You can more effectively employ a PC when you know more about it, and in the same way, you can better use your own mental power, mind and body when you understand them better.

There's one big stumbling block to learning more about ourselves. It is our bias to rationalize, as demonstrated in the extraordinary in the following real life story.

Jack, while hypnotised by his specialist, was given the post-hypnotic instruction to get up and put on his coat whenever the doctor touched his nose. Once out of the trance, he and the doctor talked. During the conversation, the doctor scratched his nose, and Jack straight away stood up and put on his coat. Jack claimed "Oh, I presumed we were finished," and he took off the coat.

Some mins later, the doctor touched his nose again, and Jack again straight away stood up and put on his coat. By the 3rd time, it was getting tougher for Jack to clarify his behavior, yet he attempted to.

Now, is this eventuality actually unique to hypnosis? I don't believe so. We are commonly just presuming that we know all that goes into our calls and actions. Like poor Jack, we feel compelled to clarify ourselves, and to believe our own reasons. Naturally, this isn't self information, but self reason, or rationalization, and it is an example of our strongest human habits. When a kid throws a book at his bro, and his mummy demands "Why would you do that. ?" What typically happens? The kid answers, "I don't know," which is true, but wholly unsuitable.

With 5 seconds to come up with an answer, the best trick cyclists could not understand the kid's action with certainty, yet a five-year-old is anticipated to do just that.

Though he may not understand, he learns quickly the way to explain himself. With this pressure to elucidate, it is small wonder that by adulthood, we seldom say "I don't know" when asked about our behavior. Isn't this an issue if we need true self knowledge? How can we learn the true reasons for our behavior if we already have our explanations? A better approach is to assert "I don't know." If it helps, follow it with "Maybe it is down to the fact of "and let the reasons spill out, but do not be too fast to accept any of them. If you never can tell why you are avoiding them, isn't it better to leave the query open than to accept a fake reason based mostly on a practice of self-justification and rationalization? When you leave questions unanswered, you may sometime have a better understanding. A fast answer just means a fast stop in your thinking, and less self data.

Why not just say, "I don't know." Isn't it better to learn how to accept your stupidity, and to keep observing yourself? Do not let self-explanation get in the way of of self data.