The Iceberg Analogy

The iceberg metaphor is a very famous analogy which is commonly used within the field of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. It acknowledges that the awareness of the mind is divided and contains two major states of consciousness known as the conscious mind and subconscious mind.

Conscious

Mind

Subconscious

Mind

Iceberg

METAPHOR

The conscious mind represents the very tip of the iceberg (as noted in the image once hovered over). It denotes our logical, every day living and functions from a beta-brainwave activity level of awareness. It's a very prominent asset to the overall processing of life itself; however, it truly represents less than 10% of the actual mind.

The subconscious mind represents the remaining 90% of the glacier submerged beneath the surface. It is the greater, more emotional mind with the mental capacity equivalent to that of a 12 year old. It controls and initiates every major system in the body and stores memories from our childhood.