WELLBEING

Why your intuition is more than a gut feeling

9 January, 2024 . 0

Ever followed a gut feeling? Intuition may have been guiding you without you even realising it.

In 2001 a dream changed actor Mark Ruffalo’s life.

His dream told him he had a brain tumour behind his left ear.

Mark reportedly followed his intuition and went to see a doctor, leading to a tumour diagnosis exactly as his dream foretold.

Humankind has long believed in the idea of intuition.

Often put down to flights of fancy, the idea of intuition has a history of being relegated to the impractical. But research now tells us otherwise.

Intuition is the real deal

A 2016 study by the University of New South Wales’ School of Psychology found intuitive thinking isn’t some infallible divination, rather an inbuilt function of the brain that can be tested scientifically.

Professor Joel Pearson led the study, which was able to measure the brain’s functioning when intuitive thinking is at play.

“Intuition is real. You can study it and measure it scientifically and we’re starting to understand it now,” Prof Pearson says.

How intuition works

According to Prof Pearson, intuition is “the learned use of unconscious information to improve decisions or actions’’.

He says intuition comes down to both “learnt” and “unconscious information’’, both of which are crucial to intuitive thinking.

Essentially the brain is processing information while accessing past experience.

Prof Pearson gives the example of walking into a cafe and getting a sense you’d rather hightail it out the door than sit down for a coffee.

“In the couple of seconds when you walk in there, your brain is processing a few hundred different things of relevance — the music playing, the temperature inside the cafe, the style,” he says, explaining the brain is processing learnt experiences from your past, both good and bad.

“This is known as associative learning and that can all happen without consciousness.

“Those cues in the environment are triggering emotional sensations in your body and you pick that up as a feeling.”

That bodily sensation can be felt sometimes in your gut — hence why intuition is often referred to as a “gut feeling’’ — and sometimes in your chest.

Prof Pearson says how we tap into this intuitive feeling is through internal perception, picking up on an emotional signal that results in a rational conscious decision.

How to hone your intuitive skills

Helen Jacobs, psychic and author of Follow Your Heart, says intuition can provide us with valuable insight and guidance in life.

“Living intuitively allows us to build a deeper relationship with ourselves, where we trust and back ourselves, our choices and our own unique life path,” Helen says.

“We are all born with intuition but we aren’t taught in the modern Western world to trust it.”

According to Helen, people can learn to trust their intuition by honing their intuitive skills.

“Start small with what I call ‘daily intuitive instructions’, like making that yoga class or phoning the friend who keeps popping into our mind, or making that change to our diet or lifestyle that’s been niggling.

“Eventually, our intuition will lead us to bigger life changes, but it’s like any other relationship and we need to be familiar with what it’s telling us before we go too big, too early.”

Easy steps to tap into your intuition

Journal

Putting pen to paper has long been praised as a way to know ourselves intimately. That’s why it’s a great tool for getting in touch with our subconscious. Helen says it’s a great way to track and interpret how our insights into the day align with our logical brains.

Meditation

Meditation can do more than put us in touch with the present moment.

“Whether a formal practice or a walk in nature or pursuing creativity, (meditation) can help us shift from our busy and chatty mind into our true, spiritual self where we will best hear our intuition,” Helen says.