What is Intuition?

What is Intuition?

Intuition is not visible to the naked eye nor can researchers see it working in the brain. It’s not logical or something that can be explained as a step-by-step process. Instead, while based on deep-seated knowledge, the process feels natural and instinctual.

You cannot explain the thinking behind a snap decision that appears out of nowhere.

It just happens.

In my personal experience, my intuition speaks to me from my gut or it comes over me as an innate knowing. There isn’t any explanation as to how I know something is or isn’t right, but I can feel it. It comes as a message, feeling or a knowing that lasts 2-3 seconds (although it feels like a lot happens in those 2-3 seconds), and it carries zero emotional attachment.

When I feel layers of emotions connected to the message, I know that my ego is involved. I’m thinking about it and I am creating something instead of receiving the hunch/gut instinct message.

Examples of intuition:

• When you instinctively know that something you are doing is right or wrong.
• When you sense kindness, or fear, in someone’s face.
• You don’t know why you feel that way; it’s just a hunch.
• “I had a feeling there was something wrong; she just didn’t seem like herself.”

Do you have an example of a time where you used your gut instinct?

The conscious mind will take care of logic and reason. The unconscious mind uses the past, present and future and connects with gut instincts and feelings in an unbiased way. The unconscious mind’s process is strange to the logical mind, because it eludes the conventional laws of time and space.

From a young age, our societal conditioning has told us to believe that rationality is what should triumph when making decisions over listening to our inner voice. I believe we need a balance of both instinct and reason to make the best possible decisions in life. However, we don’t always choose to listen to our intuition for fear of not doing the right thing. This is the fear of being embarrassed by what others might think of us for “having a feeling” about something. We don’t always trust the messages until we are proven they were right – which is a way to know how to listen to your intuition. The more we ignore our intuition, the more it weakens our capacity to leverage the power of our own inherent intuition when we need it most.

Definitions

Intuitive/intuition:

• Perceiving directly by intuition without rational thought.
• Using what one feels to be true, even without conscious reasoning.
• Associations: Hunch; gut feeling; feeling; divination; inner knowing; sixth sense.

Ways to include intuition in your everyday life:

• Listen to and trust in yourself.
• Meditation.
• Journaling – helps the mind to open.
• Pay attention to your internal dialogue and your inner critic.
• Pay attention to what’s happening around you.
• Become aware of how you feel and connect with other people.
• Spend time alone and be still without any external stimulus or feeling like you need to be doing something. Spending time with you is doing something and it’s essential.
• Tune into your bodily senses – run through each sense at a time and really concentrate on what you’re receiving through each sense.

Human intuition is massively important – an evolved function fundamental to our ancestors’ survival.

You are using your intuition in your day-to-day life already. Now have fun with exploring your intuition further, there is no right or wrong way. It is unique to you and that’s incredibly special.

A good book on intuition is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

N.B. I have no affiliation to the links provided.