Intuition Revealed by the Body Intelligence
All of us have experienced that butterfly fluttering feeling in our gut at some point in time, that strong hunch trying to communicate something, a sense of strong hope or belief in something for unknown reasons or some sense of disbelief or fear without anything concrete! This is our gut feeling trying to communicate with us, guiding us on some decisions that seem to come from an unknown territory of being and may often prove right!
Intuition arising out of gut feeling can be a valuable tool in decision-making in situations where logic fails to convince us!
What does ‘gut feeling’ feel like? A gut feeling can reveal itself in the form of friendly or unfriendly sensations, feeling discomfort or too comfortable in a new or unknown situation, a strong sense of clarity, stress or tightness in the body, goosebumps, fluttery feeling in the gut, a sinking sensation, sweat in feel and palms, overwhelming emotions, anxiety for no reason or even a feeling of safety, peace or happiness.
The Chemistry of Gut Feeling: The gut feeling may trigger in the gut but is felt in the brain. This synergy of gut and brain suggests a strong communication connection between the gut and brain. The brain speaks to the gut and vice-versa, and this communication channel is scientifically known as the gut-brain axis. Both the systems are connected physically and biochemically as per modern understanding. However, as per ancient understanding in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the two systems are also connected emotionally and psychologically where each different emotion is directly associated with each organ. Feelings of will, determination, and a sense of knowing, worry or anxiety are associated with the gut in these traditional systems. These systems are connected via the nervous system, rather, it is known in science that after the brain, the maximum nerve cells reside in the gut than anywhere else in the body.
Scientifically it is understood that gut feelings aren’t random, nor do they originate in the gut. Because of the strong gut-brain connection, the emotional experiences may register in the gut as gastrointestinal distress and feelings of butterfly flutter, anxiety, fear, twitches, pain or even nausea. As the brain collects and processes sensory data daily, some data may be captured and stored in the memory and sub-conscious mind. Science believes that the flashes of intuition may not be the mystical sixth sense but are more likely to do with unconscious observations stored in the subconscious and memory coming to life based on certain triggers.
However, decoding gut feeling is a grey zone that is just on the cusp of science and spirituality and forming any conclusion on one side may leave some questions unanswered on the other side. While philosophy and spirituality look at gut feeling as a mystical sixth sense, science believes in gut feeling based on certain facts.
Facts About Gut Feeling:
- Science believes gut feelings or intuitions are based on unconsciously absorbed experiences from past experiences.
- Science believes gut feelings originate from a web of patterns of experience that one goes through in a lifetime.
- Current research suggests that a brain can compare new experiences with old experiences and form patterns that can show up in times of need or during triggers.