“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life—and you will call it fate.”
- Carl Jung
What exactly are the conscious and subconscious mind, and how can we describe them in a simple way?
One of the clearest comparisons is to think of the brain as a computer.
The Computer Analogy
Imagine your brain as the hardware of a computer. To make this hardware work, programs (software) need to be installed.
In human terms, these programs are everything you have ever learned.
Only a small part of these programs are written by ourselves. Most are adopted from others — parents, upbringing, school, society, culture, religion, friends, and so on. Unfortunately, these often do not represent our true needs or our real selves. They are general programs, or programs from others.
The Subconscious Mind
The programmable hard drive of the computer represents the subconscious mind.
A hard drive permanently stores data — the operating system, programs, personal files — even when the computer is turned off. Similarly, the subconscious stores everything we have ever seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted. It is the database of our entire life.
Just like a hard drive is not accessible to the average computer user, the subconscious is not directly accessible to the conscious mind. It contains all experiences, beliefs, instincts, automatic reactions, deep fears, and traumas, whether we are aware of them or not.
The Mental Trash Can
A computer also has a trash can (or recycle bin) — a temporary storage location for deleted files. When we delete a file, it isn’t erased immediately; it stays until overwritten by new data.
This is similar to how we handle unprocessed events, emotions, or traumas. We might think we’ve “deleted” them by not thinking about them, but they remain stored in the subconscious. They stay there until they are fully uncovered, processed, and replaced.
How Much Control Do We Really Have?
"Our thoughts are mainly controlled by our subconscious, which is largely formed before the age of 6, and you cannot change the subconscious mind by just thinking about it." – Bruce H. Lipton
Neuroscience shows that the conscious mind is in charge only about 5% of the time, while the subconscious controls 95% or more of our lives (Szegedy-Maszak, 2005).
Subconscious programs run automatically, without conscious awareness — much like driving a car without thinking about every movement.
Triggers and the Subconscious
Sometimes, a present situation or person can trigger emotions from the past. This happens when something reminds us of a stored experience we have never fully processed. Such feelings resurface from the subconscious, coming back into conscious awareness.
Once something returns to the surface, it becomes an opportunity to address and transform it. If ignored, the subconscious programming will quickly take control again.
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." – Carl Jung
How to Uncover and Change the Subconscious
Changing the subconscious is a challenge we can only approach with small steps. We cannot directly access or influence the subconscious by thinking about it. What is possible is to stay highly alert to the feelings and emotions you experience, because the body acts as a barometer of the subconscious.
For example, when you meet someone or enter a situation that reminds you of a past tragic event, it can trigger the same emotions you once repressed—what you mentally put in the “trash.” These feelings never truly disappear; they remain stored in the subconscious. Moments like this are everyday examples of a negative, subconscious experience resurfacing and coming back into the light.
Once something returns to conscious awareness, we must immediately transform it into the positive. This is an opportunity we need to seize in that moment; otherwise, the subconscious programming will take back control as soon as the conscious mind looks away. This is the difficult part we also address in the book "You Are The Thought Whisperer". First, it is important to understand—step by step—how we (and everyone) are put together: the mechanics of the mind and thinking.
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