Intuition or gut feeling has been reduced to a lot of hocus-pocus in the past. As the world moved towards more emphasis on data, analytics, and rationale, the concept of intuition was pushed back as illogical and scattered. It’s not considered real because it is not conscious and cannot be explained!

The landscape is changing as psychologists and researchers ‘prove’ that it is as real as analytic and conscious thinking. A study in Stanford University compared the results between rational decision-making and ‘going with the gut’. Intuition led to the better choice 68% of the times, as compared to rational decision making that had a success rate of only 26%.

What is Intuition?

Intuition can best be described as a sneaking suspicion or feeling. It can be about anything – a decision you have to make, an assessment about someone you have just met, or an outcome that will happen, or something you feel you just have to do. It does not have a rational. You cannot put a finger on it and you surely, cannot explain it.

While many people have said that intuitive decisions are random and indicate a lack of skill, these intuitive decisions actually emanate from years of practice, hours of experience, and millions of sensory data you have accumulated sub-consciously. In fact, intuition is based on a lot more data than conscious thinking; you just do not know that data consciously!

In terms of human processing systems, the conscious system is analytical, deliberate, and slow. The intuitive operating system is effortless, based on much larger sub-conscious data, outside conscious awareness, and very fast.

The seat of intuition is in the gut, where one can find a network of neurons called the ‘second brain’ or the Enteric Nervous System (ENS).

In theory, there are 3 kinds of intuitions:

1. Ordinary intuition – this is the vague hunch that we get from time to time, if we are aware and pay attention.
2. Expert intuition – this is the rapid decision making that takes place where one jumps into quick action to solve an emergency like an accident.
3. Strategic intuition – this is the place of the ‘aha’ moment, a burst of insight that comes out of nowhere. It typically takes place when you are relaxed and actually not thinking of anything consciously.

Innate or Acquired?

We are all born with intuition. As children, all of us work with instinct and intuition before we get baptized into the world of logic, rationale, and analytics. Our belief that all important decisions need to be backed by data, logic, a pros and cons list, and/or risk-reward analysis, is the most devastating blow to our intuition. Some of the things that get in the way of intuition include overthinking, prejudices, unconscious biases, a loved ones needs or wants, and previous trauma / bad experiences.

However, all is not lost and if you feel you are guilty of suppressing your intuition, you can start to inculcate it further. Developing this aspect also involves being in tune with your body, your sensations, your feelings, and emotions.

How do you Identify Intuition?

As you start to nurture your intuition, you may not know what it is or you may not be able to identify it. Some people who have strong intuitions describe it as a feeling that ‘just won’t go away’.

• It is intuition, when you feel it in your body as a peaceful feeling in your heart, a sinking feeling in your gut, or a constricted feeling in your chest.
• It is intuition when you know its right even though you do not feel confident about the outcome or have no rationale to explain it.
• It is intuition, when you get an idea out of nowhere, even though you were not thinking of a problem or a solution. This is the ‘aha’ moment!
• It is intuition when you start dreaming about the feeling as if your subconscious is using all means possible to tell you what to do.
• It is intuition when you keep getting pulled to a specific thought and you cannot figure out why.
• It is intuition when the same opportunities seem to come your way again and again as if the Universe wants you to take note. It is in fact, your sub-conscious making you pay attention to the things that you need to.

Beware of confusing intuition with something that you are afraid of. It is possible you get a feeling in your gut when you are afraid to make a decision due to feelings of inadequacy, fear of rejection, or worry about the outcome. That feeling is not intuition but your ‘ego’ taking on an identity that you find comfortable embodying. Intuition does not come from a place of fear. It comes from a place of ‘knowing’, just knowing without conscious reasoning!

Giving Your Gut a Chance to Grow

Learning to listen to your gut, takes guts! It may not be easy to suddenly put a stop to your analytical thinking and jump right in based on what you think you feel. It is also not necessary to completely stop thinking analytically. There are times when logic will provide you with an easy answer and then there are times when you cannot make up your mind or there is not obvious right answer. These are the times when you should definitely give your gut a chance.

Here are some things that you can start to do to encourage your gut and intuition to grow stronger.

1. Step away from the issue – When you want to hear what your gut says about something, stop thinking about it consciously. The conscious mind gets so cluttered with data and information that the subconscious mind does not get a chance to manifest. Take a break from the thinking and distract yourself with a book, a movie, a walk, or some great calming breathing exercises.
2. Pay attention to your body – Intuition often manifests in the body and that’s where the attention needs to be focused. Learning to be mindful of your body is paying attention to your bodily feelings – butterflies in the stomach, goosebumps, shiver down the spine, racing heart, faster breathing, a surge of energy, and more. As you start paying attention to these, you will be able to notice subtler movements too.
3. Trust your intuition – As you start to trust your intuition, it will feel nurtured and encouraged and show itself more often and louder. For this to happen, start taking smaller decisions based on intuition and see how that turns out. This positive feedback loop will help intuition grow. Be careful to not get back into a full-on analytical mode with regards to your intuition. Do not make it an experiment to prove whether intuition works or not. It would be quite the irony if you did!
4. Remove negativity – Removing any kind of negativity whether it is in the shape of negative thoughts or negative vibes is an important step towards nurturing intuition.
5. Pay attention to your dreams – Give some thought to the kind of dreams that you are getting and ‘feel’ them. What are they saying to you?

As you try and increase your intuition, it’s best not to force it. Be in the moment and allow it to manifest. It can be most elusive when you try too hard to call upon your intuition in the beginning. However, if you continue to listen to it, your intuition will manifest when you need it the most. Let your intuition decide when you need it!

To learn how you can be coached towards higher levels of awareness and intuition, contact Shiwani for coaching!