Intuition and Healing

Intuition and Healing

by Patrick Marsolek CHt

In beginning to write on the connection between intuition and healing I sense a whole chain of connections, they mirror each other. I’ve been researching and experiencing aspects of consciousness, the subconscious, and extended human capacities for many years. I am constantly surprised delighted by what I find. I’ll briefly explore how developing intuition can lead us into a more healthy and holistic lifestyle.
What is intuition? My dictionary says it’s “the act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.” Though this is a somewhat sterile definition, it resonates with much of my experience. Intuition can seem irrational, paradoxical and even surprising. For many people that live their lives in a strictly rational way, intuition is a mysterious, undefinable force. For others who use their non-rational processes - artists, musicians, people in healing arts - intuition is often more accessible, more familiar.
Also, ‘Sensing without the use of rational processes’ is how most normal sensation occurs. It is only through habit that we sublimate our perception to our rational identities. Sensation takes a back seat to our search for meaning and purpose. When we allow ourselves to enjoy our non-rational sensations, it can be a tremendously freeing and healing process. This is essentially what happens to us when we get body work, enjoy soaking in a hot spring, revel in a sunset, or touch our lover. Most of us can understand the importance of this non-rational way of being; it rejuvenates us, balances and grounds our energy, and deepens all of our relationships. When we cultivate these non-rational means of sensing and use knowledge gained this way it is also healing.
Since intuitive information is perceived much in the same way we perceive normally, let’s take a look at how we perceive. Our awareness extends outwards, say when we reach for an apple. Initially we see the red round shape and a part of us becomes red and round. This may trigger a memory of previous ‘appleness’ that we resonate with. We say ‘Yes’. If we’ve never experienced ‘appleness’ before, we may just feel an attraction (another form of intuition) for it. From that, we extend again, this time with our hand. We perceive texture, shape, density and even sounds. For a moment, with each of these perceptions, we are immersed into that sensation. It is an exchange of information, though often in a subconscious, non-rational way. We are ‘apple’ in-formation more than the ‘understanding’ of it.
Within each immersed moment, there is an interchange between who we are and what we are sensing. There is much more information exchanged in this ordinary sensing than we have been led to believe. We can sense, if we pay attention, if a food is good for us. A subtle perception is translated into our awareness as strength or weakness. This is what is accomplished in biokinesiology, or muscle testing. In the same way, we may sense an initial response to a person or a place that makes us feel comfortable or uncomfortable. Whenever we meet someone, we subconsciously pick up various signals from their face, body temperature, electrical field, pheromones, the voice, and much more. These signals are all matched against stored subconscious knowledge resulting in a feeling of ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ That’s inner intuition operating. It’s a healthy response and guides us effectively.
But information can also be communicated to us in ways that we don’t objectively understand. This is where our ‘sensing’ extends into intuition. We may just have thought about contacting a friend before turning the corner and encountering him. We may think of another person and decide to call her, then to find she really needed our contact and had even been thinking about us. In the extreme, we may feel bad about getting on a plane and choose to stay home, only to find later that the plane crashed. In all these events we receive ‘information’ in our bodies, in our awareness, often subconsciously, which then rises up into our conscious awareness. Just like ordinary sensing, these feelings may start with a direct perception; a feeling, a color, a warmth, a coolness, or even thoughts. When we learn to pay attention to these signals, we are learning to be intuitive.
These outer manifestations of intuition clearly help us live a healthy life, staying alive for example! But intuition also works more personally, within us. When we attend to the sensations and feelings arising from within our bodies, we begin to sense how they relate to what we eat, the clothing we wear, even the thoughts and feelings we are having. This leads us in many ways into greater awareness and overall health.
My feeling as a teacher of intuition and hypnosis is that the experience of these non-rational, extended capacities is inherently healing and transformative. Our consciousness opens and becomes more flexible, more responsive. Also, this experiential knowing brings our awareness back into a living connection with our bodies, where mind and body are not separate, but are a working unit of balanced intelligence. In the same way, this intuitive awareness reinforces our connection to things that were ‘outside’ of us. We can experience ourselves as not separate from each other, but interconnected. This can bring back a sense of intimacy and communion with the whole living world in a way that is often lacking in our modern, hectic lives.
This is why I encourage people to experiment with and explore intuition in whatever way resonates with them. There are as many ways to do this as there are ways to sense, to learn, and to grow. Any meditative or awareness practice will help, anything that builds your inner awareness. Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, massage, improvisational dance or movement, and the various forms of artistic expression are also helpful. They all build the mind/body connection. A class specifically focused on intuitive skills can be especially helpful. It can show you ways to extend your sensitivity and intention out in new, surprising directions. You can learn you specific exercises to extend your awareness beyond the physical. And perhaps most importantly you can learn how to start thinking out of the box!
Whatever method or technique captures your attention, enjoy it! Follow your fascination! Seek out ways to get feedback. Like any other ability, with feedback we can learn what works and what doesn’t. This brings it down to earth, into our bodies, into our actual experience. When you truly have an intuitive experience for yourself, then you can know for yourself what value it has. You may surprise yourself!