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Listen to Your gut

New scientific evidence that we should respect our internal radar

by Jennifer Nelson

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Have you ever “felt” when something wasn’t quite right? Maybe a little voice inside your head told you that a new colleague at work was not to be trusted, so you kept your distance and later learned that she was undermining other coworkers. Or perhaps you sensed that a tiny pain in your back was something more serious, you had it checked out, and in fact, a disk was askew or you had a kidney stone. You acted upon your intuition and protected yourself from harm.

It’s not “all in your head.” Research suggests that intuition is real and can be measured scientifically. In a 2004 study, for example, scientists from the HeartMath Research Center at the Institute of HeartMath, Boulder Creek, California, and the Institute for Whole Social Science in Carmel, California, found that even people who may not have an ounce of ESP can be aware of an event moments before it happens.

Researchers now understand that we have an inherited, instinctual survival mechanism that allows us to make quick decisions based on little information.

Participants in the study were shown a series of peaceful images, such as landscapes and trees, or random disturbing pictures of car crashes or snakes about to strike. Researchers monitored the participants’ respiratory and heart rates, brain waves, and temperatures. Surprisingly, researchers detected elevated body signals in participants five to seven seconds before disturbing images appeared on the screen. They concluded that intuitive perception is a process in which both the cardiovascular system and the brain (and possibly other organ systems) play a critical role.

And some experts think that you can hone your intuitive skills and use them to protect yourself from everything from workplace villains to serious illness.

“Intuition is a form of knowledge that comes through in images or ‘knowings,’” says Judith Orloff, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and author of the new book Emotional Freedom. “It’s not about thinking. It’s not A plus B equals C, which is linear thought; it’s about being receptive to these gut feelings.”

Dr. Orloff learned in the most painful way possible that intuition is a force to be reckoned with. Years ago, she had a powerful, inexplicable sense that one of her patients was going to attempt suicide, but since there were no facts or evidence to support her feeling, she didn’t trust herself to take preemptive action. To her horror, soon after her intuitive flash, her patient overdosed on antidepressants and ended up in a coma for three weeks. “That was my wake-up call that I needed to bring intuition into my process as a healer,” says Dr. Orloff.

The Science behind the Hunch

Today, Dr. Orloff teaches a UCLA class in which medical students learn to balance scientific knowledge with their gut feelings, though new studies suggest that “gut” feelings get their start in the brain, specifically in a certain kind of nerve cell. In a 2005 study, scientists at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena linked intuition with von Economo neurons (VENs), which are involved in the fast assessment of complex situations. VENs seem to be responsible for giving us a continual read on whether we feel good about a situation.

“They’re pretty much a real-time monitor of your state of mind. I think they are intuition,” says John Allman, PhD, lead researcher and Hixon professor of neurobiology at Caltech. What’s more, people with dementia and those on the autism spectrum, whose VENs show impairment in diagnostic tests, have diminished intuitive abilities. These people lose their self-awareness in social contexts and can’t “read” social situations or respond appropriately to humor or social behavior. They lack that indefinable internal radar the rest of us call intuition. The mechanism of intuition is still a matter of debate. Researchers once believed intuition was behavioral, rooted in our experience as behavioral, meaning we learn to respond to situations through our experiences. However, scientists now understand that we have an inherited, instinctual survival mechanism that allows us to make quick decisions based on little information.

Listening for Your Softer Voice

Should you ever ignore your gut feelings? Orloff says no—unless you think they emanate from fear. Some people confuse the two. “Intuition doesn’t have an emotional charge to it. It won’t feel panicked, anxious, or rushed. If it does, that’s not intuition,” she says. For example, if your mate is two hours late and you automatically think “fatal traffic accident,” that’s fear talking, not intuition. Rather than allowing your panic to snowball, consider other explanations or keep your mind neutral.

“One of the promises of intuition is that it eliminates fear and chaos and brings clarity, direction, and peace of mind,” says Laura Alden Kamm, a medical intuitive in private practice in New York City who has worked with physicians to help diagnose difficult cases.

4 Ways to Fine-tune Intuition

How does intuition feel? Some people develop a tight chest, a burning in the gut, or a skipped heartbeat. Others receive a thought or flash in their minds. Still others envision their intuitive thoughts or even dream them. When an intuitive pang hits, pay attention. These exercises from the experts can help develop your internal radar.

  1. Practice a mini-meditation. Sit for five or 10 minutes in silence. The quiet allows you to focus internally. “People come up with some awareness of themselves in that quiet,” says Janet Bailey, PhD, a medical intuitive in private practice in Cameron Park, California.
  2. Write it down. Sit down and empty your thoughts onto a page—it doesn’t matter what you write. This helps clear mental clutter so you can hear your internal voice, advises Dr. Bailey.
  3. Do a relaxation body scan. Sit or lie down, and listen to relaxing music. Start at the top of your head and imagine letting those muscles relax. Work slowly downward to your cheeks, jaw, neck, shoulders, and limbs, letting go of tension and focusing your attention on each body part as you progress. Kamm says this exercise helps you experience what each body part should feel like. Pay attention to any spot that’s uncomfortable. If it continues to bother you after a few days, consider getting it checked out.
  4. Ask your body what it needs. Disconnect from the chaos of the day and ask your body what’s going on. Listen for the answer. Ask yourself if any area bothers you; write down any thoughts. Ask yourself, “What should I do about this? Should I see my doctor or exercise more?”

“You pay a big price not listening
to intuition,” says Dr. Orloff. “Your body
is so wise—it doesn’t make sense not
to listen.”

Jennifer Nelson of Neptune Beach, Florida, writes about health for Self magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Ladies’ Home Journal; and other national publications.

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