What if you had the ability to know everything at all times? To make the right decision in every situation? 

You have a piece of technology inside of you. It came pre-installed as part of the software of your human function. It’s wired into your entire being. 

You could refer to this technology as an internal GPS. It almost seems like another person inside of our psyche. A guide. A friend you could ask any question to and instantly get the correct answer.

This friend really loves us because it tells us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. It is always whispering, but we rarely hear it. 

The crazy part is that you can’t really rationalize this friend. You can’t truly quantify and explain what this friend does or how it does it. How is it so smart?

Any time you ask it something, it WILL respond. It's always active; we just don't recognize it. 

We have all experienced intuition in some form. We don’t know why, we just feel like it's right. The little nudges we get to make THIS decision, contact this person, or turn on this street. There is a HIGHER level of intelligence, of KNOWING, that operates faster than our logical brain. 

One Step Ahead

in·tu·i·tion

NOUN

the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought (1)

 

We go through most of our day at a conscious level of awareness. We make logical decisions, execute our to-do lists, and plan for the next day. We try to control as much of our day as possible. 

Little do we know, there are a slew of unconscious decisions that we make. These are unnoticeable because we don’t think about doing them, we just do them. Our organs operate without conscious control. The cells in our body do not need consent to perform millions of processes in any given moment.

Emotions, or feelings, are also generated from the unconscious field. Our body has an immediate, unconscious reaction when exposed to anything in our environment. Our physiological response can be compared to an ultra fast supercomputer, processing before our conscious reasoning kicks in. 

A team of researchers from the University of New South Wales developed a study to observe the role of unconscious intuition in the decision-making process. The study used a technique called Continuous Flash Suppression to expose seemingly invisible emotional images to subjects as they attempted to make accurate decisions (2).

The results of the study demonstrated that even when people were unaware of the images, they were still able to use information from the images to make more confident and accurate decisions.

Further, the researchers found that intuition is a skill that can be improved over time. The more we practice using it, the more powerful it becomes. 

Brains We Never Considered

“Intuition isn't the enemy, but the ally of reason.” John Kord Lagemann

 

We process information in two different but complementary ways - analytically and intuitively. The latter is both fast and unconscious, and the former is much slower and more deliberate. Analytical processing involves conscious, logical, and reason-oriented thinking. Intuition uses emotion-related associations, premonitions, and “gut instincts” when making decisions (3).

The heart and gut both have complex networks of neurons and are functioning brains in their own right. They are able to take in information, process, store, and access it when needed. 

"Gut Instinct" is a REAL thing. "Listen To Your Heart" is a real thing

In their examination of the different brains, Soosalu and Oka (2012a) suggested that each had the following functions: 

 

HEAD BRAIN FUNCTIONS 

Cognitive perception—cognition, perception, pattern recognition

Thinking—reasoning, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, metacognition

Making meaning—semantic processing, languaging, narrative, metaphor

HEART BRAIN FUNCTIONS 

Emoting—emotional processing (e.g., anger, grief, hatred, joy, happiness etc.)

Values—processing what’s important to you and your priorities (and its relationship to the emotional strength of your aspirations, dreams, desires, etc.)

Relational affect—your felt connection with others (e.g., feelings of love/hate/indifference, compassion/uncaring, like/ dislike, etc.) 

 

GUT BRAIN FUNCTIONS 

Core identity—a deep and visceral sense of core self, and determining at the deepest levels what is “self” versus “not-self” 

Self-preservation—protection of self, safety, boundaries, hungers and aversions 

Mobilization—motility, impulse for action, gutsy courage and the will to act (4)

Specifically, the gut brain is known as the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining our gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum.

It's interesting to note that for decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to gut issues. Recent studies have refuted this idea. There is now increasing evidence that irritation in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system (CNS) that trigger mood changes.

These new findings may explain why a higher-than-normal percentage of people with IBS and functional bowel problems develop depression and anxiety. That’s important data, because up to 30% to 40% of the population experience bowel problems at some point in their lives (5). A well-functioning gut leads to clearer and more accurate intuitive guidance. 

Dotlich, Cairo, and Rhinesmith (2006) found that in complex business decision environments, the use of head, heart, and gut in decision styles lead to wiser and more effective decisions (6). 

The problem is that today, we are out of touch with our internal guidance system. We are primarily led by logic of the head brain. When we get messages from our other brains, we process them through the head, and the messages get misconstrued because we attempt to rationalize them. 

Our society is infatuated with data, analysis, and proof. There is a place for logic reasoning, planning, and organizing, but we've tipped the scale out of balance. And that's what the universe is always doing - constantly finding a balance, an equilibrium.

We often ignore our intuitive guidance, thinking that it conflicts with rational thought. Sometimes it won't be rational. There's no sense in trying to explain it, because it's ahead of logic. 

Using Your Intuition

“You know the truth, by the way it feels.” Anonymous

Once you recognize intuitive guidance, it becomes easier to use. Your intuition can be developed by increasing bodily awareness and knowing yourself. 

Body Awareness

Start observing how your body feels in certain situations. When are your muscles tense or relaxed? Under what circumstances does your heart rate increase? How does your stomach feel before you make a big decision? 

As you observe, you will notice that there is a sort of communication happening through feeling. Once you become aware of it, it becomes more noticeable. When you start listening to the subtleties, they become louder. This is the key to start using your intuition. Become familiar with your body and how it feels in certain situations.

Remember that we are attempting to discern our initial bodily response. Try to observe the split-second reaction that your heart and gut have, instead of the slower analytical processing that the head does. 

You will become aware of patterns as you continue to observe. In stressful situations, you will notice that your body tenses and constricts, your heart rate increases, and your breath shortens. You will notice the feeling you get in your stomach before going to meet someone, a signal telling you it is the wrong choice. 

You can even ask questions to yourself and observe how your body responds. If you feel expansive and relaxed in a decision, it is the right choice. If you feel negative, restricted, and disempowered, that decision doesn’t serve your highest good. 

It’s important to note that feelings of nervousness and fear may arise in conjunction with intuitive guidance, especially if it is nudging us out of our comfort zone. 

To connect with your intuition, it is important to first know yourself. 

Most of us spend our time with others’ thoughts and others’ desires. We are chronically overstimulated, whether that be through our cell phones, our jobs, or our busyness. We have no control over the information we consume and the thoughts we allow into our internal realm. Our brain is always on. 

If asked to sit in silence for 10 minutes, most people would go insane. We are now addicted to overstimulation. We need to be bombarded with outside influences so we don’t need to hear ourselves think. In this state, it is almost impossible to hear intuitive guidance. 

Most of us have been so entangled in the thoughts and desires of others that we aren’t even familiar with ourselves. We let our friends, family, boss, or the media dictate our sense of self. 

Your center is a point you can always return to, that you know is you.  It's not tangled with anyone else’s beliefs and opinions of you. It's a solid foundation where you stay true to your values. You can find the separation between yourself and others because you know yourself. 

This can be referred to as holding your own energy. We are subconsciously influenced by everyone around us and everything we consume, to a point where we can’t define which beliefs are truly ours. We take on others’ energy without realizing it. Create a boundary between yourself and the outside world. 

Your center is a point of awareness you can return to, where you are secure in yourself and your values, relaxed in the present moment, and confident in your ability to handle anything life throws at you. 

When you find yourself taking on others’ energy, you can return back to your center, your true self. Now you can hear your own thoughts, make your own decisions, and align with your higher self. Radiate your authenticity instead of absorbing the chaotic energy outside of you. 

FOLLOW US FOR MORE EMPOWERING CONTENT!

Instagram: the.higher.self.project

Facebook: The Higher Self Project

YouTube: The Higher Self Project

1 Intuition Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

2  Lufityanto, G., Donkin, C., & Pearson, J. (2016). Measuring Intuition: Nonconscious Emotional Information Boosts Decision Accuracy and Confidence. Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/0956797616629403

3 Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Tranel, D., & Damasio, A. R. (1997). Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy. Science, 275, 1293-1295.

4 Soosalu, G., & Oka, M. (2012b). mBraining: Using your multiple brains to do cool stuff. Loch Sport, Victoria, Australia: TimeBinding Publications

5  The Brain-Gut Connection | Johns Hopkins Medicine

6  Dotlich, D., Cairo, P., & Rhinesmith, S. (2006). Head, heart & guts—How the world’s best companies develop complete leaders. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley