5 tips to get in touch with your intuitive mind.

Albert Einstein described the intuitive mind as a sacred gift and the rational mind as a faithful servant. "We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift” he said.

When you are caught in a dilemma of not knowing which way to turn in your life, try to get in touch with the intuitive part of yourself with these 5 tips for accessing your intuition.

Intuition, or "gut feelings", actually has a physiological basis and can be accessed by going beyond the rational mind.

What is intuition

Intuition is a brain process that gives people the ability to make decisions without the use of analytical reasoning. And researchers at the University of NSW in Australia have finally found a way to measure intuition and even prove its existence. They found that when people used their intuition they were more accurate, responded more quickly and were more confident in their choices. They also suggested that people became better at using their intuition over time. They were learning to use the nonconscious emotional information they had and were developing more trust in their intuition as they used it more often.

Starting to trust yourself, taking that risk and being rewarded with the positive outcome of that gamble, reinforces more trust and better access to that part of yourself.

It is not surprising that intuition is often called “a gut feeling.” It actually has a physiological basis. Our brain and our gut originate from the same tissue and talk to each other via the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in our body.  It serves as an information highway between the brain and the gut, sending messages to each other within milliseconds. 90% of the neurons in the vagus nerve are actually carrying information from the gut to the brain, not the other way around. This means the signals generated in the gut can massively influence the brain. They are communicating in the subconscious and sending information to our conscious.

The connection between the brain and the gut is one of the most powerful relationships in our body. It is called the gut-brain axis. The gut has earned the nickname the “second brain”. Technically known as the enteric nervous system, our second brain bears a resemblance to the brain in our heads. The neural tissue in our gut produces over 30 different neurotransmitters including 95% of the production and storage of serotonin, the neurotransmitter known as the “happy chemical” due to its role in regulating mood. It is no wonder that we pick up messages from our gut. Our challenge is to learn to listen to them.

The rational mind as a servant to the intuitive mind

An old Buddhist proverb that I have oft-quoted in groups is “The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master”. The idea is, treat your mind like a valuable servant. Put it to work to solve your maths problems, navigate a path to your holiday destination, follow a recipe, organize a timetable and do all manner of things to make your life functional. But don’t let it guide your important decisions, tell you what direction to take in life, who to love or befriend, or interfere in your major life decisions. This is the task of the intuitive mind, using some of the information provided by the rational mind.

Getting in the way of the intuitive mind

What gets in the way of being able to access that intuitive, sacred part of yourself more often ?

Our conditioned thinking including:

• Overthinking, leading to analysis paralysis

• Should thinking. What should I be doing or feeling rather than what am I doing or feeling.

• Prejudices and unconscious bias.

• Quick judgements based on past experience, stereotypes and background rather than reason or actual experience.

• A loved one’s or authority figure’s  influence – for their love or approval.

• When you really want something – you are likely to override doubts and even evidence against it.

• Trauma/abuse in childhood leading to distrusting your own experience and blaming yourself.

If left to its own devices, and when expected to come up with solutions which are not its role, the rational mind will go over old ground, again and again, ruminate endlessly on rational evidence, come up with automatic negative evaluations and continuously engage in a kind of mental calculation that goes nowhere and just leads to a mental dead end. This is when my clients say “if only I could get out of my own head”.

Why we don't listen to our own inner voice

As I was walking down the aisle in my first marriage at the tender age of 18, I knew I was doing the wrong thing but I was ignoring the gnawing feeling in my stomach. The voice which said “You’re doing the wrong thing. You are marrying the wrong person”.

Many years later, I was enthralled by a radio broadcast which reported that many women had a gut feeling that they were doing the wrong thing as they were actually walking down the aisle to get married. Thoughts like “What am I doing?” “I’m marrying the wrong person” came up for them. They later bemoaned that they should have listened to that voice at the time. Since then there have been countless studies which have found that these doubts at the start of a marriage are a good indicator of the future nature of the marriage.

In the book “How Not To Marry the Wrong Guy” by Jennifer Gauvain and Anne Milford, 1000 women were asked “Did you know you were making a mistake as you were walking down the aisle?” Thirty percent said ‘yes’ they did know. But they did it anyway.

The most common reasons the women gave for ignoring these doubts were:

•              We’ve dated for so long I don’t want to waste all the time we have invested in the relationship.

•              I don’t want to be alone

•              He’ll change after we get married

•              It is too late, too embarrassing and/or too expensive to call off the wedding

•              He is a really nice guy; I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

In my case, I was pregnant and I was atoning for past mistakes. If I knew then what I know now, the better way forward would have been through the process of self-forgiveness, not self-punishment. If I had listened to my intuition rather than to my guilt, it might have turned out better for everyone involved.

When you are caught in a dilemma of not knowing which way to turn in your life, try to get in touch with the intuitive part of yourself.

1) Slow Down – make space for your intuition

The best way to start is with slow, relaxed, deep breathing. Choose one of the following breathing methods to help you settle down and have some time with yourself.

1a.       Box Breathing or square breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4                seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds. Repeat.

1b.       Diaphragmatic Breathing: Slowly breathe into the diaphragm, allowing the belly to expand on inhalation and contract on exhalation. Repeat.

1c.       Buddha Belly Breath: Place your hands on your belly. Inhale slowly and deeply          through your nose. Focus on filling your lower abdomen with air, allowing it to expand like a balloon. Feel your belly rise. Slowly exhale fully through your mouth. Allow your belly to naturally contract. Repeat.

2) Notice your body.

The body gives many signals of comfort, discomfort, trust, mistrust. Focus your attention on your body and be mindful of its signals. Remember, this is your vagus nerve communicating to your brain. Tune into the deeper intelligence which is present in all your organs, not just your brain. We know when working with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that the memory of trauma is not just kept in the brain, but is also housed in the body. It’s good to identify if old trauma is interfering with your body signals.

3) Listen to your body.

It gives you a lot of information about your experience. Even when you are strongly attracted to someone, the body gives you signals about whether you can trust that feeling or not.

4) Focus on what’s right for you

Notice if you're trying to please others or get approval from others. Intuition is part of your highest, wisest self. So it is not selfish to focus on what that self wants or needs in order to fulfill its purpose in life. Take small steps towards it. Try out your intuition in small, non consequential ways to build up practice and trust in your own small voice.

5) Get in touch with your wise mind

An exercise from DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy)

The wise mind houses your intuition and speaks to you with a quiet, peaceful certainty. We sometimes experience wise mind in the centre of the body ( the belly) or in the centre of the head or between the eyes. Sometimes we can find it by following the breath in and out.

A useful exercise is to follow your breath coming in and out as you breathe naturally and deeply. Let your attention settle into your centre at the bottom of your inhalation. That central point is one place where you can communicate with your wise mind . From there, you can focus on an issue you’re struggling with or ask a question you want answered. Relax and just listen. The answer may come as a word or a phrase, it may come as an image or a feeling, or it may just emerge as a “felt sense” of knowing what to do.

In summary, slow down, focus on your body then focus on your wise mind. You want to clear the way for this part of yourself  to lead the way.