Do you know that you can reprogram your subconscious mind while sleeping? Are you aware that you are completely unaware of what dwells in a part of your mind?
Even as your conscious mind controls everything happening in your life and is aware of it, you have a deeper layer of mind that can best be described as the data bank of everything you have seen and experienced in your entire life.
The subconscious mind is the backup system that stores everything, retrieves it when needed, and has a say in everything you do or say. However, you are totally unaware of what exists in your subconscious mind and have no control over the information it stores or which information it finds relevant. Unless you do something about it.
Do you know that the things you repeat often are stored in your subconscious mind and are retrieved by it when the same circumstances arise? We call this habit. Habits are like computer programs that accomplish a task without additional input.
You form habits based on your previous reactions and negative habits make up a fair share of them. This means, in similar circumstances, your subconscious mind prompts you to react in the same negative ways. And you follow through with it without thinking.
Harmful habits can create roadblocks in your path and prevent you from succeeding in life or realizing your potential. It is to your advantage that you replace these destructive habits with positive and productive ones.
Reprogramming your subconscious mind is the answer to this. And, the ideal time for this is while you are sleeping.
This article is an attempt at understanding the functioning of the subconscious mind and how to access it. You will also find here ways to reprogram your subconscious mind while sleeping.
Relationship between conscious and subconscious minds
By default, the information flow is unidirectional – from the subconscious mind to the conscious mind as part of the retrieval process. And this is the reason why we are not aware of what is there in the subconscious mind.
However, it is possible to train your conscious mind to access your subconscious mind. This is a difficult process as you can gain access only with the help of strong emotions. It has been proven that only thoughts backed by intense emotions tend to remain in our conscious minds.
This rule applies equally to positive and negative thoughts, though negative ones hold a better chance as they are more intense than their positive counterparts.
Subconscious, habits, and self-image
Habits, whether positive or negative, forms part of your identity that decides how you live your life. Your identity or self-image is your own perception of who you are. You start accumulating habits from a very young age and this creates a self-image that governs the rest of your life if you do nothing about the habits.
For example, if you think you are good at mechanical stuff or do well in maths, your subconscious mind will ensure that you do well in situations that demand mechanical or mathematical skills. Unfortunately, the same is true for negative habits as well. In fact, the subconscious never misses an opportunity to reinforce your bad habits.
Smokers continue to smoke. Lazy people remain lazy their entire lives. Unhealthy eating, late nights, aversion to exercising, swearing, … the list of bad habits is never-ending. Low self-worth, low self-confidence, and self-depreciation also make the list of negative self-images.
If you do nothing about these habits, they will continue to run your life. The good news is you can do something about them. Changing habits at the conscious level requires willpower and positive thinking. On the other hand, you can achieve the same at the subconscious level without them.
Let us see how to reprogram your mind.
Reprogramming the subconscious mind
Rewiring or reprogramming your subconscious means removing the negative habit that is entrenched in it. The shift in the mindset will help you change the direction in which your life is headed and move forward on the right path.
Replacing a habit or changing the mindset is not easy, to begin with. You may face intense resistance from your subconscious in the early stages. However, if you persist and persevere, the going will get much easier.
Some of the reliable and infallible ways to rewire your subconscious mind are
- Goal setting
- Creative visualization
- Meditation
- Repetition
- Self-hypnosis
- Gratitude
Is it possible to reprogram the subconscious mind while sleeping?
When you sleep your conscious mind is at rest but your subconscious is as active as ever. This means the best and most obvious time to rewire your subconscious is when you are sleeping.
When you go to sleep, your subconscious mind is hard at work processing the information it has gathered during the waking hours. It sorts the data and deletes all that it considers unimportant or irrelevant. The rest of the data is organized, classified, and stored away for future use.
This means sleep time is the ideal period to access the subconscious mind and embed a new habit or a new thought. Your subconscious may not accept the new addition the first time or the second. With constant repetition, your subconscious will come around to accept the new habit.
The emphasis is on repetition. Adopting these practices may not have the desired effect if done once or twice. The success of this practice solely depends on belief, repetition, and consistency. You need to persist with the efforts until the change is evident.
How to reprogram your subconscious mind while sleeping?
1. Try autosuggestion
When you lie down at night and get ready to sleep, guide your subconscious mind towards your new habit or success. Autosuggestion is a message from your conscious self to your subconscious mind to nudge it to see the positive side of events and situations.
Autosuggestion is unique for each person as the desires and goals vary. You need to invest some time and effort into scripting the right message to your subconscious mind. You may include your intentions, desires, and gratitude to raise the positivity and evoke the desired result.
Repeat the message to yourself just as sleep envelops you. As said earlier, this approach will produce results only with consistent repetition and dedicated effort.
2. Frame it as a statement
The idea that you are trying to implant in your subconscious mind can be composed as a statement. You may read out this statement before falling asleep. During your sleep, your subconscious will continue to work on your statement.
Again, doing this once may not help. Your subconscious may reject it in the first few attempts. Persevere with this approach until you find success.
3. Repeat affirmation
Affirmations are positive statements that can boost your confidence and self-belief. Frame affirmations about what you want to achieve but in the present tense as if you have already achieved it. This is a method used to trick your subconscious mind as it doesn’t differentiate between the two.
You may also want to take a look at our guide on how to make your subconscious mind believe something.
Repeating affirmations just before sleep time allows your subconscious to work on them while you sleep. This will help in raising your vibrational frequency during sleep and when you wake up in the morning, you will be brimming with positive energy.
Recording them in your own voice and listening to affirmations while sleeping is an excellent method. Your subconscious mind is more likely to listen to your voice.
4. Practice mindfulness and meditation
Being mindful means attaching your conscious mind to the present. And meditation helps in calming your mind and stops the incessant chatter going on in your mind. Practicing both before bedtime can open the doorway to your subconscious mind.
With access to the subconscious mind unlocked, autosuggestions and affirmations find it easier to elicit the desired result. When the subconscious mind is open and receptive to suggestions, reprogramming it would be simple and easy.
5. Brain dumping
At the end of the day, you may be plagued by worries and negative thoughts about something that happened during the day. This may even keep you from sleeping. You should try brain dumping to get rid of these harmful thoughts.
Brain dumping involves writing down everything that worries you on paper until there is nothing more left to write. By doing this, you are prompting the subconscious mind to delete all these thoughts from your memory while you sleep. This simple technique can help in getting rid of unwanted thoughts from your mind permanently.
6. Feel grateful
There is no better way to push away negativity and usher in positive vibes than with gratitude. As you lie down waiting for sleep to envelop you, think of all the good things that happened to you during the day. Include even the most inconsequential events. Feel grateful for all the blessings.
Gratitude is an instant energy booster. Your subconscious will continue to work on the same level of positivity when you are sleeping. This will influence how it sorts and deals with the events of the day. With the mind so high on positive energy, harmful habits are more likely to be eliminated and good ones retained.
By repeating this practice every night, you can ensure that negative habits do not get stored in your subconscious mind.
Concluding thoughts
Most of us are not aware of the harmful effects of phones or laptops. Detach yourself from electronic devices at least an hour before sleep time. Your mind needs this time to calm down. You may also listen to soothing music or binaural beats to slow down your subconscious mind.
Planning the next day is similar to suggesting to your subconscious mind how to prepare your mind for the day ahead. While you are sleeping, it can work the problems and clear them away. So, you can wake up feeling optimistic and ready to take the day head on.
We hope that you found this article on reprograming your subconscious mind while sleeping to be helpful. You may also want to check out another guide on reaching your subconscious mind while awake and our technique to remove negative thoughts from the subconscious mind.