Subconscious Soul and the Importance of Its Health

Freud may have labeled it the subconscious, but I believe that he was really trying to describe a spiritual aspect of our beings. There most definitely is a deeper part of us than the mind that is directly under our control. Any of us that has/is attempting to reform our lives and follow The Lord more closely has probably noticed that. After thinking in certain terms for so long, especially anger, hate, greed, or lust, will notice that even after not soliciting these thoughts, they seem to ceaselessly proceed from a deep dark abyss somewhere beyond the realms of the psyche that is directly under our control.

I battle with such evil thoughts continuously. Thoughts that others may never be plagued with. Temptations that in the past, I directly encouraged and, in my corrupted, darkened mind, actually believed were something to be proud of!

Now that, by the Grace of God, I see a little more clearly, I no longer have a desire to think in such terms. Yet, still they come, unsolicited, like the poisonous pus streaming from the depths of a cancerous soul. I realize that surely I have an especially dark and cynical soul.

But how did I get this way? Surely there was a time before that I didn't see things in such negative lights, or rationalize that the only remedy was by an equally evil solution.

Every thought we actively entertain, every act we commit to memory has some sort of deeper impact on us in a place we can't really define. Even Freud couldn't explain why a traumatic experience would have horrid consequences on the subconscious of some, but not others. Either some people's mind/wills are stronger than others, or the weakness manifests itself in how we internalize these thoughts. Still the choice is ours. A woman or child may be degraded by molestation. That would be the fact, the act. The conscious choice then to be made from the deduction of that act could be a) that something was wrong with her, or other such rationalizations blaming herself, or b) that the perpetrator was a twisted psycho. The first choice would probably manifest itself in more destructive disordered thoughts, beliefs and actions later in life than the second would.

As would a man who was the victim of some type, any type, of crime. If he consciously viewed himself as weak because of it, though wrong, can we not see how such a false belief would later on influence his actions by possibly becoming more violent than ever before thought possible? To appease a wounded ego that was constantly accusing himself of weakness? Can we not see how this misunderstanding, deeply embedded, might spill over into premeditated attacks against any he deemed threatening? Or be that much more ready to interpret obscure events in the most negative light possible and be ready and willing to respond accordingly? He may become quite the twisted psycho himself.

Our thoughts, and actions, over time have the penetrating ability to seep to ever lower levels of our beings, eventually, if we aren't careful even reach the very essence of who we are - Our Souls! It's a dangerous power we have acquired from God, Our Creator, but one we carelessly wield at our own peril!

The flip side of this is that as long as we're still breathing air, it is possible to saturate our minds with positive, holy desires, plans, and intents, and reactions to problems, so that, in time, these dispositions can also seep into the very recesses of our beings. We may even, with God's Grace, be able to cure some of the black, diseased portions of our own tormented souls that are a source of so many of our life's problems.

Of course, no amount of rehabilitation or punishment can force us to actively change our thought patterns except our own free will to do so.

In either case, knowing this, it would be foolish to let our minds run amok, especially if we're letting them run in downward spirals that we know lead to death, misery, and destruction...

Chris Hall