Act or React
Automatic reactions happen very quickly, but it takes time to think.
Our subconscious constantly records 11 million things a second and stores them in our subconscious. This is the busy- or monkey-mind at work keeping us safe. We are only conscious of 140 things a second.
The subconscious’s job is to keep us safe by fitting in with the herd. In our distant past this was the safest place to be. Life outside the herd was much more dangerous, especially for a woman or child. Until the age of seven years we record everything straight into our subconscious and those patterns and survival strategies control how we act for the rest of our lives.
It maintains lists of safe and the safest things to do. It has no moral or ethical principles. It just is and doesn’t learn from mistakes. It’s a programme that repeats the behaviour again and again until the programme is changed.
The subconscious controls 95% of our thoughts, so it has a major effect on our lives. We are conscious of only 5% of our thoughts.
Thus, if the subconscious perceives a threat, it reacts instantly with the preprogrammed response. It is very fast.
Sometimes, we may wonder afterwards: 'Where did that come from? It did not feel like me, so I guess it was my subconscious taking over again.’
However, it can save our lives. If a car's coming towards us, we don't want to waste time wondering if I'm wearing the grippiest shoes. The limbic part of our brain takes over, and we jump out of the way. This is left-brain thinking at its best.
The good news is that it’s possible to change the programme through hypnosis, Psyche-K and other methods.
When we act with logic or intuition the right side of the brain is in charge. This considers the big picture, considers many different options, or decides to go with the intuitive gut feeling.
