What Is Subconscious and Conscious Awareness?

The goal of becoming self-aware is to recognize the various aspects of the self. How a person behaves, feels emotions, and perceives themselves can provide the insight needed to continue to grow and change. There are four components to self-awareness that offer insight into where a person is at any point in their life.

You Are Here

Your client needs to find their focus on where they are in the present moment. When they begin to focus on where they are, they can observe the behaviors, emotions, or traits that led them to their present. Next, you can guide your client to a place of perception and growth. Goals are difficult to reach if your client doesn’t know how they ended up in their reality or how to go forward. 

Sometimes your guidance can aid them in learning the mechanisms or habits they require for success. Before you can provide advice, you should identify where they are in the cycle of self-awareness.

Not Knowing Why Things Are Going Wrong

People are often unaware of harmful habits or issues in their life. When they are at this stage, they are subconscious about their behaviors. For instance, a person who uses alcohol or drugs to help them cope with depression, anxiety, or uncomfortable situations may not know they have a problem. They find comfort or solace in their substance use disorder (SUD) but have yet to recognize the harm done to their mind and body.

If you have clients who don’t realize they have negative coping skills, you can guide them to understand why their behaviors cause or increase harmful consequences. However, those who aren’t aware they have an issue are unaware that they should seek help. 

How can you help someone who doesn’t know they need help? Perhaps a friend or family member schedules an appointment with you to discuss their thoughts; you can educate them about the effects of substances. During this session, you also have the chance to teach them about genetics and environmental influences. Let the friend or family member know you are there when their loved one is ready to enter substance addiction treatment.

Being Conscious of the Need to Change

Partial self-awareness knows a problem exists but does not know how to address it. When a person reaches partial subconsciousness, they can begin to seek treatment. For example, perhaps your client knows they have a SUD, and they want to recover from their substance addiction, but they don’t know how to address the problem. Maybe they would be receptive to learning about substance addiction treatment. Then, when they make an appointment to discuss detox or another form of addiction treatment, they are on the path to self-awareness. 

Although your client is aware they have a SUD, they may not know how to achieve sobriety. Once they begin substance addiction treatment, you can aid them in coming to terms with their past. Once the healing starts, they will be more prepared to learn how to live in the present. The benefit of living in the present is the ability to act and react with mindful intention. Mindfulness teaches a person to be conscious of their emotions or situations. When your client is encouraged to begin treatment and engages in therapy, they are ready to learn how to apply to be mindful of their daily routine.

Skill Without Knowledge

Some people have areas they excel in, yet they don’t know how to build on their talent. Being aware of their skill and not recognizing the source is another form of partial consciousness.

There is a difference between knowing they are talented and understanding how they became talented. While excelling in a field is an accomplishment, it is useless if your client doesn’t know how they developed their skill. Without an understanding of how they evolved, applying new skills is a challenge. Many people master their skills by creating healthy habits. 

For example, if your client is renowned for playing the guitar but doesn’t know how they reached their level of expertise, learning how to surpass their present status is almost impossible. To be clear, some people can continue to excel, but others may not without discovering how they achieved their talent.

In cases such as those who excel without knowing how they achieved their skill, you can help them reflect on the steps they took to complete their current status. Sit with them and break each step down so they can see what actions they took. When they show, they comprehend what it took and continue to grow to move to the following type of awareness.

Self-Awareness

By the time your client reaches self-awareness, they can appreciate where they are, how they arrived at that point, and what actions they need to take to reach the next level. Getting to the next level, though, will require their continued dedication to working on themselves. Often those who are self-aware seek guidance by dedicating themselves to their physical and mental health in long-term recovery.

Self-awareness is the ability to be present, know traits, behaviors, and feelings while making healthy changes in life. The types of self-awareness reflect the different points a person is in their life. Understanding and being able to navigate the realities of life is necessary for the evolution of the self. Without the grounding of who a person is and where they stand, change can’t begin. Therapy is a beneficial life choice because, over time, a person can recognize a need for change, know how to change, understand why they are successful, and go to the next level. Alta Centers guides people to be their best and achieve self-awareness. Our detoxification and dual diagnosis programs encourages reflection while focusing on the present. We understand moving to the next phase/level in life requires knowing how a person achieved their goal and having the healthy coping mechanisms to continue their recovery. Call Alta Centers for information about our programs at (888) 202-2583.