|
"Intuition: It's Not Just For Women Any More"
Susan Dunn, Professional Coach
Intuition is now an EQ competency; that is, it's considered
something necessary to successful living, and something to
be respected and valued. In recent years it has emerged from
obscurity, even suspicion. What exactly is intuition?
Main Entry: in·tu·i·tion
1 : quick and ready insight
2 a : immediate apprehension or cognition
b : knowledge or conviction gained by intuition
c : the power or faculty of attaining to direct
knowledge or cognition without evident rational
thought and inference(www.m-w.com)
According to Intuition magazine online, "intuition is
increasingly recognized as a natural mental faculty, a key
element in the creative process, a means of discovery,
problem solving, and decision making. Once considered the
province of a gifted few, it is now recognized as an innate
capacity available to everyone--not a rare, accidental
talent, but a natural skill anyone can cultivate."
Remember those math problems you got the correct answer
for, but you didn't get full credit because you couldn't show
your work? Intuition, Intuition magazine says, "is a key
ingredient in what we call genius, and it is also an
important tool when applied to everyday life."
That having been said, from where does this almost mystical
ability come? In their amazing book, A General Theory of Love,
authors Lewis, Amini and Lannon, all MDs, agree that all of
us acquire wonderfully complicated knowledge that we cannot
describe, explain, or recognize.
They cite researchers Knowlton, Mangels and Squire, who
devised an interesting experiment - they gave subjects the
task of predicting the weather in a simple computer model.
They designed the experiment so that as unhelpful as the
cues looked, they did relate lawfully to the outcomes, but
the relationship between cues and effects was deliberately
such a complex and probabilistic function that even the
smartest person couldn't figure it out. It was way too
difficult for logic to unravel; that is, subjects would
have to approach this task without the use of the neocortex.
The researchers were right. No one figured it out, but
that didn't stop them from getting better at the system
they couldn't understand or describe! After just 50 trials,
the average subject was right 70% of the time, which means,
of course, that some were doing far better than that. What
they were doing was gradually developing a feel for the
situation and intuitively grasping the essence of what was
going on.
We tend to believe that success can only come from
understanding (via the neocortex), but in reality our
marvelous brains, when presented with repetitive experiences,
are able to extract unconsciously the rules that underlie
them. "Such knowledge," say Lewis, Amini, and Lannon,
"develops with languorous ease and inevitability,
stubbornly inexpressibly, never destined for translation
into words." Words being a neocortical ability.
Implicit Memory
Things we can't describe, but we "know," come from our
implicit memory. Our implicit memory ensures that
"camouflaged learning" permeates out lives. Spoken
language, for instance, is a confusing assortment of
phonological and grammatical rules that we couldn't
possibly describe, yet we all learn to speak our
native tongue. In fact, children are able to learn it
without any formal instruction at all. Similarly, in
learning foreign languages, it's generally considered
that "immersion" is the best way to attain fluency -
spending your days with native speakers and just absorbing
it. Consider the extent to which we intuit. In his book,
Language Instinct, Steven Pinker observes that we all 'know'
that "thole, plast and flitch are not English words but
they could be, whereas vlas, ptak, and nyip cannot be English."
Why? Well, just because, but wouldn't you agree?
Built for Speed
The advantages of intuition? It's much quicker - and also
surer - to use your intuition. You have a greater grasp on
reality, as it were, when you don't confuse things by
bringing in the neocortex. "Reason," said Pascal, "is the
slow and tortuous method by which those who do not know the
truth discover it."
"There is guidance available to us at all times," says Penny
Peirce, "just below the surface of our logic, just after we
stop pushing and striving, just before we jump to conclusions.
By cultivating the ability to pause and be comfortable with
silence, and then by focusing steadily and listening for the
first sounds or feelings, for the first impressions, you can
help your intuition wake up suddenly and enthusiastically, as
if from a long winter's nap."
How do you develop your intuition? One way is to learn to still
your self-talk, what I refer to as "the Talking Head" - that
constant yammering that goes on inside your head. Get centered.
Quiet your thinking mind. Slow down and focus on one thing at
a time. Listen. Practice.
"Although intuition is a natural resource," says Nancy Rosanoff,
an intuition trainer, "it functions best when developed and
exercised. Like a muscle, intuition becomes strong, reliable,
and precise when trained and put to use. But because our
culture stresses the importance of analytic thinking, we often
forget we have this inner source of wisdom and insight. We're
like the hapless hero of the old V-8 Juice ad who mindlessly
guzzled a soft drink, then slapped his forehead and said,
"Gee, I coulda had a V-8!" How many times have you heard someone
ruefully say, "I knew that was going to happen"? They were really
saying, "Gee, I could have listened to my intuition!"
Here's an exercise for developing your intuition from Nancy who's
been training people in intuition for 15 years. This exercise,
she says, is designed to build a bridge from your everyday, normal
awareness to your intuitive, introspective mind. Nancy recommends
not reading ahead, but completing each step before going on to the
next.
Step 1: Clarify a particular question, situation, or decision you
need more information about. Write it down.
Step 2: Give yourself a few moments to sit quietly, undisturbed
while you reflect on your question.
Step 3: Walk around your home or office and pick up three objects
(large or small) that grab your attention. Lay the objects out in
a row, starting with the object that feels the most significant.
Step 4: Take a moment to breathe deeply, reminding yourself as you
breathe that there is wisdom in your toes. With the next breath,
remind yourself that there is wisdom in your legs, wisdom in your
belly, and so on until you have gone through your whole body.
Step 5: Look at the first object and let this object symbolize the
overview of your question or situation. This object is familiar;
you know how and why it is used. How does this knowledge apply
symbolically to your situation?
Now pretend this object is something you've never seen before.
Look at its shape, color, size, and texture. What could it be used
for? How does this relate symbolically to your question? Be sure to
record all of your impressions.
Step 6: Take a few more deep breaths, reminding yourself again that
all parts of you have wisdom, and look at the second object. Let
this thing represent what may block you, what fear or resistance
may emerge as you begin to follow your intuition.
Let the intuitive information emerge from within you as you look
at the object, asking the question, "What can you tell me about my
fear and resistance?" Intuitive information floats to the top of
your consciousness from deep within you. Write down all of your
impressions.
Step 7: Breathe again, tapping into the wisdom within and look at
the third object. This item will represent the possible action you
could take. Let the object communicate to you symbolically. Imagine
yourself as this object. How would you like to move? What is the
most appropriate action to take?
I did this exercise myself after I was diagnosed with a minor health
problem. I was unsatisfied with my doctor's recommendations, and
asked my intuition for guidance.
I gathered my three objects - a sharp X-acto knife, a spring paper
clip used to hold a thick pile of paper, and a telephone cable tack -
and arranged them in that order.
The X-acto knife immediately said "danger" and "be careful." It
also validated my desire for precision, my need to have "exact
information" before deciding on a course of action. One is not
careless with such a knife, and I saw that I needed to be careful
with my health. I needed to pay close attention and gather all of
the necessary information.
How do you tell the difference between Intuition and wishful or
fearful thinking? When it's your Intuition, you're absolutely
sure. Practice developing your Intuition with your personal coach
and start with small, inconsequential things until you get the
knack of how your Intuition speaks to you.
(c)Susan Dunn, Professional Coach, helps her clients develop their
emotional intelligence, including their Intuition. Visit her on the
web at www.susandunn.cc and mailto:sdunn@... for FREE ezine.
|
|
|
