Chapter 42 miracle of the subconscious

When I see new patients, I often draw a large circle on paper, and then draw a small square inside the circle.I pointed to the small square and said, "This is your consciousness, and the rest of the circle is your subconscious, which accounts for more than 95%. If you learn more about yourself, you can find that your subconscious— This 'self', which you know little about, has extremely rich connotations, and its mystery is beyond your imagination." For the mysterious realm of the subconscious, dreams are the best evidence of its existence.There was a famous socialite who suffered from depression that was incurable for many years.He was bored no matter what, but he couldn't figure out why.The patient's parents were poor and unknown, but his grandparents were famous.At first, the patient didn't tell me about it.A few months later, he recounted to me a strange dream that opened my eyes to his latent aggressiveness: "My father and I appeared in an apartment filled with huge pieces of furniture, Suffocation. I was younger then than I am now. My father asked me to sail the boat to the other side of the nearby bay to tow back a boat he had left on an island. I don’t know why he left the boat there, but I am I asked him how he found the boat, and he took me to a tall chest. It was twelve feet long, and the top almost reached the ceiling, and there were twenty or thirty drawers in it. He told me , look straight along the cabinet, and you will see the boat. At first glance, it is difficult for us to explain the meaning of this dream. According to the usual practice, I asked him to make random associations about the cabinet, and he immediately replied: "I don't know why, maybe it is Because of the sense of oppression it brings to me, the first thing I think of is the coffin. "I asked: "So what does the drawer represent? "He suddenly laughed and said: "Maybe I want to kill my ancestors.The drawers reminded me of a family vault, each one big enough to hold a dead body. "The meaning of this dream is very clear. When the patient was young, he hoped to achieve success, just like his famous ancestors. He also felt great pressure for this. Therefore, the patient wished to "kill" all ancestors psychologically, so that Let the mind be free.

Anyone with experience in dream interpretation will agree that this is a meaningful dream.The dreamer senses that something is wrong with him, and the subconscious mind sets up a drama to show him the source of the problem—a source of which the dreamer is hardly aware.Moreover, the above dream clearly employs the technique of symbolism.Thanks to the revelation brought by the dream, a major breakthrough was made in the treatment of the patient.The subconscious mind helped him analyze himself and found a way to treat the disease.The skill with which the subconscious is used is astonishing, and probably equals even the best dramatists in the world.

Usually, dreams will bring great help, and psychologists often regard "dream analysis" as an important part of treatment.I myself have for a time neglected the meaning of many dreams and their possible revelations.The subconscious mind may speak in clear language the truest state of the patient.When properly interpreted, these messages nourish the heart and promote mental maturity.Those dreams that can be interpreted will definitely bring beneficial information to the dreamer.This information, too, will come in various forms—reminding us of the traps we fall into and providing answers to some unexplainable questions.When we think we are right, these messages explicitly suggest that we are wrong; when we think we may be wrong, they give us the courage to reassure us that we are right.Sometimes our dreams also provide crucial information that the conscious mind lacks.When we lose our way, they will become our guide; when we hesitate, dreams will give us the right guidance.

Even when our brain is awake, our subconscious mind can provide various information, communicate with us, and help us solve life problems.At this time, it takes a slightly different form from ordinary dreams, which we can call "distracting thoughts".Just like our attitude towards dreams, we may also not pay attention to fragmented information such as "distracting thoughts".Psychiatrists often ask patients to speak out the initial thoughts in their minds first, even if they seem absurd and trivial at first glance. There was a young patient who often felt dizzy as early as adolescence, and her footing was unstable, as if she would fall to the ground at any time, but she could not find out the reason.The feeling of vertigo forced her to straighten her legs frequently and sink her hips to keep her center of gravity balanced. As a result, she could only stagger around stiffly.The patient was quick thinking, knowledgeable, and his interpersonal relationships were normal.She has been in psychotherapy for years, but her condition has not improved.One day not long after she came to see me, we were talking casually when the word "little puppet" popped up in my mind.I was listening to her so intently that I immediately pushed the strange word out of my mind.But, only a moment later, it reappeared, this time as clearly as if imprinted on the eyelids.I blinked hard, trying to concentrate, but it seemed to take root and refused to leave no matter what.So I said to myself, "Wait a minute! If it's an apocalypse, and if it's trying to get my attention in this way, it's most likely signaling to me that I need to know an important piece of information." Next, I tried to Think about this question: What is the special meaning of the three words "little puppet"?Does it have something to do with my patient?Are patients like puppets?She looks really cute, like a rag doll, and she likes to wear those brightly colored clothes... yes!I remembered that she did look like a puppet when she walked—she was a puppet, exactly!

I found the cause of the patient: she is a little puppet with stiff movements, trying to show vitality everywhere, and always acting lively and cute.But as soon as she moved her feet, she was afraid of getting dizzy and falling, and she was more likely to fall between the rope and the joystick.Evidence in this regard also gradually surfaced: the patient's mother was a woman with a strong desire for control, and she was the manipulator behind the puppet.She manipulates the puppet's ropes, controlling her every move.Back then, she used one night to give her young daughter a rigorous training to learn to defecate by herself.Such training made her proud, but the patient's psychology was severely stimulated, and she seemed to have to act according to the eyes of others all her life.She goes out of her way to accommodate other people's demands, even if they are impractical.She tried her best to appear dignified, well-behaved, and neatly dressed, daring not to have the slightest freedom and indulgence.She has no desire of her own, nor the ability to make her own decisions.

This fact became the turning point in the treatment. The "little puppet" is like an uninvited guest, suddenly appearing in my consciousness.I never invited it, and I didn't intend to accept it at the beginning, and even tried to drive it away again and again.Subconscious information that enters the conscious level is often unwelcome, and conscious thinking often rejects it, so Freud and many of his students regard the subconscious area as a "dangerous zone" and believe that human nature All the primitive, anti-moral, anti-social elements of life, and even the evil elements contained in us, all hide in the subconscious.They also believed that whatever was excluded from consciousness must be unacceptably evil.Based on the same reasoning, they believe that mental illness lurks in the subconscious, like a demon buried deep in the soul.

The responsibility for correcting this misconception fell to Jung, who coined the term "wisdom of the subconscious mind."My experience also supports Jung's view.In my opinion, mental illness is not caused by subconsciousness, it is a special phenomenon of consciousness, or there is a problem with the connection between consciousness and subconsciousness.Taking depression as an example, Freud found that in the subconscious of many patients, there is some kind of unconscious repressed desire (mainly sexual desire) and anger.Negative emotions continue to accumulate, making them suffer from mental illness.So the subconscious realm is the root of mental illness.However, we can't help asking: Why do such desires and feelings enter the subconscious?Why should they be suppressed?The answer is: they are dismissed and repelled by consciousness - and that is the problem.Human beings have latent sexual desire and anger, which is a natural thing, and it is not a problem in itself.Human consciousness is unwilling to face this situation, and is unwilling to bear the pain caused by dealing with negative emotions, so it would rather turn a blind eye to it, or even reject and reject it, which leads to the emergence of mental illness.

Although we often ignore it, the subconscious is still eager to talk to us, and our words and actions are enough to reveal everything.What I mean is that we often say the wrong thing, what Freud called "slipping".The ridiculous "mistakes" we make in our personal behavior can also reveal a subconscious desire to communicate with us.In Everyday Mental Illness, Freud sees this situation as a manifestation of the unconscious.His use of the word "psychopathology" in the book proves once again that he denies the positive meaning of the subconscious.Freud saw the subconscious mind as the devil, and believed that it was the subconscious mind that got us in trouble.He never thought of the subconscious mind as a kind fairy, trying to make us honest.In fact, it is often helpful for the treatment that the patient accidentally leaks the word.Patients often cover up the truth and refuse to admit their weaknesses and inadequacies, but the patient's subconscious can come forward and stand on the side of the healer.What it pursues is honesty, authenticity, openness, and an account of the patient's history and past as faithfully as possible.

Let us give a few more examples.I have come into contact with a special female patient who is a typical perfectionist.She also sometimes gets angry when she has a problem, but she refuses to admit it or express her anger.We made an appointment to meet, and she was late again and again, if only by a few minutes.I told her that it might be because she was unhappy with me, or the way I was being treated, or both, that she was being late on purpose.I wanted to use this to hint at her true state of mind.At first she vehemently denied it, saying that she was late because of a small accident, but she was very satisfied with me and our cooperation.

The next afternoon, she wrote me a check to pay for my treatment.I noticed that the check was not signed by her.The next time we met, I mentioned it to her and said she hadn't written the check properly because she was mad at me.She said: "This is really ridiculous! I have lived so long, but I have never forgotten to sign a check." I showed her the check.To tell the truth, she always showed restraint, and this time she was obviously stimulated and couldn't help sobbing.She said, "What the hell is wrong with me? I just broke down and felt like a different person." I told her frankly that she had mild symptoms of schizophrenia.Soon, for the first time, she painfully admitted that she did hold a grudge against me, that she had been mad at me for some reason.In this way, new progress was made in her treatment process.

There is also a patient who thinks that no matter what the time is, one should not lose his temper at home.He can't get angry with anyone in the family, or even show signs of irritation.At that time, his older sister was visiting him from another place, so he mentioned her older sister to me by the way, and praised her as "a lovely person".Later he mentioned one more thing: He was going to have a party at home that night, and he was going to invite neighbors and couples to participate, including his "wife's sister."I reminded him that he had just referred to his own sister as "wife's sister".He seemed nonchalant and said, "You told me about a Freudian 'split'. You probably thought it was a slip?" I told him, "You're right. Subconsciously, The 'sister' you want to attend the party is not your own sister, but your wife's sister. I think you not only don't like your own sister, you may even hate her to death." He finally admitted: "Actually, I It's not that I hate her so much, but she talks too much. Tonight must be her talk again, and everyone has to be patient and listen to her chatter. Sometimes, she makes me feel so embarrassed." In this way, I feel sorry for her. His treatment has thus made a small breakthrough. People inadvertently say strange things and act out of the ordinary for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because the person involved is deeply repressed and expresses it in a particular way.The repressed feelings in our hearts may be revealed at any time, including both bad feelings and good feelings.They are objective and true, even though we may not want to make them public. I vividly remember being moved by the situation of a patient.The patient's mother was indifferent, she was disciplined too strictly, and she seldom expressed concern and consideration.However, the patient gave me the impression that he is mature, cheerful and confident.When she asked me to see a doctor, she explained: "Now I am a little upset, and I just have time, so I think that receiving psychotherapy may be good for my growth." I asked her why she felt upset, She said she had just taken a break from college because she was five months pregnant.She had no intention of marrying, but had only a vague thought that she should give birth to the child and give it up to be raised before going to Europe to continue her studies.I asked her if she told the father about the pregnancy, and she said, "Yes, I wrote him a text. I want him to know that we are dating because of this baby." Actually What she really meant was that she "had" this child because of her association with that man.Her casual words show that she is essentially a young girl who longs to be cared and cared for.Although she wears a mask that looks like a mature young woman, in fact, deep down in her heart, she is not as independent as she appears on the surface.She longed for maternal love, and even made herself a mother first.I didn't point this out because she was not fully prepared to face her real thoughts and feelings, and her over-reliance on family and love.However, her Freudian "speech" this time was of great help to her treatment, because I felt that she was afraid and she needed long-term care, care and care. The above three patients all tried to hide something at first, but eventually leaked the secret.What they really want to hide is not me, but themselves.The first patient dressed herself up as a perfectionist at all costs; the second patient believed that she had no dissatisfaction with her family; the last patient also firmly believed that she could cope with difficulties by herself and did not need to depend on anyone.In order to survive and find our place in a complex society, we all put on masks.Therefore, the self shaped by consciousness is sometimes very different from the self shaped by subconscious mind.However, the capacity of the conscious mind is limited after all, and it often exposes the true self.No matter how you hide it, the subconscious will see the truth.The so-called maturity of the mind means listening to the heart and bringing the conscious self closer to reality.To achieve this task, we often devote a lifetime of effort.It should be pointed out that through intensive psychotherapy and some special auxiliary psychotherapy, it is possible to complete most of this task in a short period of time.At that moment, the patient may feel "born again".They were very excited by the significant change in their conscious self, and some patients even said with great excitement: "I am no longer the old me! I have become a brand new, completely different me from the past!" If we understand self-concept, self-awareness or conscious thinking, when it comes to subconscious mind, we will not hesitate to think that there is a part of our body that is more "smart" than conscious thinking. We call it "subconscious mind". wisdom". My wife and I arrived in the late evening for our first holiday in Singapore. 183 We left the hotel for a walk and soon came to a large open area.In the darkness, we could barely make out the vague outline of a tall building two or three blocks away. "I'd love to know what that building is," my wife said.Immediately, I replied casually, yet with absolute certainty: "Oh, that's the Singapore Cricket Club." The words came out of my mouth completely spontaneously, and I immediately regretted it, because I don't have any basis.I had never been to Singapore before, nor had I seen a cricket club at all - not during the day, let alone at night.However, to my great surprise, when we continued walking and reached the other side of the building, we saw its main entrance with a brass plaque above the entrance that read: Singapore Cricket Club. How do I know things I don't know?Among all possible explanations, one is Jung's "collective unconscious" theory, that is, even if we do not gain wisdom through personal experience, we can inherit the wisdom experienced and acquired by our ancestors.Although for scientific thinking, this is an incredible, even unbelievable realization.Oddly enough, we've always been able to "recognize".the existence of such wisdom.Whenever we read a book and come across an idea or theory that we like, the contents of the book are immediately recalled vaguely, or feel extremely familiar to us.At this time, we will "recognize" the correctness of wisdom, even if we have never thought about the relevant theory or had relevant ideas in our subconscious mind before. The word "recognize" means to "know" a concept again.It was as if we had known this fact before, only forgotten it, and later recognized it like an old friend.It seems that all knowledge, all wisdom, is stored in our minds.When we learn something new, we actually just discover something that has always been in our minds.This concept, perhaps through the word "educa-tion" (education), can be reflected. "Education" comes from the Latin "educare", which literally means "to bring out" and "to lead to".Therefore, when we "educate" others, if we take it seriously, we will not force something new into their thinking.In fact, we guide this kind of thing out of its thinking and let it enter the consciousness from the subconscious, because the other party is already the owner of this knowledge. So what is the source of this smarter than ourselves?We don't know yet.Jung's "collective unconscious" theory implies that our intelligence comes from inheritance.Recent scientific experiments have combined genetic material with memory phenomena, and concluded that our genes are likely to inherit knowledge and store it in the form of nucleic acid genetic codes in cells.The idea that information is stored chemically led to the realization that the information captured by the human mind is likely to be stored in a few cubic inches of brain matter.In other words, this extremely complex model enables the knowledge of human experience to be stored in a small space and passed on to the next generation. Of course, there are many puzzling problems that have not yet been solved.As we contemplate the technical aspects of this model—how it was built, how synchronicity is achieved, and so on—we remain, as ever, in awe of the phenomena of the human mind.Thinking about these questions is equivalent to thinking about the control mode of the universe. Maybe God uses this mode to control his army, control his angels, archangels, cherubs, and seraphs, and let them help him execute the rule of the universe. order it.We sometimes take it for granted that there are no miracles in the world, and I think this self-righteous attitude is itself a typical miracle.