Image by Stefan Keller
The skill of intuitive insight has been part of the human experience for millennia. Throughout history, oracles, sages and seers have used intuitive skills to help people interpret the deeper meanings hidden within the events of their lives. In every era and culture across the globe, those gifted with “second sight” were the trusted cornerstones of their communities, embodying the roles of healers, leaders and counselors.
Intuition permeates our lives. We may recognize it as gut feelings, hunches or uncanny, even illogical, occurrences of knowing, feeling or sensing. Intuition is being used every day by medical doctors, nurses and mental health therapists in hospitals, clinics and in private practice. Holistic health providers, such as naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, chiropractors, nutritionists and energy-based practitioners, may also use their intuition. These wellness professionals have that “special something” their patients and clients all seem to appreciate.
The word “intuition” comes from the Latin intuitus, meaning “to gaze at or contemplate.” It is defined as “a direct perception of truth, fact … independent of any reasoning process.”1 Perhaps the reasoning process appears to be missing because our intuitive perceptions can’t be pigeonholed into our five universally accepted senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste.
Intuition truly is our “sixth sense.”
Misconceptions, Myths and Taboos
There is a great deal of misunderstanding about natural intuitive abilities in our modern world. When I discuss the misconceptions surrounding intuition with medical professionals, I ask them for the first image they think of when they hear the word “psychic.” Take a moment to imagine in your mind’s eye what you think of when you read that word.
For most people, the flashing neon sign of a storefront palm reader or the iconic image of a mystical woman with a crystal ball springs to mind. People are understandably wary of this kind of connotation, especially in the critical area of healthcare.
Societal and cultural taboos have marginalized the field of intuitive development for centuries due to superstition, fears of charlatanism, religious stigma and passed-down cultural beliefs. Over the years, as the advancement of medical science has allowed us to enjoy longer and healthier lives, it has also ingrained the idea that its methods are the most rational and effective. As a result, anything claiming to support health that isn’t part of mainstream medicine is likely to be considered ineffectual or fraudulent.
Yet when I ask wellness providers if they’ve ever acted on their intuition, even as a hunch or gut feeling about a patient or client’s issues, which proved to be accurate, there are nods of recognition all around. Frequently, when I speak at health conferences, physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals approach me to share their own extraordinary intuitive encounters in confidential, but excited, voices.
Some tell me they have worked with a medical intuitive at least once in their practice, often to consult on a difficult case. Many want to learn more about how to grow and develop their own intuition. They are highly supportive of the need for more peer-reviewed research, transparency and acceptance of the skill.
It is important to remember that even a relatively short time ago, the topic of intuition would never have been deemed remotely appropriate for a healthcare conference. That we can now talk about intuition in a brightly-lit conference hall and not huddled in a basement somewhere – the way doctors had to hide their discoveries in centuries past – I consider a major leap forward! But within the confines of typical conventional medicine environments, the atmosphere to discuss intuitive observations is still so stifled that most healthcare professionals are afraid to mention any of their experiences to colleagues.
It’s not hard to understand their concerns. From my perspective, though, it is just as important to be open-minded as it is to be skeptical. After all, science is constantly evolving.
What was once off-limits is now a key part of thoughtful, integrative care. For example, when combined with the advances of Western medicine, clinicians are seeing significant benefits for patients using holistic disciplines such as acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal medicine, whole-food nutrition and evidence-supported energy healing methods.
The United States Veterans Administration has adopted a cutting-edge initiative called “Whole Health,” which incorporates meditation, nutrition, yoga and more. These innovative concepts are transforming healthcare by emphasizing a “whole-person” approach for physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. In this new frontier, medical intuition has a fundamental role to play.
Aren’t You Just Born With It?
Just as some children show an early aptitude for scholastic abilities such as math or sports, many display a natural talent for intuition. Parents and teachers usually encourage kids who excel in their favorite subjects. However, a child who excels in intuition may be shushed, thwarted or ignored because of a lack of understanding. This might even have been the case for you. That doesn’t mean your intuition can’t be re-ignited or even developed later in life. It just indicates that our society currently knows very little about the value of intuition.
People most often experience intuition as an intuitive “hit” when they least expect it. Without warning, like a bolt of lightning, we sense, feel or “get” information that we had no way of previously knowing. I call this having a “flash of insight” – a random moment of intuitive clarity. Flashes of insight are wonderful and can be quite profound. But they can also be unpredictable, unrepeatable and incomplete.
Intuitive Health Assessments
The illuminating skill of medical intuition is designed to provide fast, pertinent intuitive health assessments that can be used as both a standalone practice and as a powerful support to healthcare of every kind. Medical intuition is intended to uncover the hidden sources of energetic resistance that may be blocking optimal health, and to create an essential and practical roadmap for full-spectrum wellbeing.
Medical intuition is a systematic, deliberate method of asking for and receiving information, directly from both the physical body systems and the subtle energy systems of the body, also referred to as the “biofield.” The basis of medical intuition is that the body and the biofield hold information pertaining not only to physical imbalance, but also to emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances.
Medical intuition is designed to bring the underlying energetic causes and drivers of illness, imbalance and disease to conscious awareness, to help promote wellbeing in body, mind and spirit. This invaluable skill is intended to provide a comprehensive, whole-person context for health.
Here is a new definition of medical intuition:
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Medical intuition is a skill of intuitive observation and assessment using a system of expanded perception gained through the development of the human sense of intuition. (Webster's College Dictionary)
We are deeply interested in knowing what our bodies really want for optimal health and balance. Medical intuition offers patients and clients the potential to gain greater personal awareness and insight, and to become a partner in their own wellness journey.
For the healthcare professional, medical intuition offers the opportunity to deliver fast, pertinent intuitive health assessments for a cost-effective targeted approach to a patient or client’s concerns. Most importantly, medical intuition can help unlock the door to relevant and profound breakthroughs when people aren’t healing, despite best efforts.
Medical intuition may sound like an incredible superpower, but I believe intuition is a hardwired, natural human trait that anyone can develop and optimize into a practical and useful skill. Simply put, learning how to build your intuition is much like learning how to speak a new language, play an instrument or strengthen a muscle. It takes correct instruction, plenty of practice, and time. It isn’t only for a select few or uniquely gifted individuals. We are all born with it.
Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with permission.
Published by Watkins Publishing,
Article Source:
BOOK: Essentials of Medical Intuition
Essentials of Medical Intuition: A Visionary Path to Wellness
by Wendie Colter
The illuminating skill of medical intuition is designed to provide fast, pertinent intuitive health assessments that can be used as both a standalone practice and as a powerful support to health and wellness care of every kind. Intended to uncover the hidden sources of energetic resistance that may be blocking optimal wellbeing, medical intuition is now being increasingly discussed in integrative healthcare, its efficacy supported by innovative, growing research and case studies.
In this thought-provoking new guide, discover exactly what medical intuition is – and how it can transform the lives of practitioners, patients, and clients.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.
About the Author
Wendie Colter has been a professional medical intuitive for more than 20 years. The founder/CEO of The Practical Path®, Inc., her accredited certification program, Medical Intuitive Training™, has been pivotal in helping healthcare professionals develop and optimize their intuition.
Wendie’s trailblazing research in medical intuition has been published in the peer- reviewed Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine. She is the author of Essentials of Medical Intuition: A Visionary Path to Wellness.
For more information, please visit ThePracticalPath.com