We cannot see a mind, conscious or subconscious, we cannot see electricity, but we can trace it to its source and establish its existence, as we can the mind.
Although experts have argued for many years about the location of the subconscious mind since the 1970s through the knowledge of brain surgeons this argument has been settled with certainty and clarity. The mind is the result of brain activity; this has been proved beyond doubt by observing through using new technology the results of injuries and lesions in various areas of the brain. It has now been established that the areas that function at a level of awareness are conscious, and those which function involuntarily, are at a subconscious level.
The conscious mind is identified with the somatic nervous system which innervates the voluntary muscles, the controlling force of these lies in the cerebral cortex, which is the outer coating of the brain. The area that receives information from the senses is located in a lateral strip across the top of the head at the front portion of the Parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex, and the area that controls voluntary movements is located just in front of it, at the back of the frontal lobe. The thinking, reasoning area is located in the extreme frontal area. The first awareness of crude sensations is registered in the thalamus, located at the base of the cerebrum. Its interaction with the sensation receiving area of the cortex adjusts the intensity of feeling, were it not for the nerve connections between these two areas, intense suffering would result from the tiniest pinprick, and the slight pressure of anything against the skin would be intolerable. The Thalamus and portions of the cerebral cortex then are the locations of the physical components of the conscious mind.
The subconscious mind is identified with the autonomic nervous system. It is the activity of these areas of the brain that control and regulate the involuntary or smooth muscles, such as the heart, the lungs, the glands and the digestive system. It is also associated with the areas in which all memories are stored. The autonomic nervous system is sometimes called the vegetative nervous system because minimal if any, direct conscious control is possible except through the use of hypnosis.
As far back as the early 1970s, it was discovered that memories are stored in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, located near the temple. A neurosurgeon can release memories by stimulating tiny nerve cells, of which there are billions in the human brain. This stimulation activates cell patterns, which have been previously sensitised to retain impressions, and for each tiny spot simulated the memory of a different experience or event is recalled in the minutest detail. These are often long forgotten or deeply buried memories. When the stimulation is removed the memory ends. When stimulation is reapplied, the memory is recalled again, not where it left off, but from the beginning, just as mechanically as playing back a track on a DVD. Under the right conditions or with stimulation these impressions or memories can be brought back to conscious awareness.
The cerebellum situated in the back of the brainstem is the storehouse for motor responses, these are learned by trial and error as we mature. It operates below the level of consciousness, coordinating and blending the movements of the voluntary muscles. The frontal lobe of the cortex, or conscious mind, directs these movements, and the cerebellum gives detailed instructions to the muscles enabling them to operate efficiently. When the cerebellum is injured the motions become twitchy and uncoordinated. The cerebellum, then, is also a part of the subconscious mechanism. The hypothalamus, buried deep in the brain, is the director of much of our subconscious activity because emotion triggers its action. It is the integrating centre for the autonomic nervous system; it controls our body temperature, water retention and blood sugar by regulating glandular secretions into the blood. It directs the body’s rhythms and energy, activity, rest, appetite and digestion, sexual desire and menstrual cycles. If its normal activities are interrupted by abnormal or prolonged emotional disturbance, it causes severe disruption to bodily functions, which results in mental or physical illness or both. The hypothalamus then directs more of our subconscious activity than any other area of the brain. The principal components of the subconscious mind are located in the hypothalamus, and in portions of the cerebellum and the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
These areas of the human brain in which the conscious and the subconscious mind operate have been well established and mapped, and these facts can be verified by consulting any recent medical or psychiatric dictionary. It has also been firmly established that the subconscious areas can be controlled by hypnosis while the conscious areas are passive. This should end any argument among informed, thinking people about the existence and the whereabouts of the subconscious mind, and clarify the role of hypnosis in reaching and reprogramming it.
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