Is There An Unconscious Mind and What Are Its Powers?
By Lee E. Warren B.A., D.D. (© 1998 PLIM REPORT)
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Introduction
Certain men throughout all cultures before and after Yahshua the Messiah have demonstrated strange and miraculous powers. These mental powers of telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, remote viewing, eyeless vision, and remembering so-called past lives were always latent in mankind and are associated with the mind. Thus, of all the great mysteries in the physical creation, there is no greater mystery than the human mind.
Men have wondered: What is the substance of the mind? How does it operate? What are the powers latent therein? Is there any scientific proof to show their existence?
The mind is the very thing that causes consciousness to exist and enables humans to explore and intercourse with the environment and each other. It is startling to find that prior to the last fifty to one hundred years there was so little known about something so fundamental to mankinds basic existence.
Within the last 25 or 40 years, there has been more knowledge revealed about the mind than ever before in mankinds history. New information about the mind enables one to understand its structure and operation. In fact, a whole new discipline that covers paranormal psychology, ESP, telekinesis, etc., has developed during this period. Dr. Rhine of Duke University was the primary pioneer of this field.
What is the intent of this article?
The intent of this article is to show evidence of the existence of the unconscious mind and the above powers latent therein although there are many in the religious community that will deny it. The above questions about the mind will be answered using the Bible, the tabernacle pattern, and scientific proof to show the existence of some of these powers.
In reality, there is no such thing as an unconscious mind. It is simply another part of consciousness. From the outset, we want to make it clear that this article is not saying these powers of the unconscious mind are eternal life, but are a part of man in much the same way as his physical senses are.
Because a man has physical senses, it does not mean that he is honest or loving. Neither does his ability to perform paranormal phenomena, cause him to be caring and trustworthy. Likewise, the supernatural powers of angelic creatures, does not mean they all exist in a resurrected state. Angels fallen from grace "were not depotentiated, but retained all the preternatural--beyond earth--powers given them at creation. These powers essentially consist of immortal existence; mystical knowledge of the universe; and the power to bypass the physical laws of nature, giving them the ability to bring about psychic phenomena and produced synthetic creations (The Demonologist, by Gerald Brittle, ©1980 Berkley Books, New York, p. 92)."
Even Buddha was not impressed by supernatural powers including divination, soothsaying, and forecasting. When one of his disciples began to levitate, he told the others not to be awe struck. Buddha considered such powers "as low arts, and, though he concluded from his own experience that the human mind was capable of powers now referred to as paranormal, he refused to allow his monks to play around with those powers (The Worlds Religions by Huston Smith, © 1991, HarperSanFrancisco, p. 97)." Buddha felt that relying on the supernatural amounted "to looking for shortcuts, easy answers, and simple solutions that could only divert attention from the hard, practical task of self-advance (p. 97)."
One has to understand and know from practical experiences that the Holy Spirit is within ones consciousness, for Job said: "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding (Job 32:8)."
One of the principal tools for researching the mind is hypnotism, or another state of consciousness, that reveals the existence of the unconscious mind. Currently, hypnotism is used as a method to stop smoking, for weight loss, and to improve memory. In the next issue of the "PLIM REPORT," we will explain hypnotism in more detail
When was the unconscious mind discovered?
It has only been since the advancement of science in the last one hundred years that researchers have been able to roll back some of the dark surrounding the mind. At the end of the 19th century when the forces in the atoms were being discovered, Freud made a very important breakthrough concerning the mind. Freuds contribution to modern psychiatry and psychology revealed the "unconscious mind" or that part of consciousness, which is hidden.
This important discovery was accepted by the scientific community and opened the door to understanding the operation of the mind and its structure. Freud formulated one of the first working hypotheses of how the mind operates. Space will not allow for detailed explanations of Freuds discovery.
In reality, Freud did not discover the "unconscious mind." It will be shown later that this concept existed long before. During Freuds hypnotic treatment of a patient, named Anna O, suffering from hysteria he was led to his discovery of the unconscious mind (Freud and Bruer Studies of Hysteria--The Complete Psychological Works of Freud VII, © 1964, Gerth Hosa Ryh). Hypnotism reveals the existence of the unconscious part of the mind. At the time no researchers fully understood what they were dealing with.
Now the term "unconscious mind" is somewhat of a misnomer or mislabels. Freuds intent was not to imply that the mind lacked consciousness. He was referring to another state of the mind, which we are not conscious of. Normally, we perceive and interact with the world with normal waking conscious.
Freud showed that the "unconscious mind" has its own thoughts and attitudes. A multitude of unresolved conflicts, memories, repressed thoughts, etc., are stored there and are the source of many problems concerning mental illnesses. So if one wants to know the nature of a person, one has to know what is in the "unconscious mind," which is just another part of consciousness.
Let us proceed to understand this form of consciousness, for it has been shown to have greater power than normal waking consciousness.
Does hypnotism reveal the unconscious mind?
It has been known from mans inception that he experiences more than the waking state of consciousness. The sleep and dream states are the two most obvious forms of consciousness. Now mankind sees the dream state as the most fascinating one, for it is another form of consciousness, other than the waking state, where information can be received.
Various cultures throughout the world have shown that one can enter other or altered states of consciousness than the waking, sleeping, and dream state by means of meditation, drugs, and other trance-induced methods.
The "unconscious mind" is another state of consciousness where strange things were first observed. One of the most important tools for exploring the mind is hypnotism that maps the "unconscious mind" or other states of consciousness. There are no physical tools available to investigate the inner workings of the human mind.
Who is Anton Mesmer and what is animal magnetism?
Ironically, Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was looking for a better healing method when he accidentally discovered hypnotism in the middle of the 18th century. He called it "animal magnetism" since he used magnets and other forms of electrical gadgets to try to improve the healing process. He eventually became disenchanted with these gadgets and found out he got better results without them.
Adam Crabtree states the following about Mesmers view of magnetism in his book Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality (Praeger, © 1985). He believed: "&that the universe is full of magnetism & that the body itself is a magnet, and that a physician may use his own body to affect the magnetic balance of this patient." Mesmer sat up his school in Paris espousing magnetism as a treatment. Many came from all over Europe to investigate this method and it caused a great stir among the medical community. Now James Baird, an English surgeon, renamed "animal magnetism" hypnotism in the 1820s.
Mesmer knew that his method could not cure all illnesses, but it could "cure nervous orders." For example if a person was blind due to nerve damage, Mesmer could not help, but hypnotism would help if one were blind due to hysteria.
Who revealed the second self or another state of consciousness?
No one in the late 1700s and early 1800s, knew that during magnetic states they were putting people in trances and these people were reacting to suggestions given unto them. One of Mesmers students, the Marquis de Puysegur (1725-1825), accidentally put a patient named Victor in a trance from which he could not awaken him in 1784. He later found out that his patient would do anything that he suggested. He called this state of consciousness "magnetic sleep," according to the book Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality.
With this patient Puysegur came to the following conclusions about the magnetic state.
" His patients actions, thoughts, and imaginations were influenced by suggestions from Puysegur.
" The patients intelligence and general alertness improved while in this trance state.
" Only Puysegur could touch the patient without causing him pain. A touch from anyone else would cause great torment.
" Once mental rapport was established, the patient became aware of Puysegurs unexpressed thoughts without him having to utter them.
" When the patient returned to his normal state of consciousness, he had no memory of what transpired in this hypnotic trance state. It appears that Puysegur was dealing with two different patients.
Clearly, these observations showed that there was another part of consciousness that mankind was ignorant of and manifest strange powers beneath the surface of our normal waking consciousness. Hypnotism was the only systematic way of observing this state.
There are other observations of this hypnotic trance state that have been documented which this article will not discuss. Now the implication of the hypnotic trance enables one to understand how the Holy Spirit can put a human mind in a trance thereby perceiving visions and revelations (Num. 12:8).
Does the Master mention anything about trances in the Bible?
The great Master Yahshua the Messiah hinted that there were other levels of consciousness when He said that there were many mansions in His Fathers house. He said to His disciples: "In my Fathers house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (Jn. 14:2-3)."
Many Christians of fundamental doctrines have interpreted these verses literally. They think that after they physically die and go to heaven, they will see a big mansion in the sky. Now according to the Apostle Paul the Fathers house is the physical body, which is the temple for the soul on the earth (1 Cor. 6:19-20). The mansions in the temple of man are states of consciousness, for obviously there are no physical mansions in the body.
Clearly, the Messiah was not in the same state of mind as His disciples. He said: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Now the question is: where was the Messiahs mind when He was in a physical body in the earth? What is this prepared place? He was in a heavenly state of mind or consciousness (Rom. 8:6).
The Apostle John wrote that the Messiah was always in a heavenly state of mind while on the earth. He wrote: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven (Jn. 3:13)." From the Messiahs words, one can see that the "unconscious mind" is one of the mansions in the temple of mankinds mind that we are totally ignorant of.
Religious experiences are full of people experiencing altered states of consciousness, which hypnotism and trances are. Now throughout the Bible there are many instances of people (Jew and Gentile) falling from their waking state into trances and receiving visions from Elohim. For example, when the Messiah transfigured before Peter, James, and John, He produced the souls of Moses and John Baptist. The disciples were in an altered state of consciousness when they saw this vision (Mt. 17:1-9).
What this proves is that when a person is hypnotized in a trance it prefigures Elohim putting men into trances and revealing things unto them by visions. In short, no one can have any spiritual experiences in the normal waking state. A few examples from the scriptures will illustrate the point.
Who fell into a trance in the Bible?
One of the first examples in the Old Testament of a person falling into a trance while awake is Baalam the Gentile seer (Num. 24th chp.). The scriptures state: "He (Baalam) hath said, which heard the words of Elohim (God), which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:" Here we have Balaam losing his normal consciousness of this world.
He entered another state of consciousness where he was no longer conscious of this world and his surroundings. Now this state is similar to a person that is hypnotized.
In this state Balaam uttered a prophecy of a vision that Elohim shows him about Israel. He was also shown in a trance that the Messiah would come through Israel and would be a raising star (Num. 24:16-17). In fact, all visions that transpired in the scriptures, especially the Old Testament, happened in an altered state of consciousness even though the word "trance" is not used (see Ezk. 8:1-3; 11:24; 40:2 ).
In the so-called New Testament after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Present Age of Grace, when the Apostle Peter went to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, he received his instructions to do so while in a trance. Luke wrote the following account of the event. "And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance (Acts 10:10)," Paul also experienced a trance. "And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance (Acts 22:17)."
It is clear that when Elohim reveals himself to humans, it is done in an altered state of consciousness and not in the normal state of waking consciousness.
Clearly, these altered states are the many mansions in His fathers house that have to be revealed to modern and skeptical man.
Now this article will catalogue many of the strange phenomena that take place during hypnotism revealing the hidden powers in man. But before examining the powers of the second self or the "unconscious mind," an excerpt from the writers unpublished paper on hypnotism will be quoted in the next section.
[Note to the Reader: the following section is taken from the unpublished paper by Dr. Lee Warren entitled: "What are the Structure and the Modus Operandi of Hypnosis in Accordance to the Divine Tabernacle Pattern?"]
In hypnosis there are two parties: the subject and the hypnotist. The subject is analogous to the Soul and the hypnotist is analogous to Yahweh-Elohim, who is the Divine Law. By the definition of hypnosis, it is the hypnotist that puts the subject into a trance-like or altered state of consciousness, whereby and wherein, he can induce suggestions.
Likewise, the Divine Law (Yahshua the Messiah), who is the true hypnotist, puts the Soul or mind, which is the true subject, in a so-called trance-like or altered state of consciousness wherein Yahshua places his words, visions, etc., which are likened unto suggestions. As the subject, in most cases, unerringly carries out the various suggestions in hypnosis, likewise, it is Yahshua the Messiah in us that causes us to carry out His commandments unerringly in righteousness.
By examining the relationship between the hypnotist and the subject, we are able to take the natural or physical types and shadows to understand how the Divine Law is operating and communing within the Soul (Mind). This Divine Law prefigures the New Covenant written in the hearts and minds (Jer. 31:31-34; 2 Cor. 3:2-3).
For example, the principle that the hypnotized subject heeds only the voice of the hypnotist has a deeper significance (see John 10:4). The subject has no will of his own, and sees, feels, smells, and tastes in accordance with the suggestion of the hypnotist, although this maybe in contradiction even to the normal senses. Truly our spiritual senses are directed by Yahshua the Messiah or His small still voice (Jn. 14:6-10, 26).
It also shows that the will of the hypnotist is flowing through the subjects mind, not his own will, just as the Messiah said it is not His own will, but the Father Yahweh speaking and doing the work (John 4:34).
Dr. Henry C. Kinley makes the following quote in the textbook, Elohim The Archetype (Original) Pattern of the Universe: "Here, as in all other cases, the action of the Holy Spirit on the Soul of man, is to HIM WHO UNDERSTANDS what the "Spirit Law" of nature is to things so-called inanimate, and is the power which harmonies the will of the individual actions with the Universal Will of Yahweh (Vol. 4, pg. 112, 3rd para.)."
What powers exist in the Second State?
It should be noted that many medical doctors have documented powers of the so-called unconscious mind. However, it has only been in the last twenty years that various medical organizations have recognized hypnotism as a valid tool to diagnose the treatment of certain illnesses.
Now there were five Englishman between 1840-60 that described the various things that occurred during hypnosis. They were Rev. Chauncy H. Townshend: an Anglican; Dr. Joseph Haddock; Professor of Chemistry William Gregory; Dr. Surgeon James Esdaile; and Surgeon Herbert Mayo that observed the operations of the unconscious mind, according to Adam Crabtrees book Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality (p. 6-20). Many modern hypnotists later documented most of their findings.
Their findings divided hypnotism into two categories called the "lower" and "higher" phenomena. Now the "lower phenomena" produce many unusual phenomena, but none that defy our current belief system. The "higher phenomena," on the other hand, include many phenomena that are extraordinary and difficult to accept in spite of the evidence presented. Their finding describe powers of the mind that are paranormal.
What are some "lower phenomena?"
Now the "lower phenomena" produced by hypnotised subjects are described as follows:
" Those hypnotized in this trance-like state resemble a person sleepwalking, also called somnambulist.
" They have a double consciousness and memory. During the waking state they act as one, but during the hypnotic trance the waking state cannot remember what transpires during the trance state. In contrast, the trance state can remember what occurred during the normal state.
" They experience a loss of identity.
" They are highly susceptible to suggestions from the hypnotists.
" Their physical senses can be deadened. In fact, before the invention of anesthesia doctors performed various surgeries by hypnotizing the patient without pain being felt or the side effects of the drugs.
" Their memory is heightened.
" There is a rapport between the hypnotist and the patients that results in a strange connection.
These are just a few observations that are common among the hypnotists of today.
What are some "higher phenomena?"
Now the "higher phenomena" produce results that defy reason. Here are some of the results.
1. A telepathic link between the hypnotist and the patient.
" There is transfer of feelings between the hypnotist and the patient. When the hypnotist smells an odor with his nose, the patient also smells the same odor. If the hypnotist is jabbed in the arm, the patient feels the same pain in his arm. Simply put, the hypnotist and the patient appear to be joined by some mysterious force that to this day is unexplainable.
2. A mental connection or rapport
" The patient exhibits a type of telepathy of the hypnotists mind and even thoughts that he had forgotten.
3. Clairvoyance
" A minority of patients has the ability to see things at a distance. Adam Crabtree describes a remarkable situation where the hypnotist chose five cards without seeing them and showed them to a third party. The patient named them correctly
" There are also rare cases where those who were put in trance can successfully diagnose various illnesses. This is much like Edgar Cayce who entered a trance and diagnosed many illnesses.
4. Ecstasy or Vision
" In some rare cases the patient remembers speaking with spirits in the trance.
These are a few rare cases that researchers have documented.
Can hypnotism be used to heighten these powers?
Researchers have shown that hypnotism cannot be used heighten one's psychic abilities. The book The Signet Handbook of Parapsychology (© 1978 Signet Book) edited by Martin Ebon states: "From the beginning of research in parapsychology, many investigators have been of the opinion that hypnosis, sleep, or other forms of dissociation are important means of improving ESP (p. 334)."
Simply put, hypnosis does not improve ESP (Extra-Sensory Perception), but just sets up conditions that causes the mind to focus and not be distracted. The main point is that hypnosis helps the individual to completely relax. King David wrote: "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth (Ps. 46:10)."
Conclusion
What this article intended to do was give the reader scientific proof of another state of consciousness, the so-called unconscious mind, which most people are unaware of. This state of mind has its own strange powers not unlike the physical senses of the normal waking consciousness.
These powers have been documented and observed in a different state of consciousness than our waking state of mind. The powers that are revealed through hypnotism are in reality an integral part of the soul or mind. These powers are of themselves not salvation or eternal life, but they show another part of the human that we are unaware of.
Now this article has shown that a change in states of mind or consciousness from the normal waking state to an altered state of consciousness is necessary for Elohim to reveal Himself by visions and revelations (Num. 12:6).
Many Bible students and ministers do nor understand that there is a change in our state of consciousness not only to receive visions from Elohim, but also to transform our normal state of mind from a carnal state to a spiritual state (Eph. 4:23-24; Rom. 12:2).
Simply put, hypnotism shows in reflection or type how the Holy Spirit is able to put the mind in different states of consciousness and reveal things unto it, especially under the New Covenant.