17 Oct How to take control of what until now has remained subconscious for you
Although there are many different approaches to psychotherapy or psychological therapy, there are some who believe the benefits that come can largely be attributed to just a few common factors; variables that help regardless of the therapeutic orientation.
In my experience, this is partly true and maybe partly not true : )
But regardless, there are undoubtedly common factors that will help beneficial and that will boost mental health and happiness. If this is of interest to you then check out this Psychology Today article by Leon Seltzer …
KEY POINTS
- Even though you can’t be conscious of what’s in your subconscious, it nonetheless drives your behavior.
- Because we’ve never revised them, the disapproving or discouraging ideas we harbor about ourselves may limit our adult development.
- All therapies endeavor to find ways of freeing you from outdated belief programs.
Source: Speedy McVroom/Pixabay
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” —Carl Jung
At least indirectly, this multi-meaning quotation suggests the goal of all therapies—not simply what they attempt to achieve, but why as well. The only caveat I’d add would be that today’s therapists tend to distinguish between what’s subconscious and what’s unconscious (e.g., see Seltzer, 2019).
Briefly, the term subconscious is employed to emphasize that with thoughtful deliberation, a person can advance into consciousness thoughts and feelings typically existing beneath it. Yet even though one hasn’t been cognizant of these underlying elements, they nonetheless drive their behavior—especially their decision-making, which may run counter to their better judgment.
Going deeper below conscious awareness, the unconscious refers to memories that, having been repressed, can’t be identified—let alone worked with.
Related to trauma experienced as nothing short of terrifying, what’s unconscious usually requires professional guidance and support if it’s to safely enter into consciousness. Otherwise, the client’s primal, survival-based defenses of dissociation and denial system will be reactivated.
Because this post is oriented toward self-help, it will focus on what a layperson can do by themselves to identify the subconscious elements in their out-of-date belief programming. For only after recognizing how these factors presently handicap them can they begin to reevaluate and alter them.
What’s Universal in Therapy
All therapies are designed to help clients change problematic behaviors. They operate either through a bottom-up approach, focusing on the client’s emotions and/or physiology (e.g., Gestalt Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Processing, Emotionally Focused Therapy, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems Therapy [IFS]) — or, alternatively, therapies take a top-down approach, centering on the client’s rational faculties (e.g., Positive Psychology, Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy [CBT]).
But ultimately, the goal of both orientations is the same: to prompt clients to realize that the assumptions, biases, and beliefs compelling them to repeatedly act against their best interests undermine both their personal and interpersonal welfare.
Here’s an example…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE