@Chrispydelic 538257 wrote:

The problem is that it is a subconscious function for filtering information by attributing all information to the ‘truth’ of the rules we have already made.

The subconscious has many functions that it runs constantly and that you don’t have to think about like blinking, breathing and other ‘automated’ functions. Then there are the ones that you have no control over like the releasing of certain neurotransmitter chemicals, the beating of your heart, digestion and a myriad of other functions that the brain is controlling. These rules are just a part of that immensely complicated program.

Ignoring proof that the sky is blue (when you believe it to be pink) is not part of this phenomena and people do adjust their set of rules constantly so that each day (or even each minute) we perceive the world slightly differently.

It is very hard re re-write rules that have been ‘hard-wired’ into the subconscious. This is where hypnosis comes in.

At the end of the day we see what we want to see.

You can always look for evidence contrary to your beliefs. For example during the 2008 presidential elections in the U.S. they studied people’s purchasing habits on amazon. People who supported Obama were more likely to purchase books that painted him in a positive light, while people who already disliked him were buying ones that paint him in a negative light.

Things like this are why good journalists looking to tell a certain story have to avoid ignoring evidence to the contrary, and well-designed science experiments must avoid leaving little wiggle room for outcomes that go against the hypothesis. By seeking out evidence/opinions contrary to yours, you can in turn modify your own views, and even learn more about them. It’s not easy, because new information makes us feel uncomfortable if it challenges our preconceived notions, but it is possible, and we must remember that reality does not bend to our will.

Re-writing rules in your subsconcious is part of what Hebbian theory of learning is about. Your brain rewires itself the more you do something, because the more you use certain neural pathways, the more your brain will wire them in a certain configuration (which is why experts at certain skills can do things nearly automatically with seemingly no effort expended, such as virtuoso musicians or pro athletes.) If you train yourself to look for things that go against what you believe, you can do it.