Freud, Flavors & Fantasy

I’ve been staring at a blank document for more time than I’d like to admit this week. Some weeks you have it, & other weeks you just don’t. This feels like a “don’t” week.

I’d say the most common question I get when it comes to writing a weekly newsletter is “How the hell do you come up with something to write about every single week?”

The answer is… Honestly… I have no idea. But maybe I can try and show you.

Usually, I don’t think about what to write about until I actually sit down at my laptop Sunday night. Today is no different. I literally have NO CLUE what this is going to be about today.

I like to think of writing as just digging deeper & deeper into the layers of my brain. Sounds gross but I mean this metaphorically. Let me explain… I know I’m able to achieve my best writing when I can get into deeper and deeper levels of my brain, however to do this, I need to find an entry point through the top layer. So, obviously, I first scout the surface on what’s “top of mind”…

Did anything funny happen to me recently? What did I do this weekend? Any situations that were weird or unusual?

Well, there was a guy in the line at my local ice cream shop last night that did absolutely abuse his common law right to sample one (two at most) flavors before making his choice… By sampling THREE flavors while there was a line of 20 people.

The worst part? He went with vanilla.

I’m still fuming.

Regardless, if I find something on the top layer of my conscious mind, I can then use that as a key to open up the lower levels.

And boom, after a quick google image search of “top of mind” I have arrived at Freud’s Iceberg Theory… Which will most likely now be the subject of this newsletter.

Welcome to week 48 of Trust Fun. Let’s learn about the Iceberg Theory together.

So, we all know Sig Freud right? Quickly reminder… famous psychologist from Austria, often called the "father of psychoanalysis." Came up with big ideas about how our unconscious mind affects our thoughts and actions, known for theories like the Oedipus complex and dream interpretation, “Freudian Slip” etc.

Good? Good.

Now, according to Sig, our mind has three layers, like an iceberg.

1. Conscious Mind (Above the waterline):

• This is the part of the mind that we are fully aware of. It includes our thoughts, perceptions, and feelings in the present moment.

• It's like the tip of the iceberg, the part we can easily see and access.

2. Preconscious Mind (Just below the waterline):

• This is the part of the mind that contains memories and information that we aren’t consciously aware of at the moment but can easily bring to the conscious mind if needed (like recalling your childhood friend's name).

• It’s right beneath the surface, readily accessible when needed.

3. Unconscious Mind (Deep underwater):

• The unconscious mind is the largest and most influential part of the mind, hidden below the surface. It contains thoughts, memories, and desires that we are not consciously aware of, often because they are disturbing or socially unacceptable.

We spend a ton of time bouncing back and forth between layers 1 and 2. Probably too much time. As humans, we suppress the unconscious mind because the thoughts are scary, embarrassing, awkward.

It’s dark down there… ya know. But that’s ok. Freud would say thats normal.

Spending time in your unconscious mind digging into why you have certain thoughts or why you make certain decisions can be super scary… but it’s also simultaneously super interesting.

So, why should we spend more time in that deep, murky third layer of our unconscious mind? Well, that's where the good stuff is hiding—the real reasons behind why we do what we do. Yeah, it might feel uncomfortable or weird to dig down there, but it’s also where we can uncover patterns, break habits, or get fresh ideas we didn’t even know we had. Think of it like treasure hunting in your own brain—sure, you might have to sift through some messy stuff, but what you find could change how you see yourself (and maybe even give you something great to write about next time).

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. See you next week. Trying to catch my first fantasy win this week.