The subconscious mind and acupuncture.

Have you ever turned left when you should have turned right, or vice-versa? Ever wondered why? I did this last week when taking my son to the hospital at Liverpool. Although we make the trip a couple of times a year, and although I know the way perfectly well, at the end of my road, I turned left instead of right, and it wasn’t until I was a hundred yards or so along the road that I realised my mistake and turned around. But my question is ‘why did I turn left?’ Did something happen subconsciously that made me take the turn? Did my subconscious know something that I didn’t, such as if I’d turned right as I was supposed to, we might have been involved in a traffic accident? I’d like to believe that we do things for a reason, even if we don’t know what that reason is, and that sometimes, a far greater power steps in to help us avoid incidents. Of course I could have just not been concentrating, and I’ll never know for sure, but it would be nice to think someone was watching out for us.

As anyone who has read my blog knows, I sprained my ankle in a mudrun last year, and I’ve been plagued by problems with it since. In order to help my recovery, last week I went for some acupuncture. I also had treatment for my hip, which is also painful, and although I was a little sceptical, I must say that a couple of days later, the pain has noticeably lessened, which is a good thing as next Sunday I’m competing in the Mad Monk run. I will be going back next week for some more treatment, but I wonder who first thought it would be a good idea to use people as pin cushions to help treat them, and who was the first person to actually let them do it? It sounds more like something a sadist would do, but as long as it works, I’m quite happy to continue with the treatment. 

Now although these two things are about different things, they are tied by another strange occurrence. When I was in a running shop in Chester a few weeks ago having my gait tested and buying some new running shoes, the lady serving me mentioned that if I hadn't tried it, then acupuncture might help with the pain from my sprained ankle. I didn't think much of it until a week or so later I was on a course and the instructor mentioned that he had just been for acupuncture, and that he swore by it. Again it seemed that someone or something was guiding me to give it a try, so I obtained the details of the person the instructor used, and well, if you've read this far, you know the rest. 

Serendipity. Chance. Good fortune. Divine intervention. Whatever it is, things often fall into place for reasons we cannot fathom. Shakespeare said it best when he wrote: “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

The power of the subconscious

Well I’ve started work on the third Prosper Snow novel and I have some interesting ideas.

But the thought process itself is a strange beast as it takes place behind closed doors, in the subconscious. It’s like when you’re trying to think of where you’ve seen someone before, or when you’re trying to think of a word for a crossword puzzle. If you concentrate on it too much, it just becomes frustrating, but then when you stop thinking about it and let your subconscious do the work, that eureka moment strikes when you least expect and the answer comes rushing to the surface. I often have problems with plots where I think ‘How the hell am I going to get my character out of this?’ but then I go and do something else, like go for a jog or do the washing up, anything to stop thinking about the problem, and then that eureka moment will strike like a bullet between the brain and the answer presents itself. Sometimes there even seems to be something else at work as the answer might come from a television program or a newspaper article. These are what I think of as moments of serendipity when something you want to find out about presents itself through another media.

But there are other ways that you can make your subconscious work, namely by making requests before you go to sleep.

Step 1: Before you go to sleep, close your eyes and take one minute to make a request to your subconscious. It can be anything, but try not to make it something that is unobtainable or virtually impossible. Try small things, such as wanting to get lots of writing done, or winning a race that you are entering.

Step 2: Take two minutes to visualize yourself actually able to do this thing. Say it’s the motivation to write. Imagine yourself getting up the next day and then picture yourself at the computer or with a pen in hand. Then see yourself effortlessly writing words. See the pages flowing down the screen. See yourself in the groove, the prose pouring out of you.

Step 3: Take two minutes to imagine how you will feel when you are able to accomplish this aim. How do you feel when you see how productive you’ve been? Thrilled? Happy? Now imagine that you have already created this emotion inside of yourself. Let it sink in, then go to sleep and let your subconscious do the rest of the work.

You might not sit down the next day and write a masterpiece, but if you are fired up to start writing, then that’s a start. This process can be used for any situation. Entering a race. Going for a job interview etc. Just remember that the mind is a powerful tool, and it wants to help you.