What is the subconscious mind?

3 Jan 2009

When going into sleep my mind comes up with some wonderful ideas, but by morning for the life of me can not remember what they were.
Surely if they are there within me I should be able to find them while I am awake. rolleyes

Do others have this same thing happen?
Or am I just going mad? lol

3 Jan 2009

I've lost track of the number of times I've had a 'lightbulb over the head' money-making idea during the night only for it to evaporate by the morning! rolleyes

I'm never quite sure if the idea would really have made me a million though or whether it was just wishful thinking confused

3 Jan 2009

The subconscious mind is exactly that - the mental activity that happens below a conscious level. A significant portion of the brain does its stuff outside your consciousness.
We're comfy with the idea that we doesn't have to think about it to breathe. Some unfortunates have to think before they can move - very debilitating. But it's isn't so obvious that a lot of thinking about real-life things can happen without you being in control of it.
But how many times does an answer pop into your head during a pub-quiz or Trivial Pursuit and you have no idea where it came from? And you're as surprised as anyone when it is right. I love quizzes and I've tried to trust my own 'lightbulb' answers, they are right far more often that they should be.
I'm not claiming to be clever - but I know we all have far more info in our heads than we can pull down on demand. Now THAT would be a great skill biggrin

I'm a strong believer in 'sleeping on it' whenever I have a dilemma. It often works a treat - failing that tossing a coin is a close second. LOL