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Caleb Carson
Mrs. V
English 100-15
20, October 2014

A Child Like Dream

(A Critical Analysis Of The Power of the Subconscious Mind)
Imagine never forgetting anything youve heard, seen, or learned. Youd be like the super
genius on your favorite T.V show, or like the famous Sherlock Holmes. Im sure this concept
appeals to nearly everyone, because it sounds incredible! How easy life would be if we could
remember everything? Well, you are wrong. If you would have asked me if this was possible
when I was writing my work, The Power of the Subconscious Mind, I would have said
absolutely, this is achievable for the human race! Now, being freed from my melancholy
ignorance, I can firmly say that no, it is not possible for us to have these gifts of the mind, or the
power of the subconscious mind. I would even go so far as to say that it would be detrimental to
our race, our individuality, and who we are as people.
In substance, it simply isnt possible. The mind works the way it does for a reason and a
purpose. Lets not get swept up and carried away by the fancies of the insurmountable concept
that we can indeed access unknown powers of the human brain. I do not disagree with the
concept that we never truly forget anything, that we only prioritise information. This has been
proven true, however, this does not mean that we can store and access an infinite containment of
knowledge, sights, sounds, smells or memories on a whim. The brain goes through a process
called sensory adaptation. This is a process that will eliminate certain stimuli when it is constant,

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and there is no need for it to register. An example would be this: do you go through your day
constantly feeling the shirt on your back, or the hair on your head or your tongue in your mouth?
No, because these are constant stimuli that gets filtered out of our brain by the reticular
formation on our brain stem.
Now apply this concept to memory. Why do we forget certain information, and
prioritise? Even though we may theoretically have unlimited storage space in the mammalian
part of our brain, it cannot not be processed all at once constantly in the cortex. To put it in
computer terms, it would be like have a terabyte of storage space, but only 10 gigs of RAM. It is
scientifically proven that the conscious mind cannot do two tasks at once. We may feel as if we
are, but we are instead simply switching our attention rapidly between two tasks.
The message I am trying to convey here is that super human intelligence centered around
memory and the subconscious is only theoretically possible at best. We will never be able to
engage the 92% of our brain that is our subconscious in a conscious effort because it simply
contradicts the way the brain works. I will however, agree with the premise that is presented in
my previous writing. Premise being that we can simply improve our memory by attempting to
consciously store memories into the the subconscious of our mind, and add triggers to retrieve
said memories. However, that is the extent to which it is possible and no further.
There is no argument that the mammalian portion of our brain has power, that it not
where I disagree. It has the power, but the conscious mind or new brain, has the will. And
without the will, I cannot control something. Moreover, I have not even yet addressed the biggest
concern I have with the work, and that concern is bias. I clearly would favor the possibility of
increased intelligence through the power of the subconscious, simply because I feel like I have
achieved a small allocation of this goal. I am biased because if I preach something to someone, I

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must also practice, and I am going to want what I practice to be correct, not foolish. This could
cause me to ignore or dismiss any substantial evidence against my claim. Sociologists have even
coined a term for this type of research, and as you can guess, is very detrimental to the scientific
community.
By the same token, if my belief in the power of the subconscious was to prove worthless,
then I will have wasted time and energy on achieving an unreachable goal. My time will have
been taken away from proven methods of enhancing intelligence, and blundered unwisely on the
fallacies of a childlike dream.
The denouement of this self observation on the premise of the subconscious mind is not
what one may expect. I still believe that the power of the subconscious mind is real, achievable
and that one day, I may reach the potential that is stored within my mind. Some may say it is not
possible, but there is another scientific fact. Our behaviors, our thoughts and images all shape the
wiring of our brain. New Neuron pathways can be formed, and our brain can literally be molded
to a specific suite. I intend to attempt to mold my mind into an operat form that will grant me
immediate access to the vast storage facility that is my subconscious. My self inspection of my
theory has only strengthened my belief, and for that, this critical analysis was beneficial.

Caleb Carson

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Mrs. V
English 100-15
14, September 2014
The Power of the Subconscious Mind
The mind is a powerful thing, filled with potential yet to be tapped into to. The question
is, can we learn to gain access to the potential of our own mind? Can we train ourselves to use
more and more of the potential energy sitting around in our head? Or even strengthen certain
parts in order to specialize in particular jobs? It is my believe that we most certainly can, and
would even argue further that I myself, have begun taking small steps towards the access Ive
spoken of. I believe in the power of the subconscious mind, a belief I will now attempt to pass
onto the reader.
I have been fascinated by the power of the subconscious mind, and the potential
implications of being able to use it consciously. Scientists disclose how the mind never actually
deletes information, but merely discards it from the forefront of your mind, to make room for
more pressing or important information. The old memories are stored in the mammalian portion
of your brain, and I believe can be accessed through the subconscious mind. All you really need
to remember old information, is a trigger. Something to cause the brain to realize that past
information has become important, and bring it back into the cerebrum. Operating on this
principle, I would dare say that we have the potential for reaching super-human intelligence.
That we would be able to memorize every sight, smell, sound, taste, place, person, name and
number.

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The subconscious takes up 92% of our brains, and has enough power to light a 22kw
light-bulb. It can store infinite amounts memories, feelings, senses, tastes. Where the conscious
mind operates in words, logic, and numbers, the subconscious operates in feelings and images.
Ive been able to implement the practice of this in my life, at school, at work and on the
street. Hitherto, can only summon up the memory of things forgotten within twelve hours of
when I first heard it (as a general guideline). I have been successful at recalling things that I
never even paid attention to consciously. An example being a name of a person spoken to me
while distracted. Several hours later I was trying to guess the name of a person, but was not able
to until I was told that I had been told the name earlier that day. That was all the trigger I needed
and after some momentary concentration, I was able to recall a name I didnt even realize I
knew.
This may not seem very useful in the instance I described, but it can be quite useful in
academics. I believe being an auditory learner compliments this method nicely, in regards to a
school environment where lectures are a big part of the curriculum. I am able to half listen to a
lecture, and still retain the content of the message, because I know that once I hear something,
theoretically I never forget it. Like I said, I just have to find a way to access it.
There are negatives to this method however, as with anything. I use my subconscious to
recall street names, so that I dont have to take the time to memorize them. This can be
dangerous however, when I recall a memory, but not the correct one. There was a time I was
driving to pick up my brother, my mother gave me directions, and I left. I heard the street name
once and took off. Unfortunately mid way through my journey, I recalled a street name that I had
used a different time, and did not use the correct memory. Long story short because of this I
didnt end up picking up my brother.

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There are numerous examples I could give as a time in which I used my subconscious
mind, however it is doubtful they would seem like a big deal to anyone other than myself, simply
because the excitement comes with the experience of it. It is my impression that we rely too
heavily on technology to do things for us. If I had a nickle for every organization app. every
sticky pad, every planner people use Id be moderately wealthy. I believe that it seriously takes
more effort to add all our events into all these silly organizers, than to simply rely on our own
memory.
Now think about school in this aspect. We spend approximately 12 years of our lives in
school, doing all this homework, taking all these tests, so that we can learn. But has school
ever once equipped with the means to be able to remember everything we learn? I mean what
good is the knowledge if we forget it once we test over it. I know that I forget material quicker
than I memorize it, so what good is it to me a few years down the road? Schools should be
equipping us with the ability to remember what we are taught, before were taught it. Why not
offer a memory class, so that we can retain what we learn, boost our test scores and make us
better prepared to enter the workplace. I am not saying in any way that simple knowledge could
ever replace wisdom. Wisdom will be gained from experience, that will be gained when we have
the knowledge to enable us to get out and acquire world experience that can bring us wisdom.
This is something I believe in, because it is fun and interesting to believe in. It cannot
hurt to try and expand my mind, particularly my memory, so why not try? I will continue to
explore the possibilities of the human mind, and the capability of memory, and will continue to
grow mine. I have seen noticeable improvements in my memory and it is helping me in almost
every aspect of life. This is something I believe in.