This concept emerged during a period of trial and error when Freud was tapping repressed memories of early childhood, first through hypnosis and then through free association. 

Current suggestions in regression therapy, such as “Go back to the time when this problem first occurred,” are based on this certainty that what we experienced determines our current behavior.

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So let’s start with understanding Freud’s Model of Human Mind. It’s a framework we can use to understand our mind technically. 

Freud’s premise is that the human mind is contained in these three levels of awareness or consciousness:-

1. Conscious mind 
2. Subconscious mind 
3. Unconscious mind 

The mind could be divided into these systems which are not air tight compartments but overlap and intermingle.

So the conscious mind is your awareness at this present moment of waking, assuming you are not just dozing off reading all this! 

It is primarily your waking state where you are more aware of what’s happening outside compared to some specific mental functions happening inside. For example, you are now aware of reading this, your environment, maybe your breath, and so on. 

The pre-conscious is what is also known as the subconscious mind which has accessible information which you can become aware of when you focus within. It’s like a memory recall. 

We drive or walk home without consciously needing to be alert of what we are doing and our surroundings. You can talk on the mobile phone and still arrive home safely. When required we can turn our focus inside and easily bring to consciousness the subconscious information about the way home. 

So now to the “Unconscious mind” which is not the unconscious state that we generally refer to when someone faints or is in a coma.

But we do notice that even in these so called unconscious states bodily functions like blood circulation and breathing continues. And what manages all this is known as the unconscious mind, which also consists of primitive, instinctual wishes as well as the information that we cannot access in the waking state.

We can think of it like the engine of a car which is under the hood, we cannot see it, but it is the one which powers the movement and comfort. 

Our behaviors are predominantly driven by the unconscious forces but we might not have easy access to the information stored in it directly. We acquire countless memories and experiences from the time of our birth or in-utro (womb) state and these are all stored as impressions (Samskaras) in our unconscious mind.

We cannot recall most of those memories, but they remain the conscious forces (subjective maps of reality, beliefs, and patterns) that drive our behaviors. 

Thousands of years ago, the Yoga system had already referred to Freud’s “tripartite” as Tri-Avasthas, which comprised of the following three Avasthas or states of the mind. 

1. Jagrat – Conscious – Waking state. 
2. Swapna – Subconscious – Sleeping State. 
3. Sushupti – Unconcious- Deep dreamless sleep

Adding to this was the mention of the 4th state which I think Freud didn’t experience but the sages of yore had experienced and hence Western psychology which is the study of average doesn’t consider it but Eastern Psychology refers to it as “Turiya” the 4th state which is actually not a state but the base of all the other 3 states and beyond them.

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The conscious mind’s function is to keep the body alive, like a threat detection system and has the following traits:-

1. Limited in capacity — only 10% of the mental capacity. 
2. Referred to as the tip of the iceberg. 
3. Mostly confused — in a state of constant flux
4. Extremely transitory (though having the semblance of a continuum)
5. Unfocused
6. Analytical, can comprehend only when something is broken down into smaller bits. 
7. Critical about anything new
8. Negative biased. 
9. Fear Driven
10. Absorbs the experiences through the 5 senses and stores them temporarily and pushes the important ones in the store house of the subconscious. 

The subconscious generally refers to the preconscious and the unconscious mind. It is like a hidden part of our mind that works automatically without us realizing it. It takes in information and believes it to be true, without questioning or analyzing it. It’s not logical or rational, but it stores everything it receives as absolute truth.

The subconscious mind is responsible for things happening without us consciously thinking about them. It follows programmed instructions, scripts or impressions (Samskaras), like a robot or your fully automatic washing machine, and tries to achieve whatever it has been programmed for.

If it’s programmed for success, it will help us succeed. But if it’s programmed for failure, it will lead to negative outcomes.

Sometimes, things that we don’t remember or are not aware of can still affect us. These hidden memories may be stored in the subconscious and can come to our conscious mind with a strong trigger or reminder.

Our past experiences, beliefs, and conditioning shape our subconscious mind. One way to change those beliefs is to bring them into our conscious awareness, to make the unknown known. This is a part of Freudian psychoanalytic therapy.

The subconscious mind is also believed to be the source of our intuition or “Sixth Sense,” where we may have extrasensory perceptions.

Overall, the subconscious mind is a powerful mechanism that operates silently in the background, influencing our thoughts and actions based on what it has learned and accepted as the truth.