The actions of our mind that take place without our actually having to “think” about it. Similar, perhaps, to our autonomic nervous system, which causes our heartbeat and breathing without thought, our unconscious mind frequently deals with problems that we really don’t want to “think” about. It often seems to resolve these issues, though the truth is that they have usually only been buried temporarily, and will reoccur when we face a similar situation later in life. In the most horrible situations, the unconscious mind protects us, shielding us from frightening thoughts and strong emotions. In order to be fully healthy, though, we must eventually examine these issues and resolve them in a complete, open way.
