27: WTF Even Is Subconscious Reprogramming?

I get it.

The personal development world throws around a million different terms and overcomplicated labels for what are often very simple concepts. And honestly? It’s getting a bit ridiculous. Everyone’s trying to make their version of a tool sound revolutionary just to stand out — and I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to make things sound fancy to prove I know what I’m talking about.

So let’s strip this one right back to basics.

You may or may not have heard of subconscious reprogramming (or maybe you know it by a different name) — and you may or may not have any clue what the hell it actually means. Either way, I’ve got you.

Subconscious vs. Conscious

Subconscious: Our autopilot setting — the stuff we’re not actively aware of.

Conscious: The thoughts and choices we’re actively aware of.

Most of us live life driven by our subconscious — a collection of beliefs, stories, and interpretations we picked up from childhood. In fact, research suggests that almost every core belief we hold as adults was shaped by the time we were seven years old (yep, seven!).

These beliefs come from how we interpreted the world around us as kids. What we saw, heard, and felt from parents, carers, teachers, grandparents… basically anyone we spent time with. Our young brains didn’t have the emotional maturity to understand nuance, so we took things literally, and those interpretations solidified into our subconscious programming.

Let’s Paint a Picture

Imagine this:

You’re six years old and buzzing to tell Mum about something that happened at kindergarten. You launch into your story, full of excitement, but she doesn’t respond with the enthusiasm you expected. Maybe she nods distractedly or barely reacts at all.

Six-year-old you doesn’t understand that Mum’s in the middle of cooking dinner, your little sibling is screaming in the background for whatever reason, and she’s just trying to hold it all together.

Instead, six-year-old you feels deflated and thinks: “Mum doesn’t care about what I have to say.”

That thought lodges itself in your subconscious — and from then on, every time someone doesn’t react enthusiastically to you, your brain goes, “See? Told you. No one cares what you have to say.”

That’s confirmation bias at work. Your brain is constantly looking for evidence to support what it already believes.

Fast forward twenty years, and suddenly you’re that adult who overthinks every conversation, avoids speaking up in meetings, or overcompensates with people-pleasing or loud confidence. All because of a belief your six-year-old self formed while Mum was just trying to stop dinner from burning.

That’s subconscious programming.

So What Is Subconscious Reprogramming, Really?

Subconscious reprogramming is the process of uncovering those limiting beliefs — the ones quietly running the show — and using proven techniques to transform them into beliefs that actually empower and support you.

Now, Google (and “airy fairy” mindset coaches on instagram) will tell you that all you need to do is look in the mirror, repeat your affirmations, and visualise your dream life every day — and bam! Your subconscious is reprogrammed.

I’m here to call bullshit on that.

Those things are fine — they can be great supporting tools and an easy way to dip your toe into personal development — but they’re surface-level. They won’t shift the deep stuff. The stuff that’s been running the show for decades.

If you actually want to change the way your brain has been thinking for 20+ years, you need to dig deeper. You need to unearth why those beliefs formed in the first place — and create safety in your body so it’s ready to release them.

My personal favourite ways to do this?

• Emotional regulation (or emotional alchemy as some practitioners call it): The process of turning raw, heavy emotions into clarity, wisdom, and peace — not by suppressing them, but by embracing them.

• Somatic healing: Body-centered trauma healing as repressed emotions and experiences are stored within it.

Because if your body feels unsafe, no amount of affirmations will convince it otherwise.

If you have more questions about subconscious reprogramming, send me an email at hello@reneeella.com!

I’m genuinely so passionate about this work — it changed my life, and I want to be the vessel for it to change other women’s lives too.

With love,

Renee Ella xx