NLP: The Unconscious Mind – Emotions, Energy and the Body
- What does the unconscious mind have to do with emotions?
- How does it work with respect to the body?
Let’s take the first question. According to Dr. Tad James, NLP Master Trainer’s “Unconscious Mind Core Guidelines”, the unconscious mind (UM) is the domain of emotions.
This is where our emotions “live”.
Let’s think about it. Actually, let’s experiment with that. Think of something that makes you happy. Get a picture, get a feel. That’s how it is. Where in your body do you feel that?
So what I take this to mean is that happy thinking generates happy feeling and this has something to do with the unconscious mind (UM). This being true, the UM seems to be part of the body as well as the mind. We feel emotions in our body.
When we feel “good energy” or “bad energy” this is usually related to our emotions. One of the UM Master Guidelines states that this part of our mind stores, distributes, generates, and transmits energy. We can focus on the energy entering our body from the Earth or a Universal source (as examples) and imagine transmitting it somewhere.
Energetic NLP (ENLP) is a branch of traditional NLP that focuses on energy. This is a study of a way to work with that energy through the use of the imagination. As ENLP founder Art Giser says, energy flows where your thoughts go. This brings us to another of the Main Guidelines, this one is about values.
The UM is a highly moral being. This relates to the morality you accepted in your formative years. This explains the internal nudges we receive regarding a given morality, whether we choose to accept the nudge or not.
The UM is also believed to execute bodily functions. It’s what kept you breathing and your heart beating last night in your sleep. Directs the digestion of food. It’s good that you don’t have to tell the body what to do! Dr. James, in his UM Principal Guidelines, states that UM has a model of perfect health. The belief in the existence of a blueprint for perfect health is a useful belief to have in any type of healing work.
Another connection to the body is that UM preserves the body. It seems to have a desire for the survival of the body. However, I have seen something interesting. When a person is doing work that doesn’t resonate with it can affect the body. It seems that UM also “wants” us to live what we feel is a life purpose.
It is fascinating to think about the many functions of the unconscious mind. Take a moment right now and think about all the things your UM is doing right now.
- As you read this, certain emotions come up.
- You may be digesting food.
- Your heart is beating and you are breathing without thinking about it (most likely).
- What else is your unconscious mind doing?