Conscious Thought, Say what? Options

[aesop]

Perhaps my question doesn't belong in this forum.. Either way, I'd appreciate it if someone could explain this to me.

Essentially I just want to know what our conscious thought is, where it comes from and what its limitations are.

Whilst I haven't been explicitly told, from what I gather one's thought process is the result of some physical activity. It is an interpretation of electrical signals traveling within our body. If this is the case, would that mean that thought is a type of sense? And if it is only capable of interpretation of physical sensations, could it be a form of Sandbox where every thought is able to be not only manipulated, but in fact created?

Whilst this explanation (over simplified or just plain wrong as it may be) makes sense to me, it raises some issues I haven't really considered before. Such as the vulnerability of our mind (and consequently our existence) to third-party interference; and furthermore the impossibility of ever knowing absolutely, whether in fact our experiences are real or fabricated. Perhaps our minds operate in response to another will we are not aware of..

I know this sounds like something pulled from the Matrix, but it is still a legitimate concern of mine nonetheless. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance,
Luke