Think about your past. Where is it now? Where does your past exist now? The only place your past exists anymore is in your mind. And in your mind, your past is stored in pictures.
Every picture has an emotion anchored to it giving meaning to that picture. Every time you think of something in your past, you have a picture in your mind. And you react to that picture with emotion that is anchored to it.
The picture and the emotion are wired together. The picture means that emotion, kind of. And these wirings tend to persistently maintain in our minds once they get created, especially when very strong emotions are involved. And even more when these wirings got created during our early childhood.
Every time you see something that reminds you about a picture in your mind you automatically react with the emotion connected to that picture. You are not able to choose if you react or not. F.ex. If you accidentally touch a hot plate. You have pulled out your hand before you even realize it. Your unconscious mind, which some people call an instinctive mind, takes care of that you react accordingly in each situation, based on the pictures you have stored in your mind.
Watch my Youtube video on this topic HERE