In short the conscious mind can be said to be everything which we are currently aware of. The unconscious is everything that makes us who we are that we are not aware of. This could include  such things as memory but it could also extend to our awareness of our physical self.

A common way of explaining the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious is the metaphor of the iceberg.

As most people know, when you see the tip of the iceberg you are only seeing 10% of what is there. The rest is below the surface. It is often argued that the conscious mind is like the tip of the iceberg, it shows but is only a small proportion of what is actually there.

Memory is a good example of both the conscious and the unconscious mind. A memory will often be stored in out long term memory (unconscious) but can be transferred into our awareness and thus become conscious.

Unconscious assumptions can effect the way we do things. A lot of psychological therapies rely on the concept of bring unconscious events (memories) or learnings from those events (cognitions) into conscious awareness so they can be challenged and altered. Hypnotherapy also looks to implant, through the medium of verbal suggestion and imagery, new unconscious beliefs about the world.

The concept of the pre-conscious.

The pre-conscious is a useful concept. The preconscious is the transference from unconscious to conscious awareness. This may be familiar from when you have had the feeling that you know something but are not quite there yet. This feeling usually indicates that something is in the preconscious and can be brought to conscious awareness, often by ignoring it and allowing the process of transfer to occur naturally.

Quick summary – What are the conscious and the unconscious mind

The conscious mind is everything that you are currently aware of , be that thoughts, feelings or memories.

The unconscious is everything which you are not currently aware of which is you (psychologically) and you (physically).

Author – Matt Krouwel is a  hypnotherapist in Birmingham (UK) with years of teaching experience both in the UK and abroad. He specalises in working with anxiety, psychosexual disorders and is a post graduate researcher at the Univerisity of Birmingham (UK) in hypnotherapy for IBS.

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So you want to know how to become a certified hypnotherapist? This Blog will tell you everything you need to know!

Training to become a certified hypnotherapist

A hypnotherapists is only as good as their training.  Here are the most important things to consider before you book a training course.

1. Classroom time? – These days theory can be pretty well delivered online,live or pre-recorded. But, hypnotherapy is a practical skill and requires supervised classroom time to practice. Most courses won’t allow you to pass with anything less than 100+ hours of contact time.  Anything less than this should raise concerns.
2. Is there any 1-2-1 or small group time? – Small groups and 1-2-1’s can be essential in preventing your learning needs from becoming lost. A good course will offer this, often with external tutors who can give you their context and experience.
3. What accreditation does the course have? – In the UK you should be looking for a statement of formal academic level (usually 3 or 4).  Be careful; terms such as ‘Certificate’ can be deceptive as they may mean an in-house qualifications with no external validation.
4. Is the course associated with a professional body? – Professional bodies exist to maintain standards after you have qualified. They deal with ongoing issues of Continuous Professional Development (CPD), ethic, and legislative changes and professional conduct. If there isn’t a professional body associated with the training course then be very wary. In the UK Professional bodies should also be accredited with the Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNCH).
5. Insurance? – Most professional bodies will be able to direct you to an insurer, such as www.holisticinsurance.co.uk. Insurance is important to protect you professionally.  It is rarely  mentioned on websites, but a training provider should be able to tell you a little about insurance for the industry.

Matt Krouwel has 20 years experience as a hypnotherapy teacher both in the UK and abroad . He also researches hypnotherapy for Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at the University of Birmingham.

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