The Creative Subconscious

“It is with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The Little Prince

Only within the last two decades has it become acceptable to acknowledge the important role the subconscious plays in everyday life without too much ridicule. The Quantum nature of the universe has demonstrated we live in a multi dimensional universe, unlimited by space or time with the inner world directly linked to that of the universe. As research into creativity has developed, the importance of the subconscious in creativity has become very apparent. So what can we do to increase our intuitive and subconscious faculties? The answer is a lot, although many of these tools require a long term focus with limited short term results, practice being the key to success. The benefits from becoming intuitively in tune are immense in terms of increased creativity.

Human beings have the ability to symbolise experiences in our minds, our thinking is not limited to the real or present. Intuition delivers information through flashes of insight or hunches and gut feeling attaining knowledge unfiltered by rational thought. This capability empowers our thinking by enabling us to simulate possibilities, anticipate and plan the future. By using visualisation and imagination we can generate ideas that have no correlation to the world of experience.

Evolutionary biologists claim that intuitions main purpose is physical growth and adaptation to insure the perpetuation of our species. Adequate information is required to protect against threats to our life and provide the opportunity to achieve our full potential. Ferguson (1999) describes Intuition is as sensory process in human beings triggered by particular kinds of interactions both inside and outside our bodies that influence our stability and optimal performance. It affects our behavior, feelings and thoughts so that we either move involuntarily or receive factual information that provides direction for our decisions about what moves to make”.

The sub-conscious plays an important role in problem solving. Szilard (1990) commenting on scientific discoveries states. “Insights that have lead to a breakthrough were not logically derived from pre-existing knowledge: the creative process on which science is based operates at the level of the subconscious”. The ability to think hard about a problem, stop and do something else frequently leads to new ideas and answers at a later date. The barrier to developing intuition is stress; the inability to relax prevents the inner and outer senses from working together keeping the mind on guard against non-serious activities This results in difficulties using thinking skills that are necessary for fluent and flexible thought.

RELAXATION AND VISUALISATION

Developing intuition involves relaxation and attention. By releasing irrelevant tension, the individual provides full energy and attention to the task at hand. Relaxation is important to thinking generally, because humans think holistically with our body as well as our brain. Overly tight muscles divert attention, restrict the flow of blood, waste energy and stress the nervous system, leading to an uptight body and thoughts. Physiologists have shown that some muscular tension is required to generate and attend to mental processes, some but not too much: relaxed attention. (McKim 1980)

The importance of relaxed attention to creative thinking is well known. Typically after a period of intense focus, letting the problem incubate whilst taking a shower, a walk or sleeping may let the subconscious form a solution. The sudden flash of insight requires relaxation to let thoughts flow and attention to be aware of it before it is lost. A survey by Thompson (1992) found the toilet, in the shower, commuting, driving, dozing in meetings; night time, sermons or exercising and manual labor the best places to get an idea using relaxed attention. More importantly no one claimed to get good ideas in the office and every setting involved fun and pleasure.

Physical relaxation techniques provide an excellent way to break cycles of fear, worry and tension. Through relaxing physical tensions, the ability to maintain a negative psychological state decreases and the ability to think creatively is enhanced. There are two ways to achieve a relaxed state, passive and dynamic. Dynamic, involves activity; passive, involves lying down and going limp.

Guided by reality and illusion the power of imagination can be used creatively or destructively depending on our choice. Mental visualisation uses the power of the mind in activities as diverse as professional sport, a businessmen visualising a top performance to a yogi surviving being buried alive. Creative visualisation and directed fantasy strengthens the ability to control the imagination.

Mills (1994) identifies three types of visualisation. Receptive visualisation, involves conscious immersion in the problem, closing the eyes and relaxing or doing something different, then letting the subconscious take over. Programmed visualisation involves communicating with the subconscious. Guided visualisation involves painting a mental image but leaving out detail which the subconscious completes.

Clarity of mental images ranges from detailed to blurred impressions. Vivid and clear imagery is frequently not desired in visual thinking, these impressions are informed through multi-sensory input. Mental operations that involve abstraction, flexible manipulation and creative synthesis are obstructed by detail. Visual memory on the other hand is generally facilitated by clear imagery, as is the visualisation of concrete ideas.

DREAMING

A primary source of visual imagery is autonomous imagery. This is imagery that is not susceptible to conscious control like dream imagery. Autonomous imagery includes hypno-gogic and hypno-pompic imagery, (imagery experienced just before falling asleep or in the drowsy state before waking) daydreams and hallucination. Many well known creative people including: Richard Wagner, Edgar Allan Poe and Thomas Edison report using hypno-gogic imagery as source material. This imagery can be cultivated using the following the steps.

• Before falling asleep consciously relax your body into a state of deep muscle relaxation
• Concurrently, stop inner speech by silencing verbal thinking.
• Relax the eyes. Conscious focusing and scanning will cause hypno-gogic imagery to recede.
• To avoid falling asleep with the minimum of effort hold an arm in a vertical balanced position, muscle tonus suddenly decreases and when the arm falls you suddenly awake
• .Record experiences as soon as possible before they fade.

Even without dreaming the productive thinker controls his inner imagery, manipulates it, transforms it and moves it along towards a desired goal. Imagination games will direct the imagination opening the possibilities inherent in fantasy developing their imaginative capacity. Self directed games must make sure that rules are broken as often as kept. Icebergs are hot, spiders bark, Trees sing. Defying normality clarifies the distinction between reality and fantasy strengthening control of the imagination.

The power of dreams is familiar with many well-known thinkers. Blake, Voltaire, Tolstoy, Mozart, Descartes, Bohr, Telsa and Kekule all describe dreams in their problem solving process. Dreams are a potent force in many non-western countries and acknowledged in the west through the work of Jung (1962) as having a particular force. He states …There are these particular faculties of the psyche that show it isn’t confined to space or time. You can have dreams or visions of the future, you can see round corners and such things. Only ignorant’s deny these facts. It is quite evident that they do exist and have existed always”

Price & Haynes (1997) argue that dreams serve a certain function. Firstly, as a means of exploring personal growth. Secondly, as a way to reflect and learn from past events and finally and most importantly point to solutions to life’s future problems. McKim (1980) states. “In the west the thinking we do while asleep usually remains on a muddled, childish, or psychotic level because we do not consider dreams as socially important and include dreaming in the education process. This social neglect of one side of man’s reflective thinking, when the creative process is most free, seems poor education”.

The natural resource of the human is barely tapped and when placed within the infinity of the universe to say we only use 10% of our potential is wildly optimistic. Practising visualisation, becoming sensitive to the sense of intuition, refusing to believe our negative mental energies and believing in ourselves can lead us to exciting creative opportunities.

INTUITION

It is probably only the intuitive leap that will let us solve problems in this complex world. This is the major advantage of man over computer.
Tom Peters and Robert Waterman.

Intuitive decision-making based on research by Dean and Mihalsky (1974) found executives of the companies that more than doubled profits had a far higher intuitive ability based on predictive testing. They also found dynamic people who got more done in a day also had a far higher intuitive score.

“Intuition is the function that explores the unknown, senses possibilities and implications which may not be readily apparent”
Carl Jung

We can avoid a lot of unhappiness if we know how to respond to a given situation. Relying upon our memories is a poor strategy for the simple reason that memory manipulates our memories. What we need to do is to be far more attentive to our emotions as soon as they happen before they are distorted by judgments, ideas and memories this is a process that involves being in the moment. Being in the moment means we need to listen to our intuition.

Intuition from the latin intueri meaning looking or knowing from within.

Intuition comes from within you. It begins with self-awareness and then interfaces with awareness of the surrounding environment combining to make sense of a situation. A combination of intuition with reason and logic provides fertile new ground for perception and thinking.

How not to be intuitive

Before you start to develop your intuition you must remember that you will not awaken your intuition if lost in a tense noisy world, if you are in emotional or mental turmoil or when you are stressed. You will not respond to signals if you are reliant upon words as intuitions language is emotional and sensory. Intuition is impaired by; wishful thinking, acting out of fear, when you are too embedded in a sense of ownership or when you project personal needs onto someone or something. Don’t expect intuitive insights to come to you with flashing lights and a booming voice, the messages are often very subtle and easily missed if you are not aware.

The only really valuable thing is intuition.
Albert Einstein

BEING INTUITIVE

You will awaken your intuitive abilities when you are STILL, CENTERED and RECEPTIVE. To use intuition effectively, simply believe it works and you can receive guidance from your higher self. The more it is used the more available, quicker and powerful it becomes.

Intuition is non-rational, non-linear, insightful, non-data based, and read in the body as an extension of the five senses. There is always a preferred sense for example listeners may tilt their heads to one side until they hear the answer. Visual people may squint then focus when they see the answer. Touch people may rub their thumb and forefingers together until they feel the answers. In all cases intuition includes a heightened sense of awareness through the senses. Therefore in order to develop heightened intuition learn to intuit though your preferred natural sense.

Intuitive signals are received through the senses in five main ways

Physical	(body)	Gut feelings, stomach ache, tension headache, adopting another’s pain.
Mental	(mind)	Eureka or aha effect, pieces of a problem, come together forming a new theories.
Emotional	(heart)	Immediate like or dislike, sudden change of mood, without logical provocation.
Spiritual	(soul)	Awareness of a connection beyond the physical world.
Environment	(place)	Cues from the environment sending messages, flat tire telling you to miss a meeting.

Intuitive problem solving follows the following process.

How to develop your intuition.

1. Honour	Respect flashes don’t label any as silly or coincidental.
2. Brevity / Simplicity	Express flashes in a brief word, talking is for the logical brain.
3. Symbol/Picture/Imagery	Intuition turns on pictures for you to receive.
4. Suspend assumptions	Use intuitive input as naively as possible avoid preconceived ideas.
5. First impressions	Initial ideas are usually correct.
6. Faint Stirrings	Respect weak impressions as strongly as the blinding flashes.
7. Active / Passive	Intuitions can come unexpectedly or when consciously sought.
8. Relax	Letting go of tension helps with receiving impressions.
9. Associate	Freely associate to the imagery will help unravel symbols.
10. Playful moments	Enjoy the process, fun weakens analysis and strengthens the flow.

Intuition can extend your awareness to an unlimited extent. With intuition you can project your awareness to any time and place. The goal of applying intuition is to direct awareness to gain useful information. We choose what we encounter and make decisions about what we notice. Some notice beauty other grime. Where we can really use the conscious mind is in noticing the choices we make. If we find ourselves only seeing the negative we can notice that preoccupation and look for the good.

Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.
Jonas Salk

ASKING INTUITIVE QUESTIONS

Be careful what you ask for you may get it. You must be careful with the questions you ask of your intuition because you will surely answer them. An ancient example of an ambiguous question put to an intuitive occurred in ancient Greece. A powerful ruler about to invade the lands of an enemy kingdom asked the Oracle at Delphi whether a great battle would be won. The oracle responded in the affirmative. The oracle was correct; the battle was won. Unfortunately for the king, it was by his rival. Had he known as much as you now know about questions he would have asked a question along the lines of “will I successfully invade my rivals kingdom tomorrow” or better still “will I successfully invade my rivals kingdom tomorrow at an acceptable cost?”

Its easy asking questions we don’t intend to ask for example suppose you ask “will it rain tomorrow” the answer has to be “yes” because somewhere in the world it will rain. A question properly phrased is half answered. Understanding what you are asking often reveals much of the answer. Poorly phrased questions are ambiguous and can be interpreted in more than one way.

The requirements of a good question

1. The question must be specific and unambiguous so a precise answer is possible “will it rain tomorrow in Auckland city centre”.
2. Each question must be simple rather than compounding “Will I get the Jones contract and be promoted” (your intuition will address the first half only)
3. The question must be directly relevant to the issue you want to know about. Know what you are asking. don’t ask “is Twiddletech a good company” when what you want to know is whether Twiddletech are financially secure and represent a good investment.

Once you have relaxed and received an image through your senses you will need to figure out what this means, as these messages are rarely literal. For example your problem is should I accept a contract offer. a Kauri tree may indicate that your answer is strong, rare, growing, green or expansive you then need to decide out which one is relevant to your situation and how it resonates with you.

Ways to develop your intuition

Spontaneity There is only one moment in life and that is NOW! Being spontaneous is being free from the past and not worrying about the future. Be present and you will be amazed at what creative forces come to you.

Paying Attention / Observant Creativity requires an attentive state. If you pay attention and observe then you can discover ideas rather than being in your head shut off to everything around you and trying to invent good ideas.

Being Open you need to have an openness both mentally physically to go wherever the creative journey may take you. Your mind and body are two parts of one system and you cannot change one without having an effect on the other, therefore both must be open. Open yourself up to new experiences, be open to what people are and aren’t saying to you, look for what is new, what you could learn, what you could attempt.

Relaxed Alertness Like a top performance athlete, you need to be relaxed and alert. That way you’re not in your head trying hard to have a good idea and instead are alert to discover everything around you. Relaxed alertness allows you to be present whereas a stressful state has a narrowing impact on the mind and body.

USING THE INTUITIVE PROCESS

1. Relax,
2. Think of a problem that you would like to find an answer to
3. Resolve a personal issue
4. Important decision at work
5. Understand unpredictable personality
6. New perspective for positive action
7. Discover a creative or innovative approach
8. Frame the problem correctly based upon questioning structure and write it down.
9. Elicit an image.  Which of your senses were engaged during the process?
10. Draw a mind map using words you associate with the image you received. Do any of the words link, can you see a pattern?
11. If you have time, forget the answer and allow your subconscious to process the ideas generated.
12. Decide upon a course of action.

Provoking insight

Some suggestions for enhancing skills that will provoke insight:

1. Immerse yourself in others projects and be yourself.
2. Ask questions that clarify hidden aspects of issues in different ways.
3. Identify hidden assumptions and help them by posing ambiguities.
4. Make provocative statements that lead to additional insights.
5. Help people to search for solutions not just one answer.
6. Help others to balance their feelings and thoughts in order to balance intuition and analysis.
7. Help people to shift their way of doing things so they develop new habits.
8. Help others to discover flaws in their thinking.