Do you ever just know something? Are there times when you can’t explain it, but you just know? You know something is right or you know it’s what you are supposed to do? I have “knowing’s”. This is my intuition. My gut instinct. My sixth sense.
For instance, I know I will live to be 100+. I’ve always known this. Maybe it’s because somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to live to be 100+ (healthy and sane), but I think I want it because I know it will be so.
I have learned to listen to my intuition and to trust it. It’s easy to dismiss or ignore these intuitive hits but following them is a much better idea. It takes some practice and some faith in yourself. WE can hone and learnt to trust with just a little effort.
Research on Intuition
During my Radical Remission training I learned of a study done at Cornell that sat subjects in front of a computer and asked them to guess which curtain (of 2) the object was behind. The computer randomly picked which curtain it would be behind, and the participants did this about 20 times. Amazingly, the subjects’ sweat glands knew which curtain the object would be behind 2-3 seconds BEFORE the computer had even randomly generated which curtain it would put it behind next.
Scientists apparently have always known that intuition is located at the base of the brain, but now they know it is also located in the gut. Apparently, there are over 100 million neurons in the gut. These are very similiar neurons to the ones in the brain, and research has recently shown that the neurons in the gut act independently of the brain. So, when you hear someone say they listened to their gut, or they got a bad feeling in their stomach, you now know it’s literally true!
Real Life Intuition
Perhaps you know someone that has done something so completely unexpected or out of the norm – like refusing to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. You may think they are crazy but perhaps they are just following their intuition. You’ may have also heard stories of people that didn’t listen to that instinct and ended up hurt or in a bad situation (just get off the elevator and don’t worry about seeming rude!). Trust your instinct, whether it’s a knowing, a feeling in your gut, or the hair standing up on the back of your neck. It’s your intuition and your body (“your knowing”) trying to keep you safe!
Following your intuition is important in matters of your health and healing. The body usually knows that something is wrong before you do, and it tries to send you messages. If you do not heed those messages, then they get louder and more serious in an effort to get you to pay attention.
During a health crisis it is especially important to stop and listen to your intuition. Do not rush to make very important decisions about your health. If you’ve been given a diagnosis, you will usually have time to consider the possibilities and options before making decisions. It’s perfectly OK to tell your doctor you need a few days or a week or two to think about it all. Most of the time when you get a diagnosis it is less of a physical emergency and more of an emotional emergency (which is exactly what my oncologist’s nurse told me when I got my first breast cancer diagnosis)! If it is an emergency situation then obviously you let the experts do what they need to do.
Accessing Your Intuition
Intuition for me comes as a deep knowing and also as synchronicities or coincidences. I love to pay attention to coincidences, signs, and messages. It’s always thrilling to get a sign, like a hawk flying by to tell me I’m on the right path (which they do quite frequently…even while writing this I saw one out my office window!). There are also many times when I have been thinking of someone and they call or reach out! Coincidence? To me it’s a sign from the Divine! For others, intuition may come in dreams, meditation, journaling, or even a physical feeling in the body, or a voice in their ear.
Improving Your Intuition
Intuition can be improved over time. But how? One way is to simply quiet the mind so that you can hear what your intuition has to say. Asking questions of your inner wisdom before you meditate can reveal answers and information. And be sure to pay attention to those signs and synchronicities. Writing down the messages that come, the action you took, and following up later to note the outcome, can help you learn to trust your intuition. The more you pay attention to it the more it will show up for you.
You can even set an intention before falling asleep. This is called intentional dreaming. Just be ready to write down everything you can remember as soon as you open your eyes the next morning. Perhaps the message will be crystal clear but don’t be surprised if you don’t fully understand it at first. Sit with it. Give it time. Continue to contemplate the dream and be open to the message.
The more you access your intuition the more it shows up for you. So, go ahead, test it out. See what happens for you and let me know what you notice or learn. I’d love to hear about it!
In peace, love and health,
Karla
Resources
Here is a great article on ways to develop your intuition from Dr. Lissa Rankin, who I just love…and it’s on MindBodyGreen.com, which I also love! (I also highly recommend you read “Mind Over Medicine” by Lissa Rankin, MD).