The 3-Mind Model

Recently, I’ve stumbled upon a rather interesting way to conceptualize the human mind and perceptual mechanism. I’ve chosen to toy with the idea of thinking of the Conscious, Subconscious, and Unconscious minds as three parts of the construct of human awareness that has yet to be fully defined or empirically backed - a rudimentary model, if you will.As a hypnotherapist, it is important for me to at least have some kind of model to cling to in order to make sense of the mysticism which ensues in-session. Here’s my best crack at decoding the 3-mind construct:

I will begin by stating simply that the ‘iceberg’ model of the human psyche is perfectly suited for the 3-mind model. The underwhelmed area of the iceberg representing the ‘conscious’ mind (analytical, conversational, mathematical, ego-mind) and the submerged ‘subconscious’ mind (belief systems, deep memories, animalistic tendencies) aspects of the traditional view of this ‘iceberg’ model still stand. However, I submit that the third element, representing the creative, collective, jungian Unconscious mind is represented by the vast sea which surrounds the iceberg. The waters allow the iceberg to remain buoyant, interconnected, and gives the model just the right pinch of mystical underpinning.

I‘ve hypothesized that the Unconscious mind (capitalized to emphasize its profundity) is a collective apparatus; a wholly metaphysical construct which interconnects each and every ‘iceberg’ of perception or individual in the common world. It houses the collective interests of every seemingly separate aspect of our experience of ‘the other’ and plays an integral part in our inner world from an unseen level of influence. Our dreams take place in the vast and unpredictable world of the Unconscious for it contains the archetypal elements, the symbols, which are the very fabric of our psyches. All things shown to us in dreams are but individualized tangential possibilities played out in a beautiful symphony of relevant imagery, colors, and characters.

Often, our deepest fears are expressed in the form of nightmares as the Unconscious allows for every possibility created by the conscious or subconscious minds to safely express themselves and wash away, hindering not the fragile psyche of the experiencer.

The way I see it is, we create every possibility we imagine either in the physical or astral realms, so the imaginings we’ve breathed life into which do not support the narrative of our waking life are expressed safely in a world of wonderment whilst we sleep. This element of the human experience is a built-in protective mechanism which serves to keep murderers, ghosts, and werewolves from becoming a part of our living reality.Be grateful for your nightmares for they are truly here to help. The wisdom of the nightmare is held in the subsequent conscious mind, waking state processing of the symbols of the dream (murderer = new awareness of home security / cheating spouse = deep conversation with partner regarding the values of the relationship).

We see now, as stated before, that just as the darkest of our innermost expressions can be seen as a chance for negative release which ultimately concludes in a systemic catharsis, such as in nightmares; so too can we see that all of the impulses put forth by the wise Unconscious can be categorized as pure, if I may be so bold.

The creative, collective Unconscious mind, in its unburdened, unblemished state affects in a very curious way the Individual Psychic Construct (the IPC for short; comprised of the conscious and subconscious minds combined). The Unconscious, in its infinite wisdom and intelligence, puts forth an impulse of learning to the individual, most often in the dream realm first and then into the physical. The IPC is exposed first in the dream state to a possible circumstance which reflects an opportunity for future learning, such as a car wreck or meeting someone from the past. This is done first in the astral realm so that the IPC can become accustomed to the weight of the underlying wisdom before it manifests in reality.

The 3-mind model postulates that often the IPC misinterprets this underlying tone of the impulse and attributes to it a negative perception or experience (a symptom). This can most easily be seen in the cancer victim; the cancer manifesting as a signal created by the body which is desperately working to convey the teaching of the Unconscious. The IPC in its undeveloped state can easily misread the often powerful message coming through, assuming that it is something negative like a disease.

We must begin to see that perhaps the body is a physical antennae for the Unconscious, and all aberrations that occur in the body can be seen as misunderstood messages from this realm.

Now in the context of hypnosis, or trance therapy, we have much to learn from the Unconscious mind. The conscious mind of any one person is generally far too analytical to make use of the ‘mystical or metaphysical oracle’ of the Unconscious, so a hypnotic induction is employed to move the awareness into the subconscious (the intermediary between the two). Ultimately, the efficacy of the trance therapy process weighs heavily upon the success of the conversation between the Unconscious and subconscious minds.

In conclusion, I feel comfortable speculating that the conscious mind has the unique ability to use the submarine of the subconscious, if you will, to traverse the vast symbolic depths of the collective Unconscious mind. The subconscious being the archive of all aspects of the psyche, good, bad, and indifferent, puts forth the presenting problem (the symptom) in the hopes of discovering the underlying cause (the wisdom/learning) who’s secret is held in the Unconscious. Previously inaccessible to the conscious mind and only glimpsed through in dreams, the trance state allows the awareness to dip beneath the veil to witness this amazing world. It is this very process that yields the amazing results proffered by delighted and amazed clients of trance work worldwide.

With these precepts of the hypnotic mechanism and the 3-mind construct in place, the work can begin to truly change lives.

Thank you for reading! Please recommend this piece if you wish. Recommendations help to spread my work!

Read my follow-up to the 3-Mind Model entitled The Dual Unconscious.