Read on and let me know what you think. Feel free to check out my site: http://www.craigrlang.com/ for more on hypnosis, and http://www.thecosmicbridge.com/ for more on human interactions with the extraordinary.
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Hi Chuck,
I'm not familiar with the particular quote you describe, specifically from Stewart Edward White's The Betty Book (1936) one of "the invisibles" comments that "the subconscious is to the Beta [or spirit] body what the conscious is to the physical." However, I think that it has touches on some interesting points.
The relationship between the conscious, superconscious, subconscious, unconscious and the physical depends alot upon how one views models of the spirit/mind/body. In hypnosis theory, the beta state is the waking, conscious state of mind, the state in which your critical faculty is in full swing. In the alpha, theta or delta states, respectively, the subconscious and superconscious are increasingly accessible. Not sure about the analogy of the beta/subconscious relationship with the conscious/physical relationship. That's one I haven't heard.
The topic of the subconscious could take hours to discuss. I usually use the theatre metaphor. The conscious mind is what it within the spotlight. The subconscious is the part of the stage is not. Hypnosis is one process of allowing one's self to access the subconscious.
Simply stated, hypnosis consists of:
- focus and selective thinking
- bypass of the critical faculty, a.k.a. the suspension of disbelief.
It's the same process that you experience when you get absorbed in a story, a book, a movie, etc. or when you get 'in the groove', etc...
The critical faculty is what screens material according to your beliefs, etc. When bypassing the barrier of disbelief, it the subconscious will be more open to suggestion. However, it is important to note that the critical faculty is never very far away, and if there is something that crashes into your belief system, it will step in in an instant. Thus, in hypnosis, you still can't be "talked into" something that is contrary to your beliefs.
Also, strictly speaking, your brain records everything you've ever perceived. However, it is not typically possible for the conscious mind to access these deep memories due to the mental filtering of a lifetime of experiences and beliefs. In deep trance, it is possible to access memories in great detail - a phenomenon called hypermnesia.
There is a big debate of the relationship between the subconscious and the superconscious (the nonlocal spiritual part of the mind/soul). Some say that they are the same thing, others say that they are separate parts of the mind. Basically, assuming your beliefs accept parapsychology, the superconscious is the site of nonlocal phenomena such as past life association, etc.
Hope this helps.Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanx,
-Craig
