Part of the Casswiki article series Psychology
A term used in psychology to describe the theoretical notion of layers of consciousness. The subconscious is believed to be an aspect of the mind that functions below the awareness of conscious thought. According to Sigmund Freud, there were three general layers to the human mind – the conscious, the subconscious and the unconscious. The conscious mind is the thought patterns and mental functions of which we are aware on a daily basis. The subconscious was designated as the automatic functions of the brain, which we are not aware of. Below that, the unconscious was thought to be the driving force for motivations, inclinations and the instigator of all feelings and thoughts. Frequently when people talk of the subconscious they often mean the unconscious as described by Freud. For the sake of clarity and common usage, the term subconscious will be used here to describe the idea of the inner core of human thought processes that operate below our field of awareness.
This idea has been widely used in New Age philosophy in recent years. A plethora of self-help books have been written proposing that one can change one’s life by re-programming one’s subconscious mind. A popular technique called NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) uses hypnotic suggestions directed at the subconscious mind, and is purported to produce beneficial changes in one’s health, wealth, behavior patterns and life situation.
In the Cassiopaean material, the notion of the subconscious is used differently, and falls outside the realm of psychology entirely. The following part of the transcripts contains this idea:
Q: (L) Well, when one is dealing with psychology, what would be the best approach…what is the true aspect of the self or the being that one should inquire into in order to heal?
A: Subconscious mind.
Q: (V) Is the statement that psychology studies emotions, is that a fair statement?
A: No. Subconscious is same in body or out.
Q: (V) The subconscious is part of the soul?
A: One and same.
Q: (V) Is the higher self the same as the soul and the subconscious?
A: Yes.
Later in the transcripts there is a discussion of how conventional psychology fails to incorporate the spirit or soul of man in its theories and focuses solely on the mechanical aspects. An example of this tendency is above, with the theory of NLP and attempts to re-program the subconscious mind.