50 pages • 1 hour read
Dr. Joseph MurphyThe Power Of Your Subconscious Mind
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1963A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary: “Your Subconscious Mind as a Partner in Success”
Chapter 11 examines the topic of success, which Murphy defines as successful living or “a long period of peace, joy, and happiness on this plane” (105). He says that Jesus’ references to “everlasting life” refer to the ability to experience these qualities eternally, and Murphy also asserts that such qualities come from the “Deep Self” of humans. Meditating on these qualities builds treasures in the subconscious.
He discusses three steps to take in order to achieve this definition of success. First, a person must discover what they most love to do and do it. A person can pray for guidance by asking the infinite intelligence of the subconscious mind to reveal the vocation. It is then necessary to wait for a feeling, hunch, or tendency to clearly manifest. Second, a person must specialize and work to excel in that specialty. Third, and most importantly, a person must ensure that their vocation benefits humanity.
Murphy gives the examples of an oil magnate whose success lay in his ability to see a project as completed, a film actor who pictured his name in lights, and a pharmacist who eventually owned his own store. For business success, he recommends the technique of holding imaginary conversations with wiser friends. For success in school, he suggests praising the infinite intelligence for helping the student succeed and radiating love and goodwill to teachers and fellow students. A general business technique is to repeat the word “success” many times a day.
When buying or selling, as with all his techniques, the first step is to relax and imagine the end result of the work, such as the purchase of a home. Such a prayer can be answered in many ways, but the result always comes about from the fact that what people are seeking is also seeking them.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Scientists Use the Subconscious Mind”
Murphy discusses scientists who used the subconscious mind to make substantial discoveries. He gives the example of Friedrich von Stradowitz, who solved the molecular structure of benzene after dreaming of a snake biting its own tail and turning in a ring. Electrical scientist Nikola Tesla “built” each invention in his imagination before constructing it. American naturalist Louis Agassiz dreamed the precise characteristics of a fossil fish that he was trying to uncover, and this allowed him to chisel away the parts of the stone under which the fish was hidden. Dr. Frederick Banting dreamed of extracting insulin from animals to help treat diabetes.
The author suggests turning over a scientific problem to the subconscious mind before sleep, maintaining a firm belief that one already has the answer. The subconscious has a memory of everything that has ever transpired, aiding in the discovery of the desired solution. This approach works with everyday discoveries and with a broader desire for guidance.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Your Subconscious and the Wonders of Sleep”
Chapter 13 explores the importance of sleep: the time the subconscious mind is always active. He quotes a sleep researcher named John Bigelow, who said that people sleep both to rest and to further their spiritual development in union with their higher nature. Murphy agrees that sleep is a time to commune with the inner wisdom of the subconscious mind.
Sleep deprivation and insomnia lead to health problems, and many people need more sleep than they get. Murphy cites an experiment on sleep deprivation in which the tired participants had frequent lapses into very brief sleep. They also could not retain the information needed to perform tasks.
Murphy advises paying attention to the wisdom received through dreams, especially when warnings are given. The author himself declined an assignment in Asia after dreaming about the attack on Pearl Harbor three years before it took place. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson gave instructions to his subconscious every night prior to sleep to give him a good plot. He then received the plot in stages. Murphy states that habitual thinking creates a person’s future, although this future can be changed through prayer. He also asserts that the future of a country is in “the collective subconscious of the people of that nation” (129).
His formula for overcoming insomnia is to picture each part of the body relaxing, from the toes to the mind, then affirming free forgiveness and blessings to everyone, and concluding by stating, “I rest in security and in peace” (131). When he practices this technique, he feels himself wrapped in divine presence and wakes up feeling joy.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Your Subconscious Mind and Marital Problems”
Murphy attributes all marital troubles—including divorce, separation, annulment, and litigation—to ignorance of the functions and powers of the mind. He asserts that these issues can be healed by using the law of mind correctly; he advises praying to stay together, studying the laws of life, and mutually agreeing on a common purpose or plan. He says that real marriage “must first be on a spiritual basis” and that even before marriage, a couple must practice honesty and sincerity with each other (134). No partner should marry for money, for social position, or to lift their ego. He asserts that all good things can be gained through proper use of the subconscious mind.
Murphy says that to attract an ideal husband, a woman should sit in a passive, drowsy state and name the qualities of the ideal man, affirming that she is now attracting this man into her experience. She should say that she will contribute to his peace and happiness and that neither will try to change the other; instead, there will be mutual love, freedom, and respect. To attract an ideal wife, a man should affirm that he is attracting a woman who is in accord with him and affirm that he will give her love, light, peace, and joy. He then names the positive qualities he desires in a spouse. Murphy offers the example of a woman who made bad choices in men but found the ideal spouse through prayer.
Murphy describes divorce as an “individual problem” that cannot be generalized (138). It is an acceptable solution if the union is not harmonious. It takes place first in the mind through negative qualities such as resentment and fear. Prayer therapy can unite a couple. Murphy states that a woman should not nag, a man should not brood, and neither should try to change the other. Instead, each needs to praise the other’s best qualities. Nor should a couple discuss their problems with others, as relatives, in particular, will give bad advice.
The author offers the following steps for staying together through prayer. First, never carry a disagreement over to the next day. Offer forgiveness and affirm every morning that infinite intelligence is guiding the marriage. Offer thoughts of peace to your partner. Second, say grace at breakfast and dinnertime and tell the spouse that they are appreciated and loved. Third, alternate in praying each night, picturing the spouse in health and joy.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Your Subconscious Mind and Your Happiness”
In Chapter 15, Murphy turns to the topic of happiness. He quotes William James (1842-1910), who is often considered to be the father of American psychology, as saying that the greatest discovery of the 19th century was “the power of the subconscious touched by faith” (145). Experiences that are thought to be intensely happy, such as the birth of a child, are in fact transient, while real happiness is instead a state of mind: a habit that must be actively chosen. It consists of finding out the “law of divine order and right action lodged in your subconscious mind” and applying those laws to all parts of life (148).
To choose happiness, Murphy advises starting in the morning by giving charge of one’s life to divine order and affirming that divine love will aid prosperity. He also states that the desire for happiness must be sincere and that people should not choose unhappiness with negative statements, which only attract bad experiences. He quotes Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher, and the American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, both of whom said that a person’s life is determined by their thoughts.
Neither wealth nor spending will bring happiness. Instead, it lies in thought and feeling. Fearful memories and worry will hold a person back and should be banished and replaced with faith in success, achievement, and victory over all problems. Finally, virtue plays a key role in happiness because it helps people express the best part of themselves, which is God.
Chapters 11-15 Analysis
These chapters continue to develop Murphy’s predominant themes, specifically the basic process for Tapping the Subconscious to Achieve Personal Goals, and to this end, Murphy stresses the importance of creating vivid mental images and imprinting them on the subconscious mind to allow the infinite intelligence to do its work. This idea is present whether he is discussing success, discoveries, marital problems, or happiness. Likewise, he also stresses The Psychology of Prayer, Belief, and Faith, which he frames as critical to achieving success and marital bliss.
At the same time, the recommended techniques differ somewhat for each intended goal, and Murphy also articulates a barrage of traditional and even stereotypical concepts of success and healthy marriage. Murphy’s view of success is heavily dependent on finding one specific vocation, and this reveals his traditional assumption that everyone has a calling to some form of paid work. In the process, he fails to address the nuances involved in an array of alternatives, such as the needs of a stay-at-home parent or a full-time caretaker of a family member. Additionally, the author’s views of male and female roles and desires within the context of marital issues reveal biases that are highly patriarchal. Although he insists that neither marital partner should try to change the other and makes it a point to acknowledge that a woman should not be dependent on her husband for wealth or security, he also invokes shallow and problematic stereotypes of a married couple in conflict. By framing the woman as a “nag” and the man as someone prone to “brooding,” he portrays the woman as the greater source of the hypothetical marital problems and taints his discussion by indulging in simplistic caricatures. Likewise, his advice for attracting a mate differs for men and women, and his wording once again reveals sexist biases that detract from the credibility of the discussion. For example, he describes a woman who has trouble attracting a suitable mate as “very masculine” and claims that to find a better match, she must “love to follow where [the man] leads” (136).
While these gender-based biases are highly problematic from a modern perspective, it is also important to note that Murphy’s assertions were very much aligned with the mainstream ideas of the time, as the second wave of feminism in the US was only just beginning and had not yet had a chance to take effect on the broader fabric of society. In fact, Murphy’s book was published in 1963, the same year that Betty Friedan’s groundbreaking The Feminine Mystique appeared; it was also the same year that President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevented employers from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, was yet to come.
While discussing the topics of buying and selling and addressing common marital issues, Murphy adds techniques that acknowledge the presence of a partner in the transaction. For instance, for those selling a home, he advises acknowledging that infinite intelligence is already attracting the buyer by guiding that buyer’s own infinite intelligence. Similarly, his recommended meditation for a woman who wants to attract a mate includes the words “I know he wants me, and I want him” (137).
Issues that are heavily influenced by sleeping and waking also receive special treatment in these chapters. Murphy recommends that to facilitate discoveries, it is important to pay attention to one’s dreams and to thoughts that appear immediately upon awakening. He has already stressed the importance of imprinting the subconscious while in a drowsy state, but he also cites numerous examples of scientists who made important discoveries through actual dreams. This is possible, he says, because the subconscious mind has a “memory of everything that has ever transpired” (119), a vast collection of information that can be tapped. Similarly, he asserts that happiness is a choice that must be made first thing in the morning. Thus, he supplies many concrete examples and actionable techniques in an effort to bolster the credibility of his argument from a variety of angles.
