The Iceberg Metaphor: the Conscious and Unconscious Mind Essay Example

Who are we? What determines what we do? Why do we do it? Are we consciously thinking to perform a task? Perhaps our unconscious controls all our actions and leaves the conscious to just think a person is in control of their own life. Not much is known about the unconscious, but it is far more powerful then its active conscious counterpart. Understanding these two elements of the mind is key to gaining the knowledge of how it they work, and an easy way to learn about them is through a simple metaphor. A simple metaphor that can be used to understand the unconscious mind, its relationship to the conscious mind and how the two parts of our mind can better work together is that of an iceberg. There are two parts to the iceberg, the visible part and the massive chunk of ice extending deep into the ocean. The small percentage of the whole iceberg that is visible above the surface represents the conscious mind. ]t is the part of ice that is seen and visible, we notice it just like we notice our own conscious actions. The unconscious mind, the larger and most powerful part which lies dormant in the brain is much like the base of the iceberg that can’t be seen. The unconscious mind holds all awareness that is not presently in the conscious mind. All memories, feelings and thoughts that are out of conscious awareness are by definition 'unconscious.' It is also called the subconscious and is known as the dreaming mind or deep mind. Knowledgeable and powerful in a different way than the conscious mind, the unconscious mind handles the responsibility of keeping the body running well. It has memory of every event we've ever experienced; it is the source and storehouse of our emotions; and it is often considered our connection with Spirit and with each other.No model of how the mind works disputes the tremendous power which is in constant action below the tip of the iceberg. The conscious mind is constantly supported by unconscious resources. Just think of all the things you