On the right-hand side there is a picture of a hand cusped upwards with glowing light at the fingertips and a sketch of the brain above the fingertips. Different spots on the brain have spots of glowing light. This picture has a dark navy-blue background. On the left-hand side there is a light blue background with the caption “Healing Through the Subconscious Mind an Interview with Keely Meta” with the Moving Out of Trauma Podcast Logo below that - a dark blue circle with two suitcases outlined in a pink salmon color, one with a heart in the middle.

In the podcast episode titled Healing Through the Subconscious Mind, I spoke with Keely Meta to explore the power of the subconscious mind in healing trauma. Keely is a sacred ceremony facilitator, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, mind-body wellness teacher, yoga instructor, meditation teacher, and mentor based in Phoenix, Arizona. Keely offers her clients the guidance and environment to explore the subconscious mind safely and develop the tools unique to their own growth journey. Throughout the episode, we got to dive into various techniques and practices that tap into the subconscious, unlock potential, and ultimately move out of trauma. This blog will delve into this conversation, providing key insights and actionable steps that trauma survivors can incorporate into their healing journey. You can find this episode here.

Understanding Life Purpose and Passion

One of the central themes of the episode is the exploration of life's purpose. Keely highlights that life's purpose is not fixed but ever-changing and fueled by passion and happiness. In our society, people often get caught up in defining themselves based on societal constructs and buzzwords. Keely suggests that individuals should instead focus on what makes them feel passionate and happy. While it is normal to feel unsure sometimes, prioritizing one's well-being and happiness is crucial. It's also important to note that this changes as we grow and move through life and our healing journey. What once made us happy or was medicine to our souls can change over time. And that is okay! It is important to be mindful of your needs and start finding ways to prioritize them. If you're starting from scratch in this area, check out last week's blog to find actionable steps of how to start your self-care journey.

The Subconscious Mind and Trauma

Photo by Evgeniy Smersh on Unsplash
Photo Description: A concrete looking dock in the middle of the frame hovering over the ocean, showing colors of deep blue to light pink with a light pink and blue sky overhead and birds flying over surface.

The subconscious mind plays a significant role in our daily lives, particularly regarding trauma. Keely explains that the subconscious holds past versions of ourselves with unmet desires and belief systems, including feelings of unworthiness, unlovability, and impostor syndrome. By recognizing and understanding these deeply ingrained belief systems, individuals can take steps toward healing and releasing trauma. As an EMDR therapist, this makes 100% sense to me because as we go through various life events, some traumatic and some not, we take away with us understandings, belief systems, and memories. These stay with us and impact our everyday life. Sometimes this doesn't play out how we would like, but in fact can trigger us, making us feel overwhelmed, anxious, on edge, and irritable. But through the healing process, we can meet those parts of ourselves and begin to heal.

Generational Influences

Keely also addresses the generational influences that shape our belief systems and programming within the subconscious mind. We discussed how older generations may not have placed as much importance on emotional intelligence and mental health as younger generations today. The younger generation, in particular, are more open about mental health and actively seeking help. Recognizing the influence of generational connections can provide useful insights into our programming and help in the healing process. As the generations before us have grown and changed from the generations before them, we are constantly evolving and changing. Our belief systems are moving and changing because they are fluid. As we do more work healing our collective nervous system and moving through trauma, we shift the belief systems attached to those traumas and our perceptions about the world around us.

Photo by Júnior Ferreira on Unsplash
Photo Description: A blurred light blue grey background with spots of white, a hand in the middle of the frame with the palm facing upwards and a light blub floating above the open palm.

Accessing the Subconscious Mind

In this episode, Keely and I explored various techniques and practices that can be used to access the subconscious mind. Keely resonates with the analogy of accessing different parts of oneself through methods like hypnosis, altered states of consciousness, and shared pieces of this work with us. Keely described that these practices actively engage the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and can lead to healing and personal transformation. This is also part of the brain regulating our emotional responses as they are triggered by another part of the brain. It is a region of the brain in which someone who experiences trauma is particularly impacted. This means that this part of the brain needs more healing and attention, so practices like hypnosis and EMDR can be particularly effective and helpful in the healing process. Keely also shares that she started exploring this type of work independently, researching and sitting with her own mind, testing what felt good and what did not. Keely encourages listeners to experiment with practices like invoking the theta brain state, intentional work, and journaling to reprogram old beliefs.

Mindfulness Practices and Individual Experience

Mindfulness is a personal and individual experience. Keely encourages listeners to explore and experiment with mindfulness techniques to find what works best for them. It's important to note that different individuals may experience mindfulness through various senses. Activities like walking or practicing yoga may be more effective for kinesthetic learners than guided meditation. Visual learners can benefit from practicing art or watching visually stimulating content, while auditory learners may find calm by listening to positive and intentional music. It's important to find what works for you and remember that what works one day for one type of stress may work less effectively the next. Be patient with yourself through your healing journey as you learn what works for you.

The Journey to Healing

Keely shares that her personal journey of isolation and reflective work in her early 20s gave her a good foundation for understanding her needs and moving through the subconscious mind. She shared that using books and guided meditations to tap into her intuition and subconscious mind, ultimately finding healing and trauma recovery through mindfulness techniques, was important in her journey. She emphasizes that while retreat centers and therapists are wonderful tools, not everyone has full access to them and that the means for healing are accessible to us. It is vital to listen to the voice within, sit present, and pace oneself for safe and realistic healing.

Keely Meta is facing viewer and smiling. She is surrounded by trees with bits of sun showing on her long dark hair.

Connect with Keely

If you would like to connect with Keely Meta, work with her, or follow her Instagram, you can connect with her @Keelymetaxo, and listen to her podcast, The Meta Perch, on all podcasting platforms. Keely is truly such an inspirational human being; she is kind, funny, smart, and really has a gift for helping others tap into themselves and their needs. It was such a pleasure having her on Moving Out of Trauma; I hope you enjoyed learning from her as much as I did.

Moving Out of Trauma: Healing Through the Subconscious with Keely Meta