No. 6: Bruce Lipton

No. 6: Bruce Lipton

Performance & The Subconscious Mind- Part 6 Bruce Lipton
Posted on February 4, 2011 by Richard Matteson

Bruce Lipton

Hi,

Learning about the Subconscious Mind

We’re continuing onward into the twilight zone and into the realm of the subconscious mind. Performing music is essentially a task of the subconscious which is directed by the conscious mind.

One person who has studied the subconscious is Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. (born October 21, 1944). His 2009 book, Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There from Here co-authored with Steve Bhaerman, takes an in-depth look at the operation and formation of the subconscious.

One of his conclusions is that the habits and beliefs that form your subconscious mind are largely from the time you are in the womb until you are around 6 years old when your brain was operating in the Delta and Theta brain wave state.

Lipton thus infers that accessing the subconscious, which he says controls 95% of your minds activity and is a million times better at processing information, is best done in a similar state. He likens the subconscious to a tape recorder that does not respond to commands from the beta state, which is the primary state of the “waking” adult conscious mind.

When we are performing, we are turning on the tape player (subconscious mind). We can stop or start the tape player- whatever is in the tape player will come out. If we put the right information in, it will be played back- unless- unless the creative conscious mind interrupts the process.

Here’s some biographical information about Bruce from his website: “Dr. Bruce Lipton is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. He has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conferences.

Dr. Lipton began his scientific career as a cell biologist. He received his Ph.D. Degree from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville before joining the Department of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine in 1973. Dr. Lipton’s research on muscular dystrophy, studies employing cloned human stem cells, focused upon the molecular mechanisms controlling cell behavior. An experimental tissue transplantation technique developed by Dr. Lipton and colleague Dr. Ed Schultz and published in the journal Science was subsequently employed as a novel form of human genetic engineering.


In 1982, Dr. Lipton began examining the principles of quantum physics and how they might be integrated into his understanding of the cell’s information processing systems. He produced breakthrough studies on the cell membrane, which revealed that this outer layer of the cell was an organic homologue of a computer chip, the cell’s equivalent of a brain. His research at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, between 1987 and 1992, revealed that the environment, operating though the membrane, controlled the behavior and physiology of the cell, turning genes on and off. His discoveries, which ran counter to the established scientific view that life is controlled by the genes, presaged one of today’s most important fields of study, the science of epigenetics. Two major scientific publications derived from these studies defined the molecular pathways connecting the mind and body. Many subsequent papers by other researchers have since validated his concepts and ideas.”

In 2005 Lipton published The Biology of Belief – Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles, which “showed that the environment, and more specifically, our perception (interpretation)of the environment, directly controls the activity of our genes. Environment controls gene activity through a process known as epigenetic control.

This new perspective of human biology does not view the body as just a mechanical device, but rather incorporates the role of a mind and spirit. This breakthrough in biology is fundamental in all healing for it recognizes that when we change our perception or beliefs we send totally different messages to our cells and reprogram their expression. The new-biology reveals why people can have spontaneous remissions or recover from injuries deemed to be permanent disabilities.” [Interview with Bruce in Planeta Magazine]

Back to the Subconscious:
The reason positive thinking doesn’t work contends Lipton is because the adult Alpha brain wave mind is sending signals to the Theta brain wave subconscious. There’s a communication gap!

Lipton is throwing a curve ball to many of the positive thinking proponents who advocate conscious thoughts influence the subconscious. [Some of the following information comes from "Life Changing Brain Waves-Making the Impossible, Possible" EZ Self Help - Issue #005 - August 7, 2008. The article is based on Lipton without mentioning him. I've changed and added to the info.]

Fortunately, suggests Lipton, the information in the subconscious can be altered and faulty information erased. He suggests three processes to effectively implement change:

Awareness
Hypnotherapy
Energy Psychology

1. The slowest of the three is awareness. As you become more aware of your thoughts, you can recognize old (patterns) thoughts and beliefs.

You can then discover if you are the awareness behind your thoughts or if you are in your thoughts. That is, are you consumed and controlled by them.

Becoming aware and witnessing your thoughts, you begin to realize you are not attached.

Through this awareness, you can begin to question thoughts and old beliefs by asking:

“Why do I believe this?”
“Is this belief really true?”
“Where does this belief come from?”
“What happens to me because I believe…?”
“How do I act/behave because I believe….?”
When we begin witnessing our thoughts and looking at the outcomes or results from these thoughts, the next time we become aware of the thought we can then choose to not go there.

Using questions to access the subconscious is the foundation of many new therapies which we will look at in other blogs.

2. Hypnotherapy is the second (and faster) technique. While hypnotized you are accessing the Theta brain waves, making it is easier to download new information (habits).

You can also access the Theta just before you go to sleep and immediately upon awakening. It is the ideal time to play tapes, visualize goals, etc.

3. The quickest method of eliminating old beliefs and re-programming the subconscious is using an “Energy Psychology” technique.

Energy psychology encompasses a wide variety of techniques that influence the “Super Learning” state, allowing you to access Theta and re-write the old, negative programs and eliminate self-sabotage and self-limiting beliefs.

Here is a short list of energy psychology techniques:

Emotional Freedom Techniques
Body Talk
Holographic Re-patterning
Psych-K
Human Software Engineering
[adapted from "Life Changing Brain Waves-Making the Impossible, Possible"]

Some things Lipton needs to consider are:

1) Thoughts that eminate from the mind are not measured in brain waves. The emphasis on brain waves states and how the two minds communicate leaves out how thoughts work- thoughts are not brain waves.

2) To contend that the important beliefs and habits of the subconscious are formed by the age of six (the end of theta brain wave state) is questionable- I agree that the pathways are established. The subconscious is the whole of our habits and beliefs- I didn’t learn to drive when I was six- I didn’t fall in love when I was six. Most of our development is after the age of six.

I’m not saying the early (Delta-Theta) development of a child isn’t important but it’s only part of the subconscious.

3) Maslow’s process of learning (or the 4 steps or learning) shows that any behavior that is repeated becomes an automatic behavior and is part of the subconscious mind (known as unconscious competence). If the subconscious mind is a tape recorder- all learned and repeated behavior will be found as part of the subconscious mind.

Bruce Lipton is a brilliant guy. Read his book Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There from Here. We’ve looked briefly at EFT (See Part 2) and there’s more to learn from the other energy psychology branches.

Bruce is right- the subconscious mind runs our lives about 95% of the time and we really don’t know how it operates and what’s there.

When we are performing there may be unresolved thoughts and fears from our childhood that may be keeping us from playing our best- but what are they???????

More on uncovering the secrets of the subconscious mind to come,

Richard