Intuition: What it is and How to Use it.

Intuition is one of our most amazing processes as humans. When I am brainspotting with clients I often witness their intuitive knowing surfacing within their healing or expansion experience. I have come to acknowledge that brainspotting strengthens their ability to connect to their intuitive abilities.

When we are tapping into our intuitive knowledge we are accessing a deeper level of universal knowledge with the collective consciousness. This is the Law of Divine Oneness. Intuition is the subtle energy within us. It is always there, with the Law of Vibration, moving, and shifting. We attune to those subtle vibrations within us with the Law of Resonance, supporting our knowing with a particular path or action. 

The Law of Correspondence is activated with intuitive knowing when we reflect our external world with our inner world with our insight to feelings, thoughts and experience. Intuition guides us through the Law of Cause and Effect to provide us with choices and knowing to align with actions that will have our desired outcome. The Law of Attraction provides us alignment with our intuitive insights in support of our growth and well-being. When we intuitively focus on people, situations or opportunities we resonate with our desired manifestations without planning the logic of how.

The Law of Gender and intuition involves the receptivity, introspection and flow of our feminine energy and the balance of us acting on our intuitive knowing. We gain structure and confidence to trust our intuitive energy into action with our masculine energy. This balance is the key for intuition to be honoured. Relying solely on masculine energy may mean a dismissal of intuitive knowing when logic takes over, whereas focusing only on feminine energy may result in no action being taken. The harmony of the two provides a balance for intuition

I was recently at a workshop with the purpose to build on intuition with other women. It was an interesting albeit very brief experience with women who were coming from various backgrounds, but admittedly we were all white, rather comfortably privileged women who were seeking connection and support. I have to admit I was not a fan of her ‘teachings’.

I am sure the host had positive intentions. She seemed like a genuinely caring, spiritual woman who is building a business and wanting to support others. But from the beginning of her discussion regarding the brain and intuition, my own neurodivergent brain became focused on the untruths of what she was saying and I could not focus on much else. 

My skeptic surfaced when she botched a description of the brain-emotion-body connection. Something I am pretty passionate about, and pretty well educated in. It is one of my passions - to understand how things work. How our brain, our emotional and intellect plays a role with partnership of our body and nervous system to do the things we do. To attract the experiences we have. Unfortunately she chose this to ‘teach’ us but was getting it pretty wrong.

At first I kept telling myself to push aside my skepticism. Perhaps I was focused on my ego and not being open minded. I tried to silence the critic when she spoke of ‘just throw away your brain and thoughts’ and that none of it mattered. It was just all flight and fight and had nothing to do with your ‘heart’.

It kept getting worse. From the brain she basically went into telling everyone that was present how wrong their previously held beliefs and notions were. Even belief patterns that may have supported their intuition and guidance. I understood as she advertised deeper manifestation workshops that it was likely just her marketing. So I tried to tell myself to just listen ‘like a good guest’ and not raise my voice. This actually worked at first. It worked great. For about 30 minutes.

Then it no longer worked, and I - while cringing at my own boldness - used my own intuition to speak up. 

I let her know I disagreed with her. I couldn’t stop myself, when I began to speak, and allowed my voice, the advocate in me to be released. I could not remain silent while women who clearly craved knowledge were being shown the wrong way. I actually am impressed, as all that I really did was state that I did not agree. 

I had given permission to the part of me, with a strong voice to be free. I didn’t go into my understanding of why, I simply disagreed. I am actually always impressed when I speak up. That little girl who couldn’t speak within me cheers. Especially when I do it without emotional reaction. Although when I did this - I instantly felt her energy surrounding me.

In reflection - I keep trying to come up with some positives I found from the workshop. My bestie came with me, she found it for us online. She has gone over other points that I didn’t even note during the experience, like her insulting various forms of energy work, or alternative health practices. 

There was constant man bashing. I’m not a fan of this. Men can be wonderful, purposeful beings. I have men in my life who’ve supported me, and I’ve supported many who are loving, intuitive, and resilient. We don’t need to block or diminish men; instead, we should celebrate the good in those we nurture and love. I have friends raising men to be intuitive, to be loving, and to be good humans. We do not need to compartmentalize men into a box of toxicity.

I get it, many women have experienced trauma from our patriarchal society, myself included. I don’t support the patriarchal system of inequality, nor do I believe men are better than women. I also dislike the industrial and capitalist elements tied to patriarchy, even if I enjoy my Starbucks and Kate Spade. I have had my fair share of abusive men in my life. I know it is a scary world out there when we view it from those experiences.

With my nature-loving hippy heart, I see the strength in matriarchy and its intuitive wisdom, balancing emotion with practicality. But intuition isn’t gender-based. The politics of patriarchy versus matriarchy shouldn’t define intuition. Both men and women are intuitive, and when we deny men’s intuition, we reinforce gender imbalances.

Patriarchy pushes harmful stereotypes, labeling men as rational and women as emotional or intuitive, undervaluing both traits. In matriarchal or egalitarian systems, intuition could instead be equally recognized for men and women, and a balanced approach to knowledge would emerge.

Intuition comes from the brain’s ability to process vast amounts of information, drawing from experience. Research shows that intuition isn’t tied to gender—it’s part of our human nature.

Intuition is not just about emotion anymore than it is just about reason and logic. It is a perfect balance within the Law of Gender where the energy of both feminine and masculine processes in the brain and the body. Both men and women are intuitive. 

Patriarchy has played a role in reinforcing gender stereotypes, where men are seen as the more "rational" thinkers and women as "emotional" or "intuitive." This dichotomy has, at times, led to the undervaluing of traits like intuition, which may be associated with women's leadership and decision-making styles. 

So I am writing this to affirm that intuition arises from our brain’s ability to process vast amounts of information subconsciously, drawing on experiences, observations, and patterns we might not be consciously aware of. Research shows that intuition is linked to the brain’s ability to access this deeper processing system, which is not bound to any specific gender. 

Intuition and instinct are often confused, as happened throughout the workshop I attended. While both connect to our brain, body, emotions, and behaviors, they serve different purposes. Instinct is more primal, related to survival responses, while intuition guides us towards insight and future decisions. These experiences come from different areas of the brain and fulfill distinct roles, so understanding their differences is essential.

I won’t go too deeply into instinct, but will define it for the purpose of this writing.

Instinct is our innate, hardwired behaviour that is triggered by external stimuli. Instinct is activated in the reptilian brain, our brainstem or specifically the amygdala which is part of the limbic system. This area of the brain when triggered sends an immediate message to the body for a reaction to a perceived threat or need. It is automatic, and bypasses conscious thought for the purpose of survival.

The amygdala is one of my favourite areas of the brain. It plays a significant role in processing emotions, including fear (anxiety) and triggers fight or flight. It quickly evaluates potential danger - although it could just be something perceived as dangerous because it doesn’t have a very good working memory. Think of our survival mechanisms such as breath, heart rate, automatic responses in the body. These come from the brainstem through the Sympathetic Nervous System when it prepares us for stress. 

Intuition, on the other hand, integrates deeper layers of subconscious knowledge, past emotional experiences, and bodily signals to guide us through more complex decisions and situations. By recognizing the differences between these two, we can better understand when our body is urging us to act for survival and when it is guiding us through subtle, inner wisdom to make aligned, intentional choices.

Intuition is more about our inner knowing and ‘gut’ feeling. It is based on the integration of our past experiences, emotional knowledge and subconscious pattern recognition. Intuition is knowing without knowing why. It is not immediate survival, it is an inner guidance system that emerges through our accumulated wisdom and connection to our ‘higher’ self.

Intuition involves multiple brain regions, although foundationally it is in the subconscious mind and actually maintains connection through the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex involves higher-order thinking and decision making. It is our adult brain, where impulse control is developed. During intuitive processing it doesn’t necessarily reason through information, it receives instead the integration through working memory of past experience and emotional input. Where instinct puts the prefrontal cortex offline, intuition accesses its deeper functioning.

Within the limbic system the hippocampus allows us to recall past experiences that can inform these intuitive decision making. This part of the brain draws the patterns that are stored in our memory to help us make quick, informed judgements. The region of the insular cortex processes our visceral sensations, our ‘gut’ feelings. It helps our brain interpret signals that occur in our body to contribute to our intuitive experiences. The insular cortex is important to those intuitive experiences.

Our body manifests intuition through subtle somatic responses. 

Unlike the strong physical sensations of instinct, intuition can be a gentler knowing. It can show up in our body as physical sensations that many refer to as ‘gut feelings’ or ‘heart opening’, as well as tingling sensations like goose bumps and hair standing up when something seems right or wrong for us. 

These sensations are tied to how our brain and nervous system are processing intuitive information. It isn't a ‘woo woo’ magical experience. Although many connect the experience with the knowledge base of alternative energy healing with the chakra system.

When we think of the intuitive ‘gut feeling’, the biology behind it is the enteric nervous system. Sometimes it is referred to as the second brain because of its dense network of neurons that communicate directly with the brain through the vagus nerve. This area of our bodies responds with instinctual signals of excitement or dread as well as intuitive signals with alignment of calm or unease. 

Past experiences and cues in our environment process information before we are even consciously aware of them because the ‘gut’ can bypass conscious thought while accessing information. Our bodies, our brains, are truly fascinating right?

Our ‘gut’ area is known energetically as the solar plexus chakra or Manipura. It governs personal power, decision-making, and confidence. Sounds like a particular area of the brain doesn’t it? It is our executive functioning - in the body. 

We feel more secure in our intuition, decision-making and trust taking action without second-guessing when this energetic center is balanced. We also feel those things when we are making decisions based on our brain's stored knowledge base.

So what about the common expression to ‘follow your heart’ with intuition?

When you feel a strong intuitive connection, the heart may feel expansive, open, or warm. This is not the same as an instinctual heart-pounding from fear or excitement. Instead, it's more like an emotional resonance that signals whether something aligns with your deeper values or emotional truth. 

The heart is an important organ with its own form of intelligence referred to as the heart-brain connection. Thousands of neurons in the heart send signals to our brain, allowing for reactions to the brain's signals with emotional experience. Which is why you may experience that feeling of expansion when something feels positive, and constriction if it feels negative. It isn’t about magic, it is about energy - and our biological systems.

In alternative health understanding the heart is linked to the heart chakra energy center or Anahata. Its primary focus is love, compassion and emotional balance. 

When we are experiencing intuition with emotions that guide our passion, our caring connection towards others as well as making any decision that is heart-centered, this part of our energy system is activated. When you feel intuitive guidance in the heart, it can help you tune into what is emotionally true for you. This type of knowing might not be backed by logical reasoning, but rather by a deep feeling of alignment or inner peace. 

A balanced heart chakra allows you to trust in this emotional intelligence without over-rationalizing or dismissing your feelings.

Some people describe a tingling sensation, often in the arms, legs, or scalp, when they experience an intuitive insight. This is your body's nervous system becoming highly attuned to incoming information with all of those signals moving through the body and energy shifting. The tingling sensation is the result of your brain sending rapid signals through the nervous system - our body's way of activating our awareness and our attention.

Energetically, tingling sensations can also be defined as the flow of energy through various chakra centers, particularly the crown chakra or the Sahasrara, and the third eye chakra or Ajna. 

The crown chakra, located at the top of your head, is considered the gateway to higher consciousness, and when open, it can help you receive intuitive insights. Similarly, the third eye, located between the brows, is linked to wisdom, intuition, and inner vision. When these chakras are active and balanced we are more likely to experience a heightened sense of intuitive knowing and recognition of truth. 

You do not have to believe in the chakra systems of our bodies to understand intuition, but it is an interesting explanation of what is happening.

What is important here is that we become mindful about how our body is responding in various situations where we can align with intuitive decision-making to reach our goals. It is about the energy of the various systems in our bodies working together to drive our decision-making in a positive direction.

Intuition comes from integrated brain processes involving recognition, emotional memory, and subconscious thought. Our brain is constantly processing subtle cues and tapping into stored knowledge, even when we are not aware of it. When intuition is activated, the brain is communicating through the body's nervous system in the form of guiding energy. It even taps into the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for reflection and relaxation to activate the sensations and the calm certainty. 

Those who are open to chakras as energy centers in the body find it helpful to tune into their intuition through the solar plexus, heart, third eye and crown chakras to connect with a higher level of emotional intelligence, decision-making, deeper insight, and higher wisdom. Those who are not open to the chakras can simply work on becoming somatically mindful of what happens in their body in order to enhance their intuitive ability.

Our emotional response to intuition can be charged with energy but is often less intense than instinct because rather than being about survival it is about purpose and direction. Feelings linked to intuition may be certainty, calmness, doubt, or desire. These emotions are not directing survival but about making the choices that align with our deeper felt wisdom, potential and purpose. It is a quiet inner voice that provides emotional clarity. 

When we experience intuition our behaviours are more deliberate based on the internal guidance that comes from reflection and sensing our needs. Our behaviours here are not threat responses, they are not reflexive and automatic but rather are chosen actions based on our inner knowledge. Not logic, not rational over thinking, but rather a quiet compulsion to ‘do’ something.

A person may make a life decision based on their gut feeling or be compelled to go somewhere, connect with someone or do something even if logic suggests otherwise. That is intuitive.

But where does the knowledge for intuition come from? That’s an interesting consideration, and I firmly believe it isn’t a simple answer.

There has been research done that we pass down traumatic experiences through our DNA to our future generations. That what our ancestors experienced we carry within our body’s DNA in the form of stored knowledge, nervous system responses, health and wellness. There has been research showing that what a woman experiences when she is pregnant will be passed through her into the infant. Even as far as aversions to smells, or sounds if she is experiencing stressors with those. This opens up a lot of possibilities for that stored knowledge in our brains and bodies that lead our intuition.

The brain is an amazing part of our body. We have only discovered some of the complexity of our consciousness, memory formation and emotion. The brain has a vast network with billions of neurons, intricate connections and the exact way that they produce thoughts, emotions and actions are areas of ongoing research. Although we are making substantial progress the brain remains one of the most complex and least understood organs in the human body.

It is possible that our intuition comes from not only our experiences, but those of the individuals who came before us genetically. Just a consideration. In any way, we cannot exclude our brain activity with regards to our intuition. It is not useless. It all has a role to play in your energetic health, in your spiritual and healing journey. Your brain is what drives your emotion. Your brain is what steers your body. Your brain connects you, with attachment, with hormones, with cognitions and emotions, to others and to yourself.

Spiritually many people connect with guides, angels, people who have passed over in order to intuitively guide their decision making process. This was also thrown away during the workshop I attended and replaced with the only intuition is you - and your higher self. 

Our higher self is the version of our consciousness with a deeper felt spiritual essence, wisdom and universal truth. We can think of it as the version of us that is authentic, beyond ego, fears or societal conditioning. Giving us a broader perspective our highest self guides us to our best potential and aligns us with our purpose and growth. 

Many systems believe that our highest self is our intuition. It is how we connect to the mindful way we can move forward into self-actualization and live in accordance with our highest values. Some believe we need to connect to this part of us through meditation, prayer or spiritual practices. It doesn’t matter how you view this part of you - it is already within you. It IS you. So you do not need to view your higher self as a separate entity to connect to your intuition, simply, allow for awareness of body, mind and spirit.

Respecting your intuition is in part accepting the connection of the role of your brain, with the sensations of your body, the pull from the spirit of all this energy. Learning to grow your intuition involves allowing your brain to guide you through your thoughts into emotional experience, and further into what your body needs to experience to signal an action or behaviour. Each in part serves to lead you to your best potential.

Hopefully this has all made the differences between instinct and intuition pretty clear. 

Now you can understand that like most of our experiences intuition is activated in our entire system rather than just one area. It is not a magical outside energy, it is within us, and thus can impact our internal and external energetic experiences.

Learn to trust your intuition by building your awareness of this connection. Be your best potential.