A 60 Second Journey Deep Into Your Unconscious

A 60 Second Journey Deep Into Your Unconscious

Become aware of what you’re unaware of

Originally Published In Psychology Today

Look up from the screen right now and scan the room around you, directing your gaze at one object, then another, then another.

As you focus on each object, imagine what that object would feel like on your tongue if you licked it.*

My guess is that you have a very, very good idea how your tongue would react to each object.

So your tongue knows a lot that you didn’t realize it knew.

And do you remember learning to speak your native language, or learning to walk? If you recall learning to ride a bicycle, do you remember precisely what it was that you learned that enabled you to keep the bike from falling over?

I don’t!

Unless you have a photographic memory or are one of those extremely rare individuals with total recall of every moment of their lives, the answer to each of those questions was almost certainly “no.”

It turns out that an enormous amount of what you know was learned while you weren’t aware that you were learning it. The same is true of perception. You see, hear, smell, and feel lots of things that don’t consciously register in the moment, but you often retain this information in your unconscious.

© Dr. Eric Haseltine