How's Your Intuition?

We’re all born with it, but we don’t all know how to use it

What she says:
"I'm just fine."

What your intuition tells you she's REALLY saying: "I feel like a raging beast today!"

Tap Your Intuition

To practice getting in touch with your intuitive sense, try these techniques:

• Periodically tune out your surroundings by turning off the cell phone and computer.
• Relax by taking a walk or listening to music.
• Observe your body signals so you can recognize when a situation makes you tense.
• Record your dreams in a journal—they come straight from the right brain!

It’s been called a gut feeling, a hunch and even divine knowledge. Yet intuition isn’t about magic or mind-reading, and it’s not unique to women or people with ESP. We all have it.

“Intuition is simply a way of knowing information that is not readily apparent to us. Because we’re so mentally busy, we often don’t tap into other, deeper sources of knowledge beneath the chatter of our everyday thinking processes,” says psychologist Joanne Cohen-Katz, Ph.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

“Typically, when making decisions we try to think our way out instead of paying attention to our feelings and sensations,” she says. “Our bodies do give us information, such as a ‘gut feeling’ of discomfort or an uplifting feeling in the heart. We could make better choices if we paid attention to all the information at our disposal.”

Intuition also helps us communicate more effectively. Watching a person’s posture, facial expressions, tone of voice and body language gives you insight into his or her feelings and thoughts. It’s a way of “reading” other people beyond just listening to their words. “Intuition can cue you into the best way to deal with someone, which might not be apparent if you only look at the surface information,” Cohen-Katz says.

How do you tap into this mysterious resource, especially if you know you’re more oriented toward rational thinking? When talking with others, try to put half your attention on the words they use and the other half on their body language. When making decisions, feel out potential solutions by paying attention to your emotions and body signals like muscle tension, stomach upset and heart rhythms. How do various solutions feel in your gut and in your heart?

“Developing intuition is a lot like strengthening a muscle,” Cohen-Katz says. “The more you trust it, the stronger it gets.”

Want to Know More about using intuition to help you make a decision? Call 610-402-CARE or click here.

Published from Healthy You Magazine May-June 2007

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