yet, you notice that whenever you have a conference with your boss, you have an irresistible desire to go home and drink until you’re relaxed or “high.” Despite your best efforts and will power, you give in to this urge each time, and you don’t know why. Now you feel miserable and depressed, which does affect your training.
The probably cause is subconscious programming. You could have a memory of infant anxiety being quelled by drinking. Subconsciously – not consciously – you remember that every time you were anxious, uncomfortable, upset, and crying, you received a bottle of comforting liquid that stopped the crying and solve all your problems. Let’s be clear, now. We’re not talking about satisfying your physical thirst. We’re talking about escape from anxiety.
In this example, the conferences with your boss are stimulating feelings of discomfort and anxiety that you are not facing in an effective manner. Hence, the old programming kicks in, and you find yourself seeking out the same solution: drinking a liquid that kills pain, just as milk comforted you long ago.
In this example, you are totally unaware of this programming. Here you are, putting forth all your energy to give up alcohol, and your’re being sabotaged by invisible thoughts about how to relieve pain. Because your’re not aware of what’s going on, you don’t attack the real cause of the problem; you attack yourself instead. “I’m weak,” you may say. ” I have no will power. I am a failure.” The result is feelings of dejection, futility, and condemnation – not a positive mental attitude. Your goal cannot be reached under these circumstances. You have a conflict. Your mind is saying “I desire to give up alcohol.” your emotions are saying, “I feel helpless and powerless because I can’t do it. ”
By Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim,
Seven Steps to Inner Power
Silent Master
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