Recognizing and Listening to Intuition
How often do we not listen to our “gut” when it signals to us that the energy in a room or situation is negative? How many times have you sensed that you should stay home, or that a person was untrustworthy, and then been proven right. Our senses pick up on signals that our mind sometimes does not even detect. By listening to the signals that our body gives us at the onset of something new, we allow ourselves to build a sense of trust of our intuition.
There are simple ways that you can tune into your intuition by giving your body the chance to speak to you. Recognizing and acknowledging the cues that you receive will strengthen these senses and you will learn what you can trust and where you may have some work to do. Keep in mind that childhood or past traumas may have an adverse or possibly beneficial effect on your intuitive senses.
Sharpen Your Intuitive Listening Skills
In order to sharpen your tools and cultivate awareness, it helps to know what to look for as far as your senses goes. Cultivating awareness can give us a deeper sense of calm and presence. It is important to remind ourselves that our bodies and senses pick up on things before our mind processes them, therefore, we may “know” something before even thinking about it.
Your body will give you signals if you listen, in the following areas:
- The gut is known as the 2nd brain. Pay attention to how your gut reacts, or predicates, certain decisions or situations. Ask yourself if the sensation is pleasant or uncomfortable. Is the gut reacting with heartburn, twisting feelings, or disruptions to your bowels? Is your gut responding with nausea?
- Tune in to your skin. Do you have goosebumps? Are your palms sweating? Do you have the chills? These sensations will tell you if something is right or not. They are your body’s warning signals to slow down, take a step back, and assess the choice you are making.
- Tune in to your breath. Is it short, difficult, or quickened? Are you having trouble breathing? Our body will take in more oxygen to regulate stress response.
- Tune in to your shoulders, neck, and head. Are you feeling tension or stiffness? Did your shoulders move toward your ears? These are stress responses.
Scanning the body for signals and listening to your intuition will be easier as you do it more often. This self awareness within different environment will help your intuition grow stronger. Not only does the body give signals of stress or danger, it also provides us signals of positivity. Your breath will slow, your heart rate will decrease, your shoulders will relax and you will feel a calm sense in your gut and chest when something is non-threatening.
Disruptions to Intuition
There are factors that will inhibit the intuitions function. Childhood trauma, or trauma that causes PTSD or other nervous disorders, may cause an overactive intuitive response. It may inhibit the body from providing accurate responses to situations or decisions. Being aware of this disruption is important in knowing whether or not your intuition is functioning as it should, or if the response is tied to your trauma. In rewiring the brain through trauma related therapy and treatment programs, you can potentially relearn to trust your intuition or at least be aware of the responses to danger that it is presenting to you.
Self Awareness & Stability
The more we are able to trust ourselves and our ability to assess a situation, the more stable we will feel and be. Trusting the gut is just one aspect of self awareness. Our decision making process is influenced by our past experiences, our intentions in the decision itself, and the intuition. Taking all of these factors into consideration in a non-judgemental way will help us all to make the best decisions for ourselves as possible.
