Here are the 10 rules of the mind that somewhat explain why we do what we do. I explain these to my clients during the talking part of my hypnotherapy sessions. They often cause lightbulbs to go off for many as they explain how our mind processes experiences.
1. The subconscious mind remembers everything that has ever caused you an emotion.
Any event that causes an emotion is deemed as an event of interest and remembered by the subconscious mind. Not all memories can be recalled consciously but they are there, filed away in our subconscious.
2. Negative experiences are given more importance than positive ones within the subconscious mind.
Negative experiences are more noteworthy as they had potential to cause injury. The subconscious minds goal is to keep you safe and tries to avoid situations that are dangerous or that make you feel uncomfortable.
3. A task repeated will be remembered.
A repeated task is important and worth remembering so that we can do it again without thought.
4. The longer an idea stays in the mind the more resistance there is to change.
This somewhat explains why habits are difficult to change. The longer they are there the more imbedded they become.
5. A thought concentrated on will be given dominance in the mind.
If you concentrate on anything the thought or feeling will be intensified as your focus narrows. Take a pain for example that worsens when you concentrate on it.
6. What the mind expects to happen will generally be realised.
We quite often predict the outcome of events in out minds and steer ourself towards that end. People with anxiety predict when they will become anxious and low and behold it happens at exactly the moment they predicted.
7. Where emotion and logic clash, emotion wins.
The emotional, feeling, subconscious mind is much more powerful than the factual, logical conscious mind. Smokers consciously know for example that smoking is harmful to their health, they stink, their clothes stink but the subconscious mind believes it relaxes them so it maintains the habit.
8. Every thought is felt in the body.
The mind and the body are connected. If we think happy thoughts we feel light and energised. If we think dark thoughts we feel low, heavy and down.
9. Unresolved trauma and persistent negative thinking causes organic changes within the body at a cellular level.
It is proven that if you have suffered persistent mental and physical abuse as a child you are more likely to suffer from disease in your adulthood and reduce your lifespan.
10. Everybody’s internal representation of the world is different.
We base all of our current decisions on past experiences. Because our experiences of life differ, we all make decisions based on different information. It’s what makes us individuals and why we don’t always agree with each other.