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Unconscious
Questions You Can Ask Your Subconscious
The subconscious can be a source of knowledge, wisdom, and advice.
Posted October 22, 2022 Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster
Key points
- The subconscious tends to be highly literal in its answers to direct queries.
- Subconscious exploration generally does not yield predictions about future events.
- The subconscious works to support and protect you.
- You should not rely on your subconscious for medical information.
The subconscious can be defined as the part of your mind that you’re usually unaware of. However, you can establish a connection with your subconscious through hypnosis. Once you do so, you can actually explore this part of your mind as described here.
In my clinical experience, most people find their subconscious to be a source of wisdom, knowledge, and useful guidance (Anbar, 2021).
The subconscious tends to be highly literal in its answers to direct queries (Anbar & Cherry, 2021). If you ask it if a solution to a problem exists, it may simply respond “Yes.” You would then need to explicitly say, “Please tell or show me the solution.”
A good way to start an interaction with the subconscious is to ask, “Are you willing to help me?” If an affirmative response is received, a useful follow-up is, “Please give me advice that will be helpful to me.”
Subconscious exploration generally doesn’t yield valid predictions about future events. If you keep seeking predictions, you may arrive at nonsensical answers. The reason for this may be that the mind's goal is to focus on fully experiencing life in the present rather than changing your life course based on a predicted future.
That said, you may have success considering a question such as, “Do I need to change what I am doing now to prepare for a better future?” If the answer is affirmative, you can follow up with, “What should I change?”
According to the subconscious of many of my patients, it works to support and protect you. If subconscious information appears to be withheld from you, it may be that you’re not yet ready to handle the information (e.g., because the revelations are connected to a past trauma from which you’re still recovering).
Another reason subconscious information might be withheld is that you’ll learn and grow from working the issue out on your own and so are better off figuring out the solution yourself.
Subconscious thoughts during hypnosis generally do not arise in an unsolicited fashion. When they do, take special heed because such information usually is of great significance.
Subconscious Information About Specific Topics
If you ask your subconscious questions focused on a specific topic, the chances are that you will be able to access subconscious information in this regard.
For example, if you’re considering a career change, you might ask for subconscious advice regarding what careers to consider. If you then lean toward a particular career, you might seek insights regarding the pros and cons of your choice. In my experience, exploration of subconscious thoughts is likely to reveal you have many career options that will allow you to thrive.
If you’re doing something creative, you can explore your subconscious for ideas and information on how your project might be executed or even just the next steps you might take to move forward with the project. In some cases, this can be incredibly helpful.
For example, if you’re an artist, your subconscious might show you a gallery of paintings that have never existed in our physical world but that you can commit to memory and later bring to life.
This sort of artistic collaboration can happen even when it’s not explicitly requested. For example, the music of one of the most popular songs in history, “Yesterday,” came to Paul McCartney in a dream. And while dreaming isn’t the same as being in hypnosis, the dream state and hypnotic state are both paths to the same destination: the subconscious.
If you’re dealing with a health issue, you can ask your subconscious whether it can help you feel better. It’s important to always consult with a physician regarding significant medical symptoms rather than rely on your subconscious for medical information.
That said, subconscious exploration can sometimes provide you with clues about what’s causing your physical symptoms, which you can then discuss with your physician. Also, if you’re dealing with chronic pain, you can prompt your subconscious to help modify your perception of pain through the use of hypnotic techniques and metaphors.
Takeaway
Exploration of subconscious thoughts can lead to insights similar to those you can develop during discussions with a deeply knowledgeable and wise friend. Keep in mind that, like with a friend, subconscious information might be withheld from you if this is in your best interests.
Copyright Ran D. Anbar
References
Anbar, Ran D. 2021. “Changing Children’s Lives with Hypnosis: A Journey to the Center.” Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Anbar Ran D, Rebecca N. Cherry. 2021. “Communicating with the Subconscious: Ideomotor and Visualization Techniques.” In: Mark P. Jensen (ed), Handbook of Hypnotic Techniques, Vol. 2. Kirkland, WA: Denny Creek Press, pp. 196-231.
