Is It Rational To Trust Your Gut Feelings? A Neuroscientist Explains

Imagine the director of a big company announcing an important decision and justifying it with it being based on a gut feeling. This would be met with disbelief – surely important decisions have to be thought over carefully, deliberately and rationally?

Developing our intuition is not as difficult as it may seem. We all have it and it's always working even without any effort on our part. Our challenge is to recognize its powers and follow its directions. Allowing your intuition to express itself may be as simple as asking who...

We like to think of ourselves as one congruent identity, one Self. Whether we are a forty-five-year-old businessman, a twenty-year-old college student or a seventy-year-old retiree, what we think of ourselves is based on what we are currently doing and who we believe ourselves to be.

How many times have you said to yourself, "I just got a hit (or a hunch, or a gut-feeling) to go there." And so you did; and then found out it was a good thing you did. You were following your Guidance. Or you got a crazy idea to...

We have been trained to, and have become so used to, focusing on other people and on trying to please other people. Most of us have learned from an early age to try to tune ourselves into what other people are wanting and needing. Because of this we have lost contact with ourselves. We have lost contact with our Inner...

Each of us has our own beliefs about receiving spiritual help. I interchange the terms guides and intuition, for they are intimately connected. But whether we attribute the guidance we receive to angels or our own intuitive powers, we cannot hear it if we do not slow down and listen. Listening, really listening, is a holy experience.

I love how the Universe (a.k.a. God, Creator, Divine, etc.) works. Things just work out sometimes amazingly perfectly. Actually, I don't know why it's amazing, other than we've been brainwashed (trained) to expect the worst instead of...

The shocking truth is that many of us have lost contact with our Inner Compass – with our connection to this Great Universal Intelligence – and so we have lost contact with our own internal guidance system. And because of this, we are not truly in contact with how we really feel about things and so we flounder in our life situations and life becomes a struggle. I know this sounds strange, but it is true nevertheless.

The term “empath” has received more publicity recently, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing. For those of us who have had difficulty understanding why it can be hard for us to be in the world, the awareness and education about what it means to be energetically sensitive has done us, and those who love us, a great service.

A question I often hear my students ask is, “How do I stay tuned into my intuition and receive messages from my inner divine guidance?” They do very well in class and in the online sessions but when they go off on their own, life takes over and they feel disconnected.

Swear words have many functions. They can be used for emphasis, for comedic effect, as a shared linguistic tool that strengthens social bonds and maintains relationships, or simply to cause offence and shock

In our lives there are two great sources of information for perceiving and navigating the world available to us: the rational, analytical way of the mind, and the soulful felt sense of the heart. Of these two, the conscious mind completely dominates our modern...

Your body “knows” connection with nature when you hike, garden, watch the moon rise, or collect stones and shells. Your heart remembers your own and your children’s joy in climbing trees, swimming in creeks, catching polliwogs. Yet you’ve mostly forgotten how to sustain your relations with mountains and trees from day to day.

Have you ever noticed how opportunities seem to drift your way at certain times like big waves that suddenly wash ashore? If you were a surfer, you might wait all day to find the right wave to ride -- that incredibly big one with all of the power behind it. You get ready for that big wave and then...

When I coach people to find and follow their Inner Compass, they often ask, "But isn't it selfish to follow my Inner Compass?" So here's my answer. First of all, it is important to understand that if you...

The now infamous Google memo, written by engineer James Damore, has inflamed longstanding debates about the differences between women and men.

The body has its own language that is older and more primal than most of us realize. Our bodies speak to us with sen­sations, images, emotions, and an inner knowing that is beyond words. Have you ever had a niggling doubt that nags you for days...

Some life situations generate feelings of helplessness or hopelessness and intellectual reasoning is not sufficient for figuring out what to do or what to change. Our patterns of behavior, thoughts and habits often unconsciously block new ideas and attitudes for fear of the unknown. In this case, other approaches are required.

We have two inner voices. One voice comes from the rational brain - the temptress, the rebel who wants what she wants when she wants it, the voice that is governed by "shoulds." The other voice is that still quiet inner knowing, what is called our intuition.

Perhaps, like me, you feel like intuition happens to you rather than being able to use your intuition when you want to. There is a solution – a way to get your intuition to act and I call it Step 1 of the Intuition On Demand Technique...

I was invited to speak to a class of 4th graders at our local school about my work and life as an animal communicator. I loved sharing with this group of aware and sensitive children, most of whom had story after story about their close relationships with their animal friends.

Another big stumbling block along the path to shamanhood involves your ability to trust yourself and the process, even while undergoing experiences... [which] may not be pleasant, yet could be very necessary for your growth. Becoming your own shaman requires...

We are in uncharted territory. There is nothing from past time periods relevant to what is going on today. We are evolving as a species and it behooves us to open our minds, look at life from a different perspective, and do this by operating from our intuition.

Synchronicity, indicating “a meaningful coincidence,” is a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung after he conducted a psychotherapy session with a woman who reported she had had a dream of a golden scarab (beetle). At that very moment a rare, out of season,golden scarab flew into the room...

Maybe, like me...when you hear “Listen to your heart” or “Follow your bliss” you get frustrated. Irritated. Cynicalsnarky. Angryannoyed. Itchypissy. Crankycrackly. You get that “easier said than done” huffing and puffing response ready.

Intuition is not an ethereal, magical skill. It is an intelligence and a survival tool.. I invite you to let go of the warm, fuzzy, New Age, hippie idea of what you may have thought it was in the past...

If reality is like a dream, we must act in it without suffering from it, as we do in lucid dreams, knowing that the world is what we think it is. Our thoughts attract their equivalents. The truth is what is useful, not only for us but also for others.

You just never know when that little inner prompting will come… and how important it is to listen to it when it comes. You might call it the inner voice, intuition, divine guidance, or anything else, but one thing is guaranteed: things will not go well if you ignore it! Our inner voice helps to...

The rational mind can only point to probable solutions. Intuition will supply you with clear answers.

In an age when so many feel disconnected from their own spirit, allies in the unseen realms are unthinkable. The very existence of the unseen is still under dispute by many. It is not something you can measure and define with your rulers and microscopes.

When we begin to explore the nature of the mind we will inevitably encounter the wild and uncontrollable aspects of our normal, some­what overcrowded, habitual mind. Only with guidance and skillful practice will we begin to recognize that the mind has an undercurrent of clarity and luminosity that is...

Can you remember a time when your stomach knotted up in fear, your heart raced before an exciting challenge, you intuitively moved closer to a new love? Can you recall how your mind interpreted what your body felt?

We’ve all had that feeling that somebody is watching us – even if we’re not looking directly at their eyes. But how can we explain this phenomenon without resorting to pseudoscientific explanations like extrasensory perception (or a “sixth sense”)?

In some ways, imagination has gotten kind of a bad rap, lumped in as a kind of fluffy mental activity somewhere on the order of daydreaming or fantasizing... When I refer to the imagination, I am referring to that center of creative consciousness which is the portal to all ideas, to every discovery and invention.

Joyce and I have written before about the importance of listening to those sometimes subtle promptings that can change our lives. If it were up to our minds, we might never take these risks. If we want to follow the higher path of life, we need to not only listen but also act on these inner promptings.

Some people (often because of their careers) have to live in their minds — strategizing, planning, and creating all the time. If this is true for you, you may be so used to not feeling the sen­sations your body produces...

In order to adapt to the world of the seeing, blind people are obliged to declare themselves unable to see — and, believe me, I know what I’m talking about, for that has happened to me even when I knew very well that it didn’t correspond to reality and was not true.

Seeing colors is considered normal for sighted people. Yet, to the visually challenged, ordinary colors do not exist. Those who are blind to the auric field also have a disability, for seeing auric colors is as normal as seeing colors through the eyes. We are all born to perceive subtle energies.

We have been given many touchstones that signal whether and when we’re on track in our relationships and work. As we acknowledge the signals, cultivate them, and pay attention, they’ll guide us unfailingly. Here are several important ones.

I believe all people have some psychic intuition — more than most know they have — that can be cultivated enough to enable them to receive and recognize signs from spirits. The first step in tapping into that intuition is to set your intention by silently asking...

I believe, as Ipupiara (an anthropologist, shaman, and healer) said, “We are all shamans. I am no different from or better than you are. Just because I wear feathers on my head, have long hair and a ponytail, wear a strange poncho and colorful clothing, and speak in a funny accent doesn’t make me a more powerful shaman.”

You have an amazingly accurate and reliable Inner Compass that is working all the time. An Inner Compass that is constantly giving you guidance and information as to what is best for you and whether or not you are in alignment with who you really are.

We are all born with special, exceptional, individualized gifts, and we are created to utilize these gifts, no matter how great or how small they may seem to us. Yet, sometimes we are our own roadblocks mainly because of untrue beliefs we have superimposed upon ourselves. Perhaps this happens because...

The universal language of creation is symbols and images. Dreams and drawings can reveal psychic and somatic information about our past, present, and future. I was a nonbeliever until I did some drawings for Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and was amazed at what they revealed about my life.

The purpose of developing awareness of your intuition is that it helps keep you safe in all ways. When you use your intuition correctly, you will be able to read the unsavory energies of morally bankrupt people’s lies and deceptions. Highly successful people from all over the world have shared over and over how they use their intuition or sixth sense to determine the choices they make.

You and I are home to an unexplainable intuitive guidance. The counsel we receive from this wise and loving presence is often protective. Some­times a mysterious awareness arrives to help us avoid doing something we feel is not in our best interest...

"It’s a procedure, a simple procedure which takes time and effort. I’ve been working on this ever since I was very young. I won’t tell you all the formula, but the first step is to turn off your inner dialogue, you know, the little voices in your head.”

As the light of consciousness expands your capacity to listen from a depth of understanding you might not have known before, it initiates your inner teacher to speak with greater coherence. This wise counsel can present itself in myriad forms...

Of all the terms used to describe such phenomena as telepathy, “sixth sense” seems to me a better starting point than any of the others. This has a more positive meaning than “ESP” or “the paranormal,” in that it implies a kind of sensory system over and above the known senses...

Remember the hot and cold game you used to play as a kid? Someone would hide an object, such as a pen, and you would try to find it... I believe God—or the universe—is really playing the hot and cold game with each of us.

We all hear voices that don’t exist. As much as we may try to deny this, it is a normal human experience. We don’t think much about it because it is so normal and we certainly don’t share this experience with others because we are afraid of being considered abnormal.

The “playful spirit” phenomenon occurs frequently in all countries and follows certain patterns. The activities are “paranormal” with objects appearing and disappearing; levitation is frequent; there is occasional light damage and small fires; loud noises are frequent. Mostly the activity is in the form of playful, whimsical tricks.

I invite you to promise yourself that, from this moment forward, you will pursue with power and confidence every dream or desire you have for the future, and that you will trust all the gifts at your disposal. When you master your creative intuitive power and allow it to lead and support you in life, you will never knock on the door of creation as a beggar...

In contests drawn from game theory, chimpanzee pairs consistently outperform humans in games that test memory and strategic thinking. A new study involved a simple game of hide-and-seek that researchers call the Inspection Game...

What would it be like if you lived your life with the feeling that there was a beautiful plan for you? What if the delays and frustrations were actually a part of this beautiful plan?

We human beings try very hard to control our lives by careful planning and scheduling. And when things do not work out according to our well-made plans and schedules, we often feel disappointed, or even punished. And yet there is a higher plan at work.

In his book The Lost World of the Kalahari, Sir Laurens van der Post described how Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa were in telepathic contact far beyond the range of sensory communication. On one occasion, when he had been out hunting with some Bushmen...

Aligning with your gut feeling can cause unexpected emotions to arise. The trick is to handle them constructively so you don't get derailed. That means being ready to experience your sadness, anger, and fear so you don't question your decisions. There's extra insight in finding out...

The most enigmatic aspect of quantum theory is that the observer cannot be separated from the observed. Both are needed to “create” what we commonly call reality. If one is ­missing, reality vanishes. Without an observer no reality can be created; matter remains just waves, waves of probabilities...

I think it's time to take some of the mystery out of the mystical. The first step is to understand that everyone is born psychic, although most people are at a loss when it comes to understanding or using this remarkable ability...

There is a message inside everything we experience, in tune with what we need to learn. We often deny it and misunderstand it, despite the message being clear. The most curious and magical is that the message is always positive...

How can you distinguish the voice of the ego from that of the Sage? There are recurring themes, which tend to give the ego’s game away. Take a look at the list below, and note the...

I usually made myself crazy with the holidays and had vowed to simplify that year. I had done my best to stick to my promise, and by the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, I felt that I really had a handle on my holiday preparations. Gifts had been...

From time to time, spiritual renaissances occur. In the last days of the 20th century, many people opened themselves up to spiritual and/or religious concepts. Many scientists embarked on a study of spirituality and related topics during that time...

Who you really are, your original Self, doesn’t come loaded with worry, regret, fear, resentment, or, for that matter, any other self-limiting states that can grow where darkness gathers. Let’s make this perfectly clear: No self-limiting thought or feeling – not one – is original equipment...

Oftentimes, we hesitate using our intuition because of the "risk" of being wrong. What if the "voice" we're hearing, or the hunch we're getting is wrong? In some situations, as in chemo or not chemo, operation or not operation, change jobs or not, divorce or not, it's a "life-threatening" or life-altering choice. However, if...

Some people are naturally oriented toward picking up the kinds of messages that come as emotions, gut feelings, hunches, and intuitions. This is especially true if you are sensitive to emotions in yourself and others. Yet everyone can become even more attuned to...

One of my children brought to my attention a TV program that he was watching. On the program, a scientist was testing individuals who had gifts similar to mine. My child said, "Mommy, you need to call that man so you can help him with those studies. "As a mother who believes in the intuitive capabilities of her children, I...

Animals are always trying to get through to us. They are constantly sending us intuitive messages that we aren't aware of. However, in spite of ourselves, some of those messages are getting through. When you think your dog might need some water, and you check and find the bowl is empty, chances are...

by Robert Moss. When have you said to yourself, "It's only my imagination"? I've said it at a moment of strong intuition — intuition that subsequently proved to be correct — that lacked supporting evidence in the moment. I've also said it when I've had a glimpse of a wonderful future — and then betrayed that vision by diverting my energy to listing all the reasons it cannot be...

Our physical senses -- hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch -- are powerful receptors, able to retrieve immense amounts of information every second. They send signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then processes and...

Have you heard the universe talking lately? Have you heard the inner promptings of Spirit? Do you hear the wind, the birds, and everything else in nature? Let the sounds of nature became a focus for your awareness and allow your Higher Self to communicate with you...

by Lynda Dahl and Cathleen Kaelyn. Years ago I was struck by what I recognized as a similar thread woven through many of my friends' psyches. The thread reflected an underlying sadness that life hadn't worked out the way they'd hoped, that there was so much they had to offer that never found the right time or circumstances, that life...

by Alan Cohen. When we need to know a truth, we tend to look outside ourselves for answers, and the last place we look is in our own heart. Meanwhile, all that we could ever need to know abides at the core of our being.

Someone is talking about this thing called truth, is communicating and demonstrating something about reality. You sit back and watch. If he makes it through your severe testing and, for now, you accept what he offers, then you applaud him, sing his praises, and use him as your argument and protection.

I wish to bring you some understanding regarding the changes which are about to occur on the planet Earth, especially with regard to the Earth changes. The Earth must work harder than ever to release her resistance to growth and evolution. Such is the nature of form. It always tends to want to...

by Echo Bodine. If you've ever seen John Edward or James Van Praagh on television, you've probably noticed that both of them humbly say that anyone can do what they do. What is rarely mentioned is how it took them both many years of practice to understand and fine-tune their gifts...

by Sonia Choquette. Our house contained my world: my Romanian-born mother and American-born French-Canadian father; my six brothers and sisters; my grandmother and grandfather; and a house full of angels, spirit guides, and out-of-body helpers -- some of whom stayed, and some of whom were just...

Most people would rather feel loving and appreciative than resentful and depressed. But often the world around us seems to be spinning out of control. Despite our best intentions, it's hard to maintain our emotional equilibrium when we're confronted every day -- sometimes every hour -- with stressful situations.

Responsibility can be frightening. Shutting the door on your psychic abilities because you're afraid of the responsibilities associated with these gifts is understandable, but I encourage you to learn how to discern and work with the information. It's psychic development that helps you distinguish between visions that are...

There is widespread distrust and fear of our intuitive powers. For one thing, we are taught to be wary of our "fortune-tellers." However, true psychic or intuitive sensitivity is the exact opposite of "fortune-telling." It is our intellect, not our intuitive ability, that looks toward the future. Our intuitive sense, on the other hand, is most profoundly directed into the moment -- into the here and now.

When I was a teenager, I began to notice that I was often aware of things that were hidden under the surface of my everyday interactions with other people. I had a strong sense of what others were feeling; I seemed to know a lot more about what was going on around me than people were telling me...

If we all have access to intuition, information that would help us live happier, more creative, and fulfilled lives, what is it that keeps us from tuning in to, recognizing, and benefiting from it?