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FINAL ARTWORK - FRAGMENTED INFORMATION

This artwork has been created by using a pillow case and paint. I have chosen to use a pillow case as the main material as it is the part that a person rests their head on during deep sleep. Through this image, I have portrayed just how minimal the information that we contract from the unconscious mind is, and just how obscure this information is to be interpreted. The white background represents the conscious mind, and the coloured paint represents the unconscious mind. The small paint spots are supposed to represent small parts of the unconscious that has been accessed by the conscious mind. However we are never really shown the entirety of what the conscious mind presents you with, and this in turn leads to confusion. Overall as an artwork, this is abstract and confusing itself.

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FINAL ARTWORK - CONFUSED FRAGMENTED INFORMATION FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND

I have recorded my cousin sleep talking whilst dreaming. I have then combined this audio with white noise audio (explanation is in the research further down on my tumblr), and the script of what is being said throughout this period of time. The audio, and script both are irrational and you are unable to make sense out of what is being said. During sleep is when the unconscious mind is most dominant/powerful. When we are able to access bits of our unconscious mind, it is just that - we access bits, not the entire thing. Bits of fragmented information do not necessarily make sense and this is exactly what I am attempting to portray throughout this piece. The white noise audio that has been chosen is due to the explanation further down on my tumblr - (The Leibniz Theory). White Noise is said to be the auditory unconscious. There for, I thought it was appropriate to combine the White noise audio with the sleep talking audio.

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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….weah…..ouuuiiii …..noonnnn..eh.non……………………………………………………………………….ehhhh ……..ehhhh ……..ehhh…….. (breathes)……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....

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SLEEP TALKING

Sleep talking is a parasomnia that refers to talking aloud while asleep.

It can range from mumbling sounds to loud shouts and long frequently inarticulate speeches and can occur many times during a sleep cycle.

As with sleep-walking and night terrors, sleep-talking usually occurs during the less-deep delta wave NREM sleep stages or during temporary arousals there from.

It can also occur during the REM sleep stage at when time it represents what sleep therapists call a motor-breakthrough of dream speech (words spoken in a dream are spoken out loud.

Sleep talking can occur by itself or as a feature of another sleeping disorder.

Rapid eye movement behaviour disorder (RBD) - (loud, emotional, or profane sleep-talking).

Sleep Walking.

Night Terrors - Intense feat screaming, shouting.

Sleep - related eating disorder.

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IS SLEEP-TALKING A WINDOW INTO THE UNCONSCIOUS?

Your sub conscious (SC) mind is extremely active when you are in REM ( Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. this is when you are dreaming. Reaching the SC mind of yourself you do not need to be lucid, its just you don’t know you reached it until you wake. Lucidity is the recognition of the SC mind. When you are a lucid dreamer you are aware you are in a dream and therefore in the SC mind. Lucid dreamers can affect and change their dreams, the outcomes and responses as the conscious mind mingles with the sub conscious. Many things in your dreams will be illogical and without reason for example you can fly or walk on the ceiling, i personally breath under water. Becoming Lucid will open your conscious mind to your Sub conscious. you will start to recognise when you are dreaming and when you are awake. New lucid dreamers will wake when they realise with excitement they are dreaming and therefore the possibilities are unrestricted and endless.

Sleep talking is a window to someone else’s SC. If you are listening to someone talking during their REM sleep then you are eaves dropping on their dream. What you hear however will not be rational. Like your dreams their dreams will be illogical un ordered and irrelevant to the conscious mind. These are not the persons deepest desires or the persons inner thoughts. they are fragments of memories or complete fiction. So your second part of your question no you can not read the mumbling of someones dreams as what they are really feeling.

Final Work 3

This work represents Theta Brain waves, which are the brain waves that are produced when using the unconscious mind, in the form of a Mandala symbol, which is used to gain access in to ones inner cosmos - which could also be seen as ones unconscious mind. I created this image using Photoshop and the layering of images, to create my own, layered Mandala symbol that represents my own psyche, that when i look into it brings out an emotional response that i connect with, which is seen as a manifestation of my unconscious mind that i identify with.

Final Work 2

In this work i experimenting with recording my unconscious mind through the process of unconscious drawing. I simply zoned out and didnt focus on what i was doing and just let the brush move itself (or let my unconscious control the brush) This is a method used by many Surrealist artists, who believed this method could be used to bring out the unconscious and give an insight into ones mind and inner psyche that the person may not even be aware of themselves. I also did the paintings at different times of the day, experimenting whether my alertness or lack there of effected how much my unconscious was revealed. I also researched the meaning of doodling and drawing, - which we do unconsciously while we are doing other things like talking on the phone - and how what we draw represents aspects of our personality. Because these drawings are quite abstract, i am using the Inkblot method of finding and interpreting images that i can see hidden in them, to match up with the explanations done by psychologists into what these images mean.

The fact that they all take up the whole page means im attracted to nature, and i like to socialise.

I can see animals in these drawings, i see a dragon a dog and birds.

The dragon: represents feelings of assertiveness.

The Dog and birds: Indicate playful behaviour.

I also can see multiple eyes, this shows my inner self, and their large size means i have an outgoing personality. The fact i there is multiple eyes means i feel like im being watched by someone.

I also see hearts, which means i have love on the brain!

The zig zags represent my want to escape, energetic nature and need to get on with things. Their softness means i have a romantic and feminine approach.

The second painting i put out a range of 10 coloured paints in front of me, and didn't even look at which colours i was using, and zoned out, so my eyes weren't focusing on what i was doing. The majority of colour is orange - which is my favourite colour and i did not intend to use on purpose whatsoever (it was actually the smallest drop of paint and wasn't centred on the palette either...weird!)

Orange: Shows social communication and optimism. From a negative colour meaning it is also a sign of pessimism and superficiality.

Blue: Indication of stability, strength, trust and peace. It can suggest loyalty and integrity as well as conservatism and frigidity. It can have connotations of water and the ocean.

Green: Suggesting well-being, balance and growth. It can mean both self-reliance as a positive and possessiveness as a negative, among many other meanings like envy, sickness, or money. Sea-green can also have connotations of water and the ocean.

Black: Indicates stability and strength Native American cultures black is the colour of the life-giving earth. Western culture black is associated with darkness, evil and death.

White: It is complete and pure, the colour of perfection. It shows purity, innocence, wholeness and completion.

Final Work 1

This is the first image in the series, simply representing the brain and the unconscious mind, and us as people, trying to understand and represent something infinite as a physical image. I used Inkblot painting as the brain, which is a method i researched as a means to understand the subconscious mind used by psychologists around the world. I then coloured the unconscious mind (as we were representing the unconscious with colour contrasting against the black and white of the conscious mind) representing it as something infinite and unknown, that we have no control over and has a life of its own, and therefore is growing and mysterious. I altered the colours on photoshop to heighten the saturation of the colour, and bring out the detail in the brain that was created through the inkblot method.

Surrealism unlocking the Unconscious Mind

Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind and the rules of a society they saw as oppressive. Freud and other psychoanalysts used a variety of techniques to bring the subconscious to the surface of the mind to access the thoughts of their patients. The Surrealists borrowed many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art, with the belief that the creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.

Joan Miró. The Birth of the World. Montroig, late summer–fall 1925

In psychology, “automatism” refers to involuntary actions and processes not under the control of the conscious mind—for example, dreaming, breathing, or a nervous tic. Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing, the free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

The Unconscious Mind as a Mandala

The word Mandala means "circle".

A Mandala represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds.

The mandala appears to us in all aspects of life, the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and the circles of life encompassing friends, family and communities.

Mandalas are circular designs symbolising the notion that life is never ending. Many mandalas have spiritual significance to an individual or group of individuals.

The Hindus were one of the first people to use a mandala as a spiritual tool, but the mandalas most individuals are familiar with, are ones made by Buddhists.

The mandala holds information and characteristics that are very similar to that of the unconscious mind, like memories, characteristics, and ones true self.

Mandalas are used for meditation purposes allowing the individual meditating to become one with the universe. There are not many who are able to achieve this state of mind from just studying a mandala.

The symbolism behind the creation of a mandala can have significant meaning for many individuals whether they are Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Pagan or of any other religious orientation.

Mandalas are created by people to symbolise their journeys through life. Mandalas can also tell a story of where an individual has been. In some cases they will reveal the individual's path in life.(like memories that the unconscious holds)

Groups can create mandalas that will reveal what they should be doing in order to grow and develop as a group.

There are many uses for a mandala. The design of the mandala is supposed to be visually appealing so as to absorb the mind in such a way that irritating thoughts are unable to get through and a spiritual essence surrounds the individual observing the mandala, which in turn allows the individual a higher consciousness or awareness, almost as though being hypnotised. This allows the busy mind to take a break while the creative mind is allowed to run free. The mandala is primarily used as a form of meditation to gain knowledge from within.

Watching or creating mandalas requires our ability to connect to our intuitive and intellectual self, to be able to simultaneously use the right and the left hemisphere of our brain. Mandalas help us in this procedure of connecting to ourselves, fine-tuning within.

Source: (http://www.silkmandala.com/mandala/symbols-shapes-and-colours-mandalas, http://spiritualawakening.weebly.com/mandalas-what-are-they.html)

emilycofa

How does the subconscious mind work and how to make it work for you

article by M.Farouk Radwan

the basics of the subconscious:

the subconscious is “the part of your mind that contains information that you are not consciously aware of”

"The subconscious mind is a like a big memory bank that stores your beliefs, memories and life experiences. This information that is stored in your subconscious mind always affects your behaviour and actions in different situations"

"The subconscious mind can only accept a new belief if it doesn’t contradict with an already existing belief"

the relationship between the conscious and subconscious:

The conscious mind also controls all the actions that you do on intention while being conscious.

The conscious mind is also known to be the gate keeper for the mind

The subconscious mind is the part of your mind responsible for all of your involuntary actions. Your breathing rate and heart beats are controlled by your subconscious mind.

Your emotions are also controlled by your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind is also the place where your beliefs and memories are stored

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The power unconscious mind is shown through an image. When you first look at the image you see flowers, until your told to look at it again and focus on the negative space, which then you discover that it spells out sex, and is a totally different perception of the image. The same image is being processed, but the understanding has changed due to information being asked from the unconscious mind. It is a simple test to see the limits and control of the conscious self, and show the power of the unconscious mind.

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"The conscious mind determines the actions, the unconscious mind determines the reactions; and the reactions are just as important as the actions."

E. Stanley Jones (via emilycofa)

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Work with your unconscious, rather than trying to browbeat it into submission.

The unconscious mind:

Preserves the body: One of its main objectives is the survival of your physical body. It will fight anything that appears to be a threat to that survival.

Runs the body: The unconscious handles all of your basic physical functions (breathing, heart rate, immune system, etc.).

It takes clear direction and morals: the unconscious likes to serve, and needs very clear directions, and takes your instructions very literally. The unconscious is also very “moral” in the way a young child is moral, which means based on the morality taught and accepted by your parents or surroundings.

Communicates through emotion and symbols: To get your attention, the unconscious uses emotions. For example, if you suddenly feel afraid, your unconscious has detected (rightly or wrongly) that your survival is at risk.

Stores and organizes memories: The unconscious decides where and how your memories are stored. It may hide certain memories (such as traumas) that have strong negative emotions until you are mature enough to process them consciously. When it senses that you are ready (whether you consciously think you are or not!), it will bring them up so you can deal with them.

Makes associations and learns quickly: To protect you, the unconscious stays alert and tries to glean the lessons from each experience.it may link feelings certain feelings to experiences as it remembers from prior experiences.

These areas can be a point of research to look at and express through experiments and practice led research.

emilycofa

Rorschach developed the inkblot test to study forms of interpretation. This also questions the role the unconscious mind has in processing information.

Rorschach’s test suggests that it could be used as a research tool to reveal unconscious aspects of personality.

Rorschach claimed, a test of perception involving the processes of sensation, memory, and unconscious and conscious associations between the stimulus forms and other psychological forces within the individual.

test results from different psychological subjects: using the entire inkblot is said to indicate integrative, conceptual thinking, whereas the use of a high proportion of small details suggests compulsive rigidity. A relatively frequent use of white space is supposed to be a sign of rebelliousness and negativism. Responses that describe humans in movement are said to indicate imagination and a rich inner life; responses that are dominated by colour suggest emotionality and impulsivity. (Gleitman 1991, p. 684)

Rorschach pointed out that originally it had been designed to study theoretical questions about the unconscious workings of the human mind and psyche.

emilycofa

Personality Synopsis

There are various tests to examine the unconscious:

Rorschach test - If the cards have no specific shape, the shapes we see are projections from our unconsciousness. These images represent our needs for life and love as well as our underlying fears about death and aggression.

House Tree Person test - it’s strength lies in weakening the defenses and getting a clearer picture of the unconscious.

Word association - a person would read a list of words, asking the participant to write down the very first thing that comes to mind after each. The object is to bypass defense mechanisms that are at play and get to the unconscious before these defenses have a chance to work.

Dream analysis - Freud believed that all dreams consist of manifest, or obvious content, and latent, or hidden content. The latent content consists of bits and pieces of the unconscious that seep out while we are asleep and our defense mechanisms are their weakest

These tests give an indication that can explain some aspects of the unconscious mind. It is hard to understand the unconscious as there is no clear way of attaining it. Different tests and theories only attempt to gain data of the unconscious.

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Research on Memory

Your unconscious mind is a powerful super computer that can work for you in amazing ways. You just need to know how it works to fully harness its power.

Your unconscious mind is a powerful tool. The more control you have, the better control you have over the environment around you.

Your unconscious mind stores all your memories either temporal (in relationship to time) or extemporal (not in relationship to time)

Your memory stores significant events as “gestalts”, some of these will be positive, some negative. If there are any unresolved emotions or memories, the unconscious mind will choose a time for you to resolve them (or not). This is why you might suddenly feel emotional but not know why. Your unconscious mind is helping you resolve something by either repressing a memory (you are not ready to resolve it) or presenting it (yep, time to make them rational, resolve and release).

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