hypnolibertarian

From some of the comments I have seen in a few of the recent posts, I can tell that I was remiss in not explaining the difference between conscious and subconscious reactions, how they differ and how they are the same.  To say that one becomes “aroused” at an unconscious level does not mean that every male gets an erection and starts panting.  Exactly what it does mean takes a bit of explaining.

I have talked about the unconscious mind as a series of patterns, or models, of how the world around us works.  These models can be thought of as “shifting” or “shuffling” constantly in response to the input we get from the world around us.  It is this “shuffling” that gives things context; for example, if we are talking about dogs and I ask how your bitch is doing, I clearly mean your (female) dog, not your wife.

Things that we see, that we hear, that we talk about, and that we think about can bring some of these patterns “up towards consciousness.”  This is similar, to those of you in computer science, to processor chips and disk drivers that try to predict which memory is to be accessed next and to have it in memory (register or main memory) and therefore save time.  These patterns in our subconscious come close to the surface but don’t necessarily become conscious unless the subject becomes more direct or the situation requires some action or decision based on those patterns.

Thus, a number of lingerie clad women flashing on the screen rapidly followed by a different subject (like helping little girls with their self-esteem) “arouses” us subconsciously in the sense that these sexual response patterns are close to the surface of our minds.  If a commercial (or a TV show) has a beautiful woman running her hands up and down her body, preening herself for the audience, then these patterns rise to the level of consciousness and we become physically aroused and consciously know why.

Physical reactions sometimes happen with unconscious stimulation, but often do not.  However, with those patterns right up at the edge of consciousness, those reactions can be used in all sorts of ways, sometimes on the conscious level and sometimes on the unconscious level by using other images directly after such sexual “flashing” images.

So keep in mind that you may not be aware of your unconscious “arousal”.  It does not mean you are physically responding, or even are consciously aware of it.  It means that those patterns are being activated and moved to the forefront of the brain (RAM from disk, to go with the computer analogy).

Some religious disciplines, such as Buddhism and some Sufi paths, strongly recommend a “mindfulness”, or an awareness of what is going on inside.  If this is not done obsessively (and therefore becoming conditioning in and of itself) it can assist us in avoiding the effects of this kind of conditioning.

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