There are many beliefs and experiences stored in our subconscious mind. Whatever is stored there affects how we feel and act. Issues evolve when the conscious mind wants or believes one thing, but the subconscious mind wants or believes something else. If the conscious mind (5-10% of our potential mind power) and subconscious mind (90-95% of our potential mind power) are in conflict, the subconscious always wins. It is simply larger and stronger. It doesn’t matter how irrational the behavior is, we continue to engage in it because the subconscious feels it is serving a purpose of some kind. For example, someone who smokes cigarettes knows logically that smoking is harmful and wants to quit. However, there are messages stored in the subconscious that smoking is cool, or it helps manage stress, or that quitting is too hard. These messages override the logical desire to stop smoking.

Scott Metcalf, RCCH, A Beautiful Mind Hypnotherapy, ABeautifulMindHypnotherapy.com