For decades now, ideas around consciousness have been explored by psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, neurologists and also biologists. It is fair to say that a concept of such magnitude is paired with curiosity from many different fields. So, what exactly is consciousness. To be frank, it is an ever-expanding construct. There isn’t a singled agreed upon definition that precisely captures this term. For the purpose of this article we will be looking at consciousness through the lens of awareness.

Amongst the pioneers of understanding consciousness is Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He was the first to introduce the iceberg model (see below) describing the three different levels of consciousness or awareness. The theory rests on the idea that the human’s conscious thought and emotion take up about 10% from our overall awareness. And hence, Freud used the iceberg model to demonstrate this. The three levels Freud identified were the conscious, the preconscious, and subconscious minds. And understood that each has a specific role and function;

The conscious mind: Attuned to events in the present and an awareness of the outside world.

The preconscious mind: A space between the conscious mind and unconscious minds; it contains aspects of both. Hidden memories or forgotten experiences can be remembered in if given the proper cues.

The unconscious mind: The most powerful and least understood part of the personality. The instinctual, repressed, and powerful forces of the personality exist here.

So why then, don’t we hold all of our thoughts and emotions in our conscious mind? Why do other levels of consciousness exist? Think of it as a way for the psyche to protect itself. Our less accessible levels of consciousness are there to hold all that is incomprehensible, threatening or overwhelming. They also do hold irrelevant information that automatically registers through our experiences. If it weren’t for these levels of consciousness, our psyches could go into a sense of ‘overdrive’ possibly impairing our functioning.

Interestingly, many similarities have been found between Islamic thought and Freudian theories, particularly in relation to consciousness. These connections have been made by many Islamic thinkers in recognition of the similar interpretive techniques when exploring dreams and different texts through both, the overt and covert meanings (Haselby, 2018). For example, the understanding of dreams in many Arab-Muslim cultures rely on the idea that dreams, can have both apparent (conscious) and hidden (subconscious) interpretations. The differentiation in levels of consciousness also have corresponding words in the Arabic language; (العقل الواعي و العقل الباطن)

So how then, do we further explore our consciousness? As explained, dreams are one channel to do this. In fact, Freud often described dreams as the royal road to the unconscious. Art can also uncover unconscious material. Through symbolic reflection and tracing of patterns one can further understand the psyche and increase self-awareness. Other ways through which our subconscious mind communicates with us can be seen through changes in behavior, emotions and also physical tensions and symptoms within the body. It is therefore important to engage in a process of introspection and to pay mindful attention to the material manifesting through these channels.

A note on the therapeutic process and consciousness:
The goal of the therapeutic process is to make the unconscious, conscious. The individual that chooses to engage in therapy, is often looking to better understand his/her internal world. Through a safe and guided dialogue with the therapist (and with the art in the case of an art psychotherapist), the individual begins to uncover blind spots, and better understand the surfacing subconscious material which then allows for increased insight and management of emotions and behaviors.

Helpful resources:
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946
https://aeon.co/ideas/every-sufi-master-is-a-kind-of-freudian-psychotherapist

Introduction to Consciousness