Automatic Writting
Automatic writing is a highly successful method of interrogating the unconscious, but it requires a little practice. Similar in concept to stream of consciousness, automatic writing is actually the subconscious communicating to your conscious mind without you knowing what it is saying. Once you have learned this technique, you could literally be reading a book or watching a movie while your hand scribbles away things that your subconscious mind wants to express. The writing will often be in a different handwriting, sometimes from right to left, upside down, even backwards or any combination of the above. In addition, the words may run together without spaces and be abbreviated. Not all people have the facility to quickly learn the technique but most could learn after some effort. Those who like to doodle may be especially capable since they are participating in a primitive version of the practice already. Research on doodling may yield interesting things. It is important to have your arms unrestricted. Sit in a chair with your hands on a board of some kind (a cheese board will do nicely or piece of wood), cover the board with sheet paper, and hold a pencil with a soft lead or marker between the index finger and thumb. Begin at the top left corner of the board. Now give a command to the subconscious to write about anything it wants. It may help to scribble a little or write something simple. Then rest your hand and wait. It will usually take a few moments for it to begin, but do not move voluntarily.
Ideomotor responses is a system whereby you ask your subconscious questions phrased in such a way that the answer will be “yes”, “no”, “I don’t know”, and “I don’t want to answer”. This last option is important because it can point to resistance that is a sign of deeper psychological issues. Techniques are then used to allow the subconscious to answer these questions using one of the four possible answers. A famous technique that was made famous by the movie “The Exorcist” is the Ouija board.
