Everything we do, think and feel is governed by our subconscious mind. Our subconscious is where all of our emotional information is stored – our deeply rooted feelings, the memories of our trauma, our woundedness, and our emotional “baggage.” Our thought patterns, emotional responses, behavioral patterns, routines and life decisions are all impacted by the subconscious mind, which governs 95% of our daily lives. Both our addictions and our recovery from them, therefore, are heavily influenced by the programming of our subconscious minds.
Our subconscious programming comes from years of being conditioned by our families, communities and cultural media. We are influenced by everything around us and absorb it into our internal programming. We are brainwashed to believe limiting beliefs about ourselves. We are taught to criticize and judge ourselves, and we contend with deep fears of inadequacy and inferiority. We think we’re not good enough. We fear we’ll never amount to anything. When it comes to our addictions, we inundate ourselves with shame, remorse, regret and disappointment. Rather than focusing on our potential to create a better future for ourselves, we stay stuck in the pain of the past. We constantly pick at our wounds and make them deeper and more painful. We beat ourselves up and knock ourselves down. We’ve lost our connection to ourselves and our faith in our abilities. We don’t believe in ourselves. We reject ourselves. Deep down we hate ourselves.
When we’re in this place, recovery can feel entirely impossible. How can we heal when everything inside of us is telling us that we can’t? How can we believe in ourselves when our subconscious programming is telling us not to? How can we love ourselves when the powerful force of our subconscious mind is hell bent on making us hate ourselves? The truth is, we can’t. We can only heal when all our parts are working together, harmoniously and in cooperation, for our highest good. This includes the formative and directive power of the subconscious mind, which has to be working in favor of our healing if we’re to really get better. When our subconscious mind is still negatively programmed, we’re working against our healing and sabotaging our progress.
To heal the harmful programming of our subconscious minds, we want to create new thought patterns to replace the old ones. Start thinking and speaking with the thoughts you want to have for yourself, that reinforce your healing and make you feel good. Repeat affirmations such as “I am at peace. I am healed. I love myself.” Visualize yourself fully recovered. Write down your goals and dreams and read them regularly. The subconscious mind is our greatest tool in manifesting health and happiness for ourselves.
Riverside Recovery believes in the importance of holistic healing and education, mindfulness and mind-body-spirit wellness. Call (800) 871-5440 for more information on our treatment programs.