The subconscious is not directly accessible to ordinary introspection , but is is capable of being "tapped" and "interpreted" by special methods and techniques such as random association , dream analysis and verbal slips (commonly known as a Freudian slip ),examined and conducted during psychotherapy . Thoughts , feelings and urges that are repressed are all present in the subconscious mind and " issues " need to be " worked out " with professionals skilled in the field of mental health and mental illness .
Certain philosophers preceding Sigmund Freud such as Leibniz and Schopenhauer developed ideas foreshadowing the subconscious. The new medical science of psychoanalysis established by Freud and his disciples popularized this and similar notions such as the role of the libido (sex drive) and the self-destructive urge of thanatos (death wish) ,and the famous Oedipus complex wherein a son seeks to "kill" his father to make love to his own mother.( Shades of incest ).
Knowledge of the subconscious has been exploited by marketing strategists employed by corporations to either play on hidden fears and secret desires buried in the common subconscious. Teams of psychologists are hired to do market research and understand the psycholgy of buying in order to use subliminal messages in advertising campaigns.
Some psychics also believe that the subconscious mind possesses a kind of "hidden energy" or "potential" that can realise dreams and thoughts, with minimal conscious effort or action from the individual. Some also believe that the subconscious has an "influencing power" in shaping one's destiny. All such claims, however have so far failed to stand scientifc scrutiny.