How to Invigorate your Intuition
Gut feelings, instincts, feelings, sixth sense, hunches…INTUITION!
What is intuition? The word intuition comes from the Latin word “intueri” which means “to consider” or to look within. Intuition is a feeling or a “knowing” that something is off, or awesome, or needs our attention. It is subtle and won’t fight for your full attention. It is a quiet voice, but if we learn to listen to it, it can have profound effects on our lives and happiness. It used to be thought of as pseudo-science, but now researchers have found the part of the brain where intuition does it’s best work.
Researchers at Leeds University have found that intuition is a result of the way our brains store, process, and retrieve information on a subconscious level. They concluded that intuition is the brain drawing on past experiences and external cues to make decisions. But these decisions happen so fast they are on a non-conscious level and all we are aware of is a general feeling of right or wrong. We all have two operating systems: the quick, instinctual, subconscious, or intuitive system and the slower, more analytical, and deliberate conscious system. Neither one is more important, but our intuition is how our subconscious mind speaks to our conscious mind. It would benefit us to learn to listen to this part of our operating system.
There was even one study that analyzed the preceding nonconscious bias decision making in a gambling card game. Participants in 2 groups (normal and patients with prefrontal cortex damage) were given four decks of cards and money with which to gamble, the goal was to lose the least amount of money and win the most (crazy right?!?). The trick was that the decks were rigged, 2 were disadvantageous or good and 2 were advantageous or bad. The good decks had small wins and small losses but led to an overall gain, whereas the bad decks had large wins and larges losses but led to an overall loss.
Initially and before experiencing any losses, participants preferred the bad decks, but after about 10 cards, the “normal” participants began to experience what researchers called anticipatory skin conductance responses a.k.a. palms sweating. Despite these sweaty palms, by card 20, they reported having no clue what was going on. By card 50, all normal participants had a “hunch” that certain decks were riskier and by card 80 they all were able to explain the differences between the decks and opted to choose cards from the good decks. The participants who were patients with prefrontal damage did not experience any skin/sweat reactions and despite knowing which decks were the better choice, they continued to choose cards from the bad decks.
So BEFORE the normal participants were able to understand and analyze what was going on, they were experiencing intuition in the form of skin reactions/sweaty palms to help guide their decision.
So how can we tap into this intuitive part of our brains?
Recognize what your intuition looks/feels like. Some people experience intuition in the form of visual images, words, feelings of uneasiness, confusion or overwhelm, hunches, or sometimes physical responses like goosebumps, sweaty palms, increased heart rate.
Deepen your intuition with mindfulness or meditation. Quietly sitting with yourself and your breath can deepen the connection to those inner feelings and emotions. It will help clear your mind of distractions and help you connect to your more subtle body.
Ask questions. A great way to find answers is to know which questions you are looking for the answers to! The more clearly you pose your questions to your innate wisdom, the more clearly the answers will come.
Write down your answers. Because of the subtle way intuition speaks to us, it’s words and thoughts can be fleeting. Journaling can be a very effective way to access your intuition and capture it’s wisdom, especially because neuroscience research indicates that intuitive insights not captured within 37 seconds will likely never be recalled again.
Take immediate action. Acting immediately on your intuitive insights allows for a more open channel of communication between your subconscious and conscious mind which in turn allows for more loud and clear intuitive messages to come in.
Trust yourself. Trusting yourself means trusting your intuition and will lead to greater results!
So intuition isn’t just some crazy pseudoscience-y idea anymore. It’s actually our subconscious way of communicating with our consciousness in order to help guide us towards better decisions. Is there one thing you want to do to try to tap into your intuition? I am going to try to meditate and journal for 10 minutes every day!