THE MYSTERY OF CONSCIOUSNESS (Part 2 of 3)

Is consciousness in the mind and brain? Is consciousness in the body or does consciousness exist outside the body as a spirit? What is the subconscious and where does it reside?

A second of three lectures today is devoted to

THE SUBCONSCIOUS
REYNOLDS HOMESTEAD
FEBRUARY 2, 2014 3 PM

Many people are surprised to learn that only about 5% of the activity of the brain is conscious; most of its work is carried on subconsciously. In this lecture we will learn about the subconscious and the rich and important aspects of our being and behavior that are subconscious.

For example, the decision to do something as simple as raise a teacup to your lips begins in the subconscious. It is only after the decision is made that the action makes itself know to the conscious mind about half a second later. Our decisions seem to originate in the subconscious and only later become available to the conscious mind.

The subconscious mind is busy behind the scene of consciousness working on problems that originate in the conscious mind while the conscious mind has turned to something else. That is why consciously leaving a math problem alone for awhile and returning to it later often results in a quick solution: the brain has been working on it subconsciously.

We'll also learn that our conscious minds have a well-developed facility for lying and self-deception. The subconscious is the more truthful part of the brain and more accurately in touch with reality that involves our give-and-take dealings with others. I'll present the results of several important experiments that demonstrate this remarkable behavior.

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