The power of the unconscious brain over the conscious brain.

It is an interesting connection, but may not be quite accurate.

I have actually been diagnosed with sleep apnea, significant enough to require the use of a CPAP machine since 2005. These pauses in breathing lead to a decline in the amount of oxygen in your blood during sleep (mine went as low as 83% of normal!). There are physical causes such as constriction of the breathing passages (a.k.a. obstructive sleep apnea) and there are central (brain) causes which may be related to certain conditions or meds.

In essence, the brain detects this drop in oxygen and sends signals to keep you awake so that you resume breathing. This constant stimulation prevents one from getting to the deeper levels of sleep that are required for restfulness, hence, apnea sufferers are generally tired and tend to fall asleep during the day. More serious are the strong links between sleep apnea and strokes...Before I started using the CPAP device, I would fall asleep the moment I would be stopped at a red light, it was miserable.

The subconscious, on the other hand is a different kettle of fish, it is an entity within us that we can't quite control but that manifests itself as seemingly irrational behaviours or images that occupy our deepest and truest selves. So much more can be said about this entity, and I would refer anyone interested in this to Jungian psychology for some insights.

 

It's the problem 'Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind rule the body'?... I don't know

... But I do believe any kind of repression will show through your physiology, sooner or later, and if you don't pay attention it can grow into a sickness. I used to lose my voice on a regular basis, and had serious troubles breathing, to the point I even suspected I had asthma, and had to bother my doctor for the test and so on...

I would wake up at nights too, had to run literally to open a window, so I wouldn't die right there. I remember I felt too scared to even question myself, even if the answers were there, I couldn't heard that tiny little voice 'cause I drowned them with loud 'No way, not me, I'm normal, I'm sane, I'll manage this'.

Don't think it's only orientation or gender, it can be any unresolved issue... Or just the body itself.
I'd first go to see a doctor and check all the organic systems are in perfect order, just to be on the safe side. Go figure that lack of vitamin B12 can be responsible for a depression.

This thread reminds me to the lie detectors for some reason...

 

There is some research on the physiological effects of keeping secrets. Essentially, the brain is wired to tell the truth and supressing it requires a conscious effort from the parts related to rational thinking. Its like the more primal and instinctive areas are wanting to tell the truth whilst the more developed 'rational' areas are working relentlessly to supress it. (Thats why very young kids whose rational brain areas are not yet sufficiently developed are not yet capable of lying). This conflict places your brain under a great amount of stress which triggers the release of cortisol. Over the long-term you age faster, put on weight, have memory and concentration problems, sleeping problems, weak immune system, proneness to developing allergies, greater likehood of having a heart attack or developing dementia, etc...

 

Yikes - someone just wrote my biography .. or was it obituary.. :eek: