On Consciousness

[holland]

Our consciousness is the part of our mind that we are actually aware of. It is what you would normally identify with and think of as "you." On the other hand, our subconsciousness is the part of our mind that is sheltered from us.

The subconscious deals with actually controlling our bodies, interpreting our senses, keeping our memories, etc. It decides what information we are ultimately allowed to have and what we are allowed to do. As the conscious, we can only make requests of the subconscious and hope it complies, as well as that it protects us from ourselves when those requests are not suitable.

In those who are mentally healthy, this is a non-issue, and there is a mutually beneficial relationship between the conscious and subconscious. The subconscious holds back unnecessary data and stimulations that would interfere with our ability to think, handles repetitive tasks like breathing and walking, deals with the nuances of things like balance and fine motor control, keeps time for us and sends reminders at the correct moments, and ensures relevant memories and skills are accessible right when they're needed. While the conscious guides the body's actions, keeps a consistent sense of world rules and personal identity, maintains relationships, ensures what we do is in line with our personal values, etc.

The way I like to visualize the difference between the two is as a hurricane.

The full breadthe of our mind is like raging winds of thought and data that overwhelm us to the point of losing our identities entirely if we were exposed to it. The consciousness must stay within the eye of the storm where no winds can reach it to remain sane. The subconscious then stays within the winds of the storm, which it is naturally well-suited to, and keeps an eye on both our data and what the conscious is up to in the eye.

When the subconscious recognizes a pattern that it thinks is useful to the conscious, it tosses that information through the eye wall to where the conscious can now recognize and interact with it. It carefully observes what the conscious does with that data. If it interacts with it, obsesses over it, acts on it, etc. that serves as important feedback reinforcing the decision the subconscious made. It's now likely to make similar choices again in the future. In this way, we are constantly training our subconscious to function in a way that supports our current needs.