Power Tool Assessment Name: Jennifer Gastelum Date: August 6, 2012 Email: Aznative371@comcast.

net

Complete your Power Tool in the space below and then email as an attachment to assessment@icoachacademy.com

CONSCIOUS VS UNCONSCIOUS THOUGHTS There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, 239-251 Conscious Thoughts Conscious defined by Oxford Dictionary online is having knowledge of something; being aware; deliberate; intentional and directly perceptible to and under the control of the person concerned. (Oxford Dictionary, 2012) Therefore conscious thoughts are ones that we are aware of and can be explained and discussed in a rational way. Unconscious Thoughts Unconscious is defined by Oxford Dictionary online as done or existing without realizing. (Oxford Dictionary, 2012) In contrast to conscious thoughts, unconscious thoughts are much more complex in nature and are difficult to define. A vast amount of research has been conducted over the years on unconscious thoughts and it should be noted that automatic thoughts (Aaron Beck), self talk (Albert Ellis) or internal dialogue are synonymous. Unconscious thoughts are hidden from awareness or are often repressed from the conscious mind. They can be thoughts, mental images or pictures, memories or even physical sensations that go through our mind. Psychologists call them automatic because they pass quickly through our minds and we are not fully aware of them. A good analogy is that they are like reflexes that occur quickly and spontaneously to an event. (Gagnon, 2012). A person may not even be aware of the thoughts, just the associated emotion. Unconscious thoughts work independently and without the knowledge of the conscious mind and are developed through repeated experiences. This explains why we are often unaware of our behavior. Unconscious thoughts can be both positive and negative. Our focus here is on negative unconscious thoughts as they appear to have damaging effect and block goal attainment. Self Application If someone is throwing garbage into your house you will fight with that person, but if someone is throwing garbage into your mind you will not fight with him. ~Osho Ever have a goal and no matter what you do, you fail to reach it? Even with meticulous planning and execution even the best laid plans can fail. When this happens there is a
Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006

disconnect between the conscious and unconscious thought processes. Subconscious thoughts must be in line with conscious ones if you are going to be successful in achieving your goals. The unconscious mind functions independently from the conscious mind and it never rests, it is constantly working. Think about a time when you could not remember someones name and the name came to you several hours later while doing an entirely different activity. This is your unconscious mind at work. The subconscious mind is thought by many to be much more powerful than the conscious mind. Freud believed the things that are hidden from awarenessexert the greatest influence over our personalities and behavior (Cherry, 2012) According to Anando neuroscientists have shown that the conscious mind provides 5% or less of our cognitive (conscious) activity during the dayand many people operate at just 1% consciousnessscientists show that most of our decisions, actions, emotions and behavior depend on the 95% of brain activity that is beyond our conscious awareness, which means that 95 99% of our life comes from the programming in our subconscious mind. (Anando, 2012) Thus explaining how individuals can sabotage their goals and not even be aware of such. Unconscious behaviors bring one back to safe behavior that is familiar. The subconscious resists change because it is uncomfortable and it is much easier to keep doing something that is familiar yet uncomfortable than to try something new. Thus unconscious thoughts and behaviors are essentially self-protection and are difficult to change. Unconscious thoughts and beliefs begin to develop during childhood. They are accumulated from parents, caregivers, teachers and other important figures. They develop from repeated experiences and often become automatic responses (habits). These beliefs are often unchallenged and are accepted as truth. The problem arises when the unconscious is filled with negativity. When negative thoughts are embedded in the unconscious they are believable to the individual and any disproving information is ignored. The next time when faced with a similar situation the unconscious mind will respond with these negative thoughts and subsequent emotions automatically. This can lead to a distortion of reality as the unconscious thought and related behavior are never verified to their truthfulness. If negative thoughts are programmed into the subconscious mind then they will end up creating negative situations in their life. How to Counteract Negative Thoughts Negative thoughts can be conquered in a number of ways. Remember that ever individual is different and what works for one person may not work for another. The first step is recognizing the negative self talk or unconscious thoughts. Awareness is the first step in ridding oneself of negative self talk. Anytime a negative emotion
Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006

develops (feeling anxiety, anger, etc.) stop and figure out what you were thinking right before the feeling. Some examples may be: Anxiety followed by I am stupid Sadness followed by They didnt ask me because they dont like me Depression by It has not worked in the past, why would it now Frustration followed by I screwed up again Next challenge the thought. Write down evidence you have that disproves the thoughts. Here are some related to the above examples: I am not stupid. I graduated from college with honors It is not that they do not like me. I was on the phone when they left the building Losing weight will be difficult and I will have to work harder than I have in the past but I will be able to do it. I have been successful at many other things and I will be successful with weight loss also. OK I made a mistake but it is not the end of the world. I will fix it and learn from my mistake. The only true problems with mistakes is if you keep making the same ones. This experience will make me stronger in the long run. You can create a document like the following and fill it out throughout the day. This will help you identify patterns in negative self talk. Over time you will see areas which come up repeatedly. These are areas that you will have to be aware of your emotions and work on filtering them out on a constant basis. Situation Missed workout class Passed over for promotio n Emotion Anxiety Thought I will never lose weight so why bother I am a loser that is why I was not promoted Challenge I really have not tried 100% in the past to lose weight. I am going to focus and I will be successful in my weight loss goals. I did not get promoted this time. Next time I will try harder and the position will be mine.

Anger Depressed

Another way to rid negative self talk is through visualization. Sit in a quiet place where you can be alone with your thoughts. Visualize what your goal would look like when you finally achieve it. Note the positive feelings and thoughts that come to mind at this point. Visualizing is replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones in your mind. Both positive and negative cannot hold the same space, therefore if you replace the positive with negative then you will be on the path to success.

Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006

Positive affirmations also work well in combating negative self talk. After you have determined a few of your reoccurring negative thinking patterns, develop a positive saying. An example for I will never lose weight; it has never worked in the past. Write on a piece of paper I will lose weight through hard work and determination or I am beautiful and I deserve to feel great. Place the phrases in a location that you will see throughout the day and repeat it out loud several times a day. Coaching Application As coaches we are there to help clients make positive changes in their lives. If a client has outline specific goals and over time fails to reach them then it would be beneficial to explore their self talk. We can assist our clients in recognizing any negative self talk (or subconscious beliefs) and teach them how this type of internal dialogue can limit behavior and sabotage goals. It is human nature that what a person focuses on is what will emerge in their life. If a client is constantly participating in negative self talk they will never reach their goals. An example is a client who is trying to lose weight. After a month they have not been successful the coach starts exploring their self talk and discovers that the client is thinking I have tried to lose weight my entire life and it never works. This type of thinking will lead to the client sabotaging their weight loss efforts through behaviors like binging or being inconsistent in their workout routine. Through counteracting the negative self talk the client will be able to gain self confidence, learn to have positive thoughts about themselves and then be able to reach their goals. As a coach it is invaluable to explore any negative self talk you partake. Identifying and making positive changes is an valuable experience in helping your clients do the same. If you have walked along the same path it is much easier to assist them in making changes and also being more empathetic in understanding how hard change may be. Coaching Reflection Why do you think it is important to uncover any negative self talk/unconscious beliefs? How do you think that negative self talk/unconscious beliefs may affect your clients? How do you think your negative self talk/unconscious beliefs could affect your coaching practice? What are some questions you could use with a client to help them uncover any unconscious thoughts that may be blocking forward progress? Think back to a time when you did not reach a goal. Can you remember any negative thoughts you were having at that time?. Pay attention to any self talk. Do you have any patterns? References
Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006

Anando, 2012. Its Now A Proven Fact Your Unconscious Mind is Running your Life! http://www.lifetrainings.com/Your-unconscious-mind-is-running-you-life.html Cherry, Kendra, 2012. What is the Conscious Mind? http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/g/def_conscious.htm Gannon, Danny, 2012, How to Change Negative Thinking. http://therapyinmontreal.com/pdf/Change_Your_Negative_Thinking.pdf. Oxford Dictionary, 2012. http://oxforddictionaries.com/.

Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006