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The Neural Correlates of the Subconscious
The Mysticism of the Subconscious
Freudian stereotypes and mental clichés have long mysticized the human subconscious. Pinned as a foggy, alien, dark, and subaquatic region of the mind, the subconscious has been gilded with shadows by popular culture. The subconscious is far more conscious than most people believe; with the right practices, the murky water of the mind can be cleared to expose the authentic character of your subconscious. Cognitive neuroscience helps to shed a light on the overlapping neural regions associated with conscious and subconscious functions.
Conscious vs. Subconscious Tasks
The subconscious, the part of the mind that is not directly within focal awareness, informs the conscious, the part of the mind that is. Certain conscious activities can help unveil the subconscious mind, these activities require increased informing by the subconscious mind, and therefore, can be used to reconstruct the subconscious. This works in the same way that a painting provides insight about the paint, or in the way that an entreé provides insight about the ingredients, while the artist or chef is the conscious mind.
Typically, conscious functions include intentional actions such as most skeletal movements, decision making, or subvocalization. These functions require conscious intent and…
