“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”

This wonderful line comes from the movie “No Country for Old Men” and is one of the many great ones written by Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who, in prose both concentrated and delicate, took readers from the southern Appalachians to the desert Southwest.

McCarthy died last week. He was 89.

McCarthy was a huge proponent of the power of the subconscious. Years ago, he shared a story on the Oprah Winfrey Show about allowing our subconscious helps us solve problems.

McCarthy told the tale of an MIT professor who unsuccessfully worked on a high-level problem and hit the proverbial wall, causing great consternation and depression.

The professor was irritable, angry and frustrated with those around him, as the problem came to consume his life.

He kept a notepad and pencil at his bedside in case he had an idea before drifting off. One night while in a deep sleep, the professor dreamt he was having lunch with John Nash, the Noble Prize-winning mathematician whose life was documented in the movie “A Beautiful Mind.”

Over lunch, they discussed their issues, and Nash asked the professor to examine his work, before writing down an equation and returning the paper.

At that moment, the professor suddenly woke up, scribbled the equation on his note pad and returned to his pillow, not thinking about what he had written.

The next morning the professor reviewed his scribble and found the problem was solved perfectly. He gave Nash a co-author credit when he wrote his paper, even though he had never met or talked with him.

The power of the subconscious.

This story may seem far-fetched, but it’s not.

We all have this amazing power in our subconscious. From extensive research in both psychology and neuroscience, we tap into our subconscious mind when we:

1. Meditate: This practice can help quiet the conscious mind, allowing deeper thoughts and feelings to surface.

2. Do Dream Analysis: Dreams can be a window into the subconscious mind. Keeping a dream journal and reflecting on the symbols, themes, and emotions in your dreams might help you understand your subconscious thoughts and feelings.

3. Journal: Writing freely about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences can bring subconscious ideas to the surface. Techniques such as stream-of-consciousness writing or automatic writing can be especially effective.

4. Visualize: Imagining a desired outcome in great detail can communicate your intentions to your subconscious mind. This technique is often used in sports psychology and personal development.

5. Provide Affirmations: Positive statements, repeated consistently, can help to reprogram negative or limiting beliefs in your subconscious mind.

6. Mindful Practices: Yoga, tai chi, or other mindful movement practices can create a state of focused relaxation that may help you tap into your subconscious.

When we use our subconscious to help, we can become a powerful force.