The Grasshopper delivered this nip of nectar early this morning: “You will experience emotional discomfort when your conscious and unconscious mind are at odds.”

First, let me apologize to my dearly departed hypnosis teacher Dr. Dave Dobson who would bristle at the use of the words “unconscious” or “subconscious” when it comes to describing that part of our mind. He would bellow and say, “That part of your mind is not unconscious; it’s other than conscious.” He explained that it was present and paying attention at all times and wasn’t “sub” or “unconscious” to anything.

Regardless of the nomenclature, the discomfort you feel is real when these two parts are not on the same page.

Let’s take the topic of forgiveness as an example. You may have been consciously magnamimous and told someone you have forgiven them for their transgression. But if you still experience emotional discomfort concerning their actions, your other than conscious has yet to catch up with your conscious declaration.

You may intellectually arrive at a new plateau about a certain topic but if you haven’t caught up subconsciously, you will be sent uncomfortable sensations.

Many “senior citizens” grew up in an era where interracial marriage was taboo and gay marriage was unheard of. They may have consciously evolved to the position that it’s perfectly acceptable for people to marry whomever they want, but if they encounter discomfort at the kissing ritual at the wedding ceremony, it’s a sure bet their subconscious isn’t yet up-to-date.

What to do?

Shine a light on your subconscious. Calling on the wisdom of famed Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

Begin to notice your discomfort. Not only that, take the time to feel it rather than what we normally do – dismiss it. Allowing yourself to fully feel the discomfort is a necessary step in updating what’s going on below decks.

Taking the time to feel rather than evaluate your feelings is a transformative step in bringing your conditioning in line with your conscious evolvement.

Rather than chase the feelings away only to come back another day, sit with them and let them have their say. That means to fully feel the discomfort in your body until it starts to fade away. My experience is you will have to do this exercise many more times than once, in order for what you feel to be in line with what you say.

The payoff for us is emotional comfort which, as the credit card commercial says, “is priceless.”

All the best,

John