Conscious and subconscious mind

 

What is the difference between conscious and subconscious mind in simple terms?

Here are the main differences between the two brain systems:

1. The subconscious mind remains active 24/7 while the conscious mind is inactive while we sleep.
2. The subconscious mind is exploratory while the conscious mind is inhibitory.
3. The subconscious mind is irrational while the conscious mind is rational.
4. The subconscious mind is emotional while the conscious mind is logical.
5. The subconscious mind lives in the here and now while the conscious mind can think in the past and in the future.
6. Human language doesn’t exist in the subconscious mind but the underlying representations for human language are stored there. For example, the word “APPLE” is formed in the conscious mind, but the underlying “form” of an apple - aka its symbol or its representation exists in the subconscious mind!
7. The subconscious mind never ages, it never “matures” it turns on at around age 2-3 (when our memory faculties turn on) and remain at that age forever. The conscious mind ages over time and becomes “mature”.
8. “Thinking” is a function of the conscious mind, thinking does not happen at the subconscious level, instead, the subconscious mind “processes” representations of your real-life experiences, memories, etc.
9. When people talk about “the ego” they are talking about the conscious mind. Since the subconscious mind never ages, it remains “pure, child-like, innocent” all our lives!
10. We experience all of our dreams on a subconscious level every night during REM-sleep but we typically are not “aware” of it because our conscious mind is inactive and our bodies are paralyzed.