How to Know When a Subconscious Pattern Releases

If you’ve ever done any kind of inner work, you’ve probably experienced this before:

You get to a point where a certain pattern that used to affect you in an overwhelmingly negative way starts to lose its grip on you. You don’t react as strongly as you once did. You don’t spiral in the same way as before. And the area of life that used to be extremely challenging feels much more manageable.

But deep down, there’s still a part of you that’s uneasy. A part that’s watching. Wondering if you’ll get triggered again. Wondering if the pattern is actually gone, or if it’s just been quieter recently than it used to be.

So, how do you know if a negative subconscious pattern release has actually happened? (Btw, when I say “negative subconscious pattern” here, I mean the same thing as calling it a “subconscious block”, which is a term I use to describe a subconscious process that prompts you to think, feel, or act in ways you don’t actually want to. I use the two terms interchangeably.)

So how do you know? How can you feel confident that there isn’t still some part of the pattern that’s lingering around in the background, waiting for its chance to blindside you?

Below, I’m going to point out what to look for so that you can, without a doubt, tell for yourself whether your “block” is truly gone or not.

Identifying the Sequence of a Subconscious Pattern

In order to know whether a subconscious block is gone, you first need to get clear on what exactly made it up in the first place. To do that, ask yourself this:

When the pattern was fully active, what was the literal sequence of events that took place?

• Did something outside of you tend to set it off, like a situation, a person, or a specific type of moment?
• Or was it something internal that triggered you instead, like a mental movie or an image that popped into your mind?
• Did inner commentary or conversations start playing out, leaving you angry, sad, fearful, or pulled into some other negative emotional state?
• Did what you felt inside prompt more thoughts and feelings that then cascaded into an ongoing spiral?

And once that spiral was in motion, did those thoughts and feelings prompt you to have a knee-jerk reaction or behaviour you wish you didn’t, like pulling you into hesitation, avoidance, or inaction?

Subconscious patterns are caused by a sequence of internal events that take place inside of you. When those events string together and cause you to act in ways you don’t prefer, that’s when the pattern becomes a problem (or “block” – meaning it limits you in everyday life).

That’s why being aware of the sequence that makes up the pattern is so important. Knowing how it plays out is what allows you to tell whether a pattern is still there or not.

So, pay attention to how you used to get triggered, and notice whether those old triggers still prompt any part of the old sequence to unfold. Whether that’s via mental movies, inner dialogue, negative feelings. if you see that any part of the pattern is still there, that’s a definitive indication that some of the pattern is still active.

And just as importantly, notice what that internal activity prompts you to do. If it still pulls you toward the same reactions you don’t want, like hesitation, avoidance, overthinking, shutting down, etc. there’s still more to be processed out.

Using Triggers to Test for Subconscious Pattern Release

One of the best ways to be able to see if a subconscious pattern is still active is to use your own triggers intentionally. Instead of waiting for life to surprise you, you can bring your specific triggers up on purpose and watch how they cause things to play out within you, in the moment.

This works because your memories are directly tied to your nervous system. When you experience something challenging, your body stores that event as a physical imprint. So, even if the event is in the past, the memory of it can still trigger the same “fight or flight” response in your body today.

So if you want to tell whether a subconscious pattern release is complete, bring up the thought of whatever used to trigger you. When you do, the feelings tied to that thought will surface if they’re still there.

Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined. Just like if you imagine biting into a lemon, you’ll notice your mouth starts to salivate, even though there’s no lemon there. The same principle applies here.

If you bring to mind something that used to trigger you, like a conversation, a situation, or a future scenario you used to worry about, you can sit quietly with that thought in your mind (ideally during meditation) and notice whether the same negative feelings show up in your body that used to.

If they do, then some part of the pattern is still there.
If they don’t, then it’s very likely that layer of the pattern has been released.

You can also do this practice using “real-world” triggers. For example, if you’ve always been afraid of spiders and you want to test to see if that internal reaction is gone, you might watch a video that you know would normally trigger a negative response inside of you, then notice what happens in your body. Notice how much of the feeling is still there, and whether your inner commentary or mental movies start to spiral. If the pattern’s still there, you’ll see it.

This strategy works especially well for people who have trouble visualizing or imagining things internally.

Why Subconscious Blocks Release in Layers

Most people don’t realize this, but subconscious blocks are very often made up of layers, which is one of the main reasons they don’t always release all at once.

For example, someone might have done a bunch of inner work to work through a general fear of conflict, then afterward, most of the time, they can speak calmly and clearly in front of people without an issue. The anxiety that used to be there isn’t there anymore.

But then, when they’re around a particular type of person or in a specific dynamic that resembles an old situation, something still tightens inside of them. The hesitation comes back. The familiar feeling reappears.

What’s happening here is that one layer of the pattern that was tied to a broader fear has been released, while a deeper layer that’s linked to a specific relational or situational imprint is still active.

The person’s “system” (their subconscious mind) released what it was ready to release. But the deeper part of them still believes that holding onto this automatic response is necessary to keep them safe around certain people.

So in this case, the fact that they’re still experiencing part of the pattern doesn’t mean the work they did didn’t “take” or didn’t hold. It just means that there’s a deeper layer of the pattern that hasn’t been processed out yet.

So what do you do to release that last little bit?
You keep doing what already worked. If you were able to release part of the pattern, then you already know how to work with this. Nothing new is needed. There’s just a deeper layer asking for your attention now.

The difference at this stage is precision. Don’t let your attention get pulled away by second-guessing yourself. That’s a trap that a lot of people fall into, and it’s really just another pattern designed to “protect you” from releasing the deeper layer that your system thinks it needs to hold onto for safety. Be mindful when your attention wanders from the area you’re working on. Hold your focus there.

You know the sequence that normally happens, so just go back to witnessing the same steps you’ve already learned to recognize.

Make use of the specific situations, memories, or external triggers that you know will cause something to tighten inside, then pay attention to the feeling that shows up and sit with that layer.

Let your attention stay there with it in meditation, without trying to fix it, manage it, or rush it.

That remaining layer will process out the same way the others did. It’s not a question of if. It’s a matter of time, and staying with the right feeling. When that feeling no longer fires, that’s when you’ll know that pattern is truly gone.

No feeling = no pattern. Because when you drill down to the deepest layer, it’s always just a feeling that’s prompting your unwanted behaviour. Once that internal signal is quiet, you are no longer being pulled by the past, and you can finally move forward with clarity.

Nikki

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Next steps and resources

• If you’re new here:
  Start with How Your Subconscious Mind Shapes Your Everyday Life.
• What to read next:
  If you’re still in the phase of recognizing the pattern but it hasn’t fully shifted yet…
  • Why Your Patterns Are Still There (Even When You Recognize Them)
  • Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out of a Feeling
  • When You Outgrow Your Old Life After Healing

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