Think of it this way: our conscious mind is just the tip of the iceberg. The things we think, the things we choose to do--they are all heavily, heavily influenced by what is under the surface. The subconscious mind.
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| The subconscious mind is under the surface. Image here. |
People have different terms for the beliefs running through the subconscious mind. One of my favorite bloggers, finance writer Ramit Sethi, calls them "invisible scripts." They are the hidden assumptions we believe about the way life works, about the way other people work, about the way we are.
I call these things "subconscious programs," because in my work, they kind of show up like programs--like computer programs, if you will. In energy work, if you can identify a troublesome program, with permission you can change it or eradicate it and replace it with a beneficial program instead.
It's possible to change these programs without energy work, but it takes way more time and effort. Compare a thirty-second Christ-centered theta healing session to a half hour therapeutic guided imagery session to twenty years of talk therapy. They can all get you the same result--changing the program--but it just takes a different amount of time.
I wanted to take a moment a write about some of the most common troublesome subconscious programs I run into daily as an energy worker. As you read about them, you might suddenly realize, THAT'S ME! And that is a big deal because you can't change programs without realizing you have them. It's exciting to recognize them because that means you can change them!
You may also find yourself recognizing those programs in other people. In my work, as my brain has gotten more attuned to the workings of other people's brains, I have found that just by thinking of a program I will inadvertently "see" a list of people who have that program running, or alternately, by thinking of a person I will inadvertently "see" a list of their subconscious programs that are causing trouble. Some of my home healing students have reported the same phenomenon: they can look at a person or just think about a person and suddenly understand all the programs that are coming into play. So you may find that as you begin incorporating subconscious programming into your world paradigm, you also begin suddenly and unexpectedly spotting these programs in unlikely places.
And so: I bring you 10 Common Troublesome Programs.
10 COMMON TROUBLESOME PROGRAMS
1. I am a victim. This is definitely the most common program I run into. I have yet to work on anyone who didn't have this program running. More likely than not, unless you have had a session done that included this exact issue, you are running a program of victimhood.
Image here.
This program is common because, duh, we are all victimized at some point in life. When we take on the identity of victimhood, however, we choose to give up the part of our agency that keeps us from being victimized.
What someone might say who has a victimhood program running: Everything goes wrong for me. Other people use me all the time. Everywhere I go, people take advantage of me and it isn't fair.
Recognize this program in yourself: if you find yourself constantly blaming others instead of taking responsibility for your life's problems, this can be a sign of victimhood programming. If you find yourself over and over again in situations where you feel like people are taking advantage of you, or abusing you, or in which you are otherwise the innocent victim of other people's thoughtlessness or cruelty, consider that you may be dealing with a serious case of victim programming.
Clearing this program results in feelings of empowerment over life.
Replacement programs: I know how to live life without being a victim; I am empowered.
2. I am a martyr. Fewer people have this program running, but it's still pretty common. This one is like the victim program on steroids. Instead of feeding feelings of being victimized, however, this one results in people effectively martyring themselves in order to validate the program.
Image here.
What someone might say with a martyrdom program running: I am so innocent and all I ever do is good things, but people walk all over me and destroy my life.
People with martyr programs will often bend over backwards in attempts to serve others, but at the same time fester in feelings of not being appreciated--regardless of the reality of the situation. They may overestimate their own innocence in the situations they feel martyred by. They almost revel in feelings of being unfairly martyred for their righteousness.
You may have heard a mother put on her martyr hat before--you know the stereotyped conversation of, "I've done EVERYTHING for you and you can't do this ONE THING for me and I AM YOUR MOTHER" and all that. That kind of conversation exhibits martyr-style thinking.
Neither victims nor martyrs readily acknowledge their own roles in their misery. And almost without exception, people running these programs are miserable.
Replacement programs: I know how to live life without being a martyr; I am empowered.
3. Everyone hates me. A very common program. If you spend your life expecting people to hate and judge you, you likely have this program running.
What it sounds like: No one likes me. No one wants to be my friend and it's because they hate me. Everyone hates me.
Side effects of this one can include self-sabotage of relationships, and deep-seated self-esteem issues--when you judge your own worth by how others feel about you, and then your subconscious mind is feeding you a lie about everyone hating you, what other outcome is there? You will end up hating yourself.
Replacement programs: I know God always loves me. I know what it feels like to be accepted for who I am. I am likable and lovable. I know what it feels like to be likable and lovable.
Image here.
4. I am not good enough. Almost everyone I've worked with has this program running. It manifests as self-esteem issues and an inner dialogue that always puts the self down. See, I knew I was going to fail at this, I am the worst, I can't do anything right, I am not good enough.
This is just a miserable way to live. Clearing this program can make a huge difference to personal happiness.
Replacement programs: I am good enough. I know what it feels like to feel good enough.
5. I deserve to be punished. This one is often tied to the others. Feelings of being hated or deserving to be hated or disliked can often result in a program of feeling like punishment is deserved. This feeling, in turn, creates situations in which the subject feels like they are being punished. A person with a program like this might be considered a "glutton for punishment."
A person with this program would be likely to do things like continually get wrapped up in situations they know leave them with negative feelings; voluntarily choose to read or expose themselves to information that makes them feel bad about themselves; etc.
The thing with this program is that it generally enforces itself. A person who feels like they deserve to be punished will create situations over and over again in which they end up feeling punished. They might hate those situations, and yet they cause them. Since this program is often related to victim and martyr programming, a person running this program is likely to get themselves into "glutton for punishment" situations, and then blame others for it (victimhood) while reveling in sensations of their own innocence and righteousness (martyrdom). It is definitely, absolutely, and certainly possible for someone to run both the martyr program and the punishment program. They are not mutually exclusive.
Replacement programs: I deserve to be happy. I deserve to be at peace. I know what it feels like to be peaceful and happy in life.
6. I deserve the bad things in life. This is linked to the punishment program. If you have this program running, you expect things to go wrong for you--and you generally get what you expect! The secret is that all our subconscious minds interact all the time--and if you have a program like this running, everyone else's subconscious mind is aware of it. And we all work together, subconsciously, to validate each other's reality. So if you are projecting feelings of deserving everything to go badly for you, it will probably work out that way.
Replacement programs: I deserve the good things in life. I deserve to be happy.
7. I don't know how to be happy. This one is a sad one but I find it all the time. All. The. Time. This "program" is more of a lack of a program--it's what is there when "I know how to be happy" isn't there. And a surprising amount of people don't even have a program for feeling happy at all. If you don't have a happiness program, even if great things are happening in your life, you will be physically unable to experience the sensation of happiness over it all. How sad! If you look back over your life and realize you've never felt that happy, bubbly feeling of joy, you may have a complete lack of happiness programming.
Replacement programs: I know how to be happy, I know what it feels like to be happy, I deserve to be happy, I know what happiness and joy feel like.
Image here.
8. I don't know what it feels like to be loved. This is similar to the above. A lot of people don't even have the program necessary to recognize when they are loved. They just can't feel loved. This is a subconscious programming problem. These people end up being sad by default because they are incapable of recognizing the feelings of being loved, and those feelings are pretty important to happiness!
Replacement programs: I know what it feels like to be loved, I know I am loved, I feel God's love for me, I feel others' love for me, I know what being loved and lovable feels like.
9. I am unloved. This is related to the previous program, as well as the "everyone hates me" program. Obviously feelings of being unloved are miserable.
Replacement programs: I am loved, I know I am always loved, I always feel God's love for me, I know I am accepted for who I am, I know how to feel accepted for who I am, I know what acceptance feels like, I know what being loved unconditionally feels like.
10. I am a failure. This is a sad one. You often see it in, obviously, people whose lives seem like failures! It is often pronounced in men, I suspect because they have more invested in success with things like careers and so forth.
This one often is the most obvious when personal failures (or more accurately, perceived failures) are brought to the fore. Bringing up something that triggers feelings of failure in a person who is running this program can validate their deepest fears, and result in extreme feelings of anger and resentment. Failure programming is very potent and in my experience tends to be linked to extreme emotional reactions in a way the other programs are not. Well, or rather: the emotions linked to this program when it comes into play tend to involve extremes of anger, rather than extremes of sadness or disempowerment.
Image here.
Interacting with someone whose victimhood program is flaring can be annoying, but interacting with someone whose failure programming is flaring can be terrifying. Where martyrs reveling in martyrdom might weep and wail over perceptions of being unfairly trodden on despite their supreme righteousness, a person with a failure program whose failures feel brought to the fore can react violently.
Replacement programs: I know what it feels like to live without failure. I am more than success or failure. I know God loves me no matter what. I feel like I am loved no matter what.
CONCLUSION
There are an unlimited number of potential subconscious programs, but these are just a few of the ones that commonly cause trouble.
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