What is the subconscious mind.

The first time I heard the term subconscious mind many years ago, my understanding was that the subconscious was this inner, deeper, inaccessible place within our soul. I then learned that it is truly a part of our mind. While we have one mind, the mind has two distinct parts, the conscious and the subconscious, and they each have their function. What helped me understand the difference between the two was to think of one as the "waking mind" the conscious and the other as the "sleeping mind" the subconscious. Better yet let me share the visual Dr. Joseph Murphy used to explain the two minds in his book:

"The conscious mind is like the navigator or captain at the bridge of a ship. He directs the ship. He sends orders to men and women in the engine room. They in turn control the boilers, instruments, gauges, and so on. The people in the engine room don't know where they are going; they follow orders... they obey him (the captain) because he is in charge."

The captain is your conscious mind, the people in the engine room is your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind takes orders from your conscious mind. So this leaves us with the understanding that our thoughts and words that we focus and dwell upon are like seeds we saw deep into our subconscious and will manifest in one way or another. For example we may tell someone "I'm not afraid of heights!" but you truly feel from the depth of yourself that you are afraid of heights and this will manifest in your inability to climb any height and you will feel paralysed by your fear. Your words may say one thing but it's what you believe within yourself that truly dictates your reality. If you really wish to overcome any fear such as a fear of heights, you must first change your belief. Dr. Murphy's book gives steps and techniques to accomplish this and overcome the obstacles that are in the way of a healthy, abundant and free life.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind