We’ve all heard the phrase “trust your gut,” but what exactly is that inner wisdom guiding us toward? It’s intuition, our sixth sense, a deep well of knowledge beyond the five physical senses. Developing your intuition is like having a compass for navigating life’s uncertainties. In this blog post, we’ll explore what intuition is, why it’s essential, and provide practical guidance on how to develop this remarkable gift.
Table of Contents
Understanding Intuition
Intuition, often referred to as the “sixth sense,” is the ability to understand something without the need for conscious reasoning. It’s that inexplicable feeling, an inner voice that whispers guidance. In essence, intuition is your inner wisdom at work, often providing insights, ideas, or decisions when your logical mind is uncertain.
Where does Intuition come from?
- Your Subconscious – Your subconsciousness could be compared to a big data set. Your subconsciousness was around when you were born, was working when you were asleep and took notice of every single occurrence in your life. You cannot remember everything that happend to you, but your subconscious never forgets. You sit on a large data source of everything that has ever happened in your life. The purpose of this large reservoir is not to only give you funny dreams. Those memories are part of yourself and they will show up at points of your life when it is necessary. They can show up in negative ways, when we are dealing with trauma and triggers but equally so they can show up to warn you and help you. When you experience something in your daily life and you feel it in your guts that something is going on, it might be your subconsciousness that found resemblance of this experience in its large data set and it tells you through somatic markers to listen up. Psychologists are calling this phenomena pattern-matching.
- Your Instinct – we are basically animals and just as all animals we were born with an instinct. We can for example smell peoples intentions. People who are about to commit crime will produce certain hormones that your subconsciousness or instinct immediately recognizes and it tells you through somatic hints. Your body will react. Your body will know that something is not correct and you have to leave and get out of the place even though nothing seems to be out of place rationally. Hormones and pheromones are working in us humans as much as in every other animal. And this is only one examples how your genes, that is millions of years of memories to draw back on, contain knowledge.
- Collective Unconsciousness – According to Carl Jung we are all connected through a large universal soul that he called the Collective Unconscious. It is the source of our shared human experiences that gave rise to common themes in mythology, religion and archetypes. With this shared ground of humanity, one could argue that all knowledge is accessible to everyone at anytime.
Why Intuition Matters
Intuition is more than just a vague feeling. It serves a crucial purpose in our lives:
- Swift Decision Making: Intuition can help you make quicker decisions, saving you from the paralysis of analysis.
- Problem Solving: It aids in creative problem solving, offering fresh perspectives.
- Relationships: Intuition helps you perceive the emotions and needs of others, deepening relationships.
- Personal Growth: Developing intuition can lead to profound personal growth and self-discovery.
When your Intuition cannot be Trusted
How do you know, that you can actually trust your intuition? This is not a banal question. We just wrote that your intuition can stem from your subconscious memories. What if you were conditioned early on to think a certain way that objectively is not true?
For this reason shadow work and just working on your self and your hidden beliefs is so important.
What if deep down you were programmed to be misogynistic (I am speaking of women!), that you have been made by your parents to think racist thoughts, what if you were told that you are no worth and weak? If you have never addressed those questions of what deep down you belief then you cannot trust your intuition.
You intuition then might tell you to not trust certain people if indeed it is conditioned belief that speaks through your intuition. This is why we do the Work.
Cultivating Your Intuition and 6th Sense through Self-Trust
So let’s say, you have cleared that about yourself and you know that your inner voice can be trusted. There is now really one essential thing to work on when you want to improve and cultivate your intuition and that is: Cut the noise out and start to trust yourself.
Practice trusting yourself. You first have to ditch all the random opinions, fears and judgements that you have collected over the years and re-evaluate what you have picked randomly and started to believe without your own judgement.
Stop asking other people for their opinion, especially about decisions for your life. You need to radically make your own decisions in every aspect of your life. This is how you develop self-trust and consequentially your intuition. Your intuition will show up when you ask for her. In the beginning you might will make mistakes, but you start train your muscles of intuition and your own-decision making.
With time you will rely on yourself fully, your intuition will guide you and most importantly – your life will be of your own making and not the life of your friends, parents and societies.
Tools that can help you to develop your intuition and your 6th sense:
- Meditation and Mindfulness: Regular meditation and mindfulness practices create space for your intuition to emerge. Silence your racing thoughts and listen to your inner voice.
- Journaling: Maintain a journal for insights and dreams. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can reveal hidden patterns and intuitions.
- Trust Your Feelings: Pay attention to your “gut feelings.” When faced with a decision, acknowledge the emotional response you have, and trust it.
- Visualize: Use visualization techniques to connect with your intuition. Imagine a decision’s outcome and see how it feels in your mind’s eye.
- Quiet Your Mind: Create moments of stillness in your daily routine. Go for walks in nature, practice deep breathing, or engage in activities like yoga.
- Practice Patience: Developing your intuition is a journey. Be patient with yourself and allow your inner wisdom to grow over time.
- Make a list of all the opinions and judgements that you hold within you. Look at this list and go through every item on that list and ask yourself where you have this opinion from. Evaluate if it is in fact YOUR opinion or someone else’s. If it is someone else’s, ditch it and make your own.
- Utilize daily decisions: when a seemingly more or less unimportant decision arrives (should I buy these trousers, should I start a conversation with this guy, should I wear this or that, should I complain about this situation that I felt badly treated,…), do not ask someone else for their opinion but use it as a chance to practice your intuition and decision making. You know the answer yourself, there is no reason to ask someone else.
Listening to Your Intuition
One of the greatest challenges is distinguishing between the voice of intuition and that of fear, ego, or desire. It’s important to develop a keen sense of discernment. This is what we referred to with (shadow) work. Ask yourself whether your intuition speaks from a place of wisdom, compassion, and love. When you have worked on it, you will know it. The more you exercise this ability, the clearer your intuitive insights will become.
With the tools that we offered you, you will develop your intuition and your 6th sense truly.
Conclusion about How to Develop Your Intuition and Your 6th Sense
Developing your intuition and sixth sense is a journey toward personal growth, inner wisdom, and enriched decision-making. Embrace the magic of that inner voice, and let it guide you through life’s twists and turns. With practice, you’ll unlock the immense potential of your intuition, empowering you to lead a more authentic and fulfilling life.
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Furthermore the content of this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. Prior to making any health-related decisions, including the use of supplements or dealing with decisions that can affect your mental health, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare provider.