Monday, January 28, 2013

How to Access Your Intuition

Photo Courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

Have you ever had that flash of insight? That “Oh my Gosh, of course” moment?

In the book Flight Plan: The Real Secret of Success, Brain Tracy refers to such moments as the Super-conscious, which is the intuition that resides in all of us. As silly as this might sound, neuropsychology is beginning to back up that intuition is real and using techniques to activate the Super-conscious is effective.

Our brains are constantly working to make sense of our world, even when we are not consciously aware that it is doing so.  The brain uses patterns to inform our decision making process. Consequently, our brain will notice and assimilate patterns around us, without our conscious knowledge. All that information is in there, we just need to find ways to unlock the information.

If you want to put this idea to the test, pick a TV show that you enjoy and watch regularly. After watching the show, write down (you have to write it down) the following questions and your answers.

  • How does what I’ve learned relate to what I already know?
  • How might I use this new information in the future?  (If you’re doing the experiment, the answer to this one is always  “To predict what will happen in the next show.”

I haven’t actually done this experiment because I don’t watch much TV, but the presenter of the workshop I attended on brain function and executive skills swears that by the third or fourth show you will be able to accurately predict the storyline. (Things like which character going to be the focus of the next show, what their conflict might be.)  Once I have some time, I plan to use the two questions to study scenes of a book.  

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Let's get back to Mr. Tracy. In order to activate the Super-conscious, he recommends writing down, in detail, the problem you are trying to solve.  This can be a situation with another person, a problem at your job, even a plot issue.  Then, when the time is right, your Super-conscious will give you the answer.  If you want to try engaging your Super-conscious further, he suggests calming your brain through relaxation techniques, meditation, etc…, which may lead to an answer quicker.

There are three ways we can know that an answer comes from our Super-conscious.
  • The answer will be complete. All details of the problem will have a solution.
  • The answer will be simple, clear and within in your abilities to complete.
  • The answer will "feel" right. Since the Super-conscious comes directly from your intuition, the answer will create a happy and relaxed feeling, and you will be eager to implement the solution.

Mr. Tracy cautions that you have to be ready to react in a timely fashion to the intuition. If you get the urge to call someone, call them. Don’t wait a week. You have to have faith in your brain and its ability to see patterns even when we aren’t aware of it.

Do you think you might try out any of these techniques? Do you believe in intution?

I'd like to say "Welcome" to Ty Roper, who has decided to join us! I'd also like to mention that Chapter One of Finding Meara is up on Wattpad, if you'd like to take a look. I'll be uploading Chapter Two on Wednesday.


13 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm a big believer in following intuition. It's one reason I'm such a slow writer I think. I like to let things marinate and make those unconscious connections. For me, it's worth the wait. Neat stuff.

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  2. This is so fascinating! I'll have to try that TV experiment.

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    1. I really hope it works. Let me know how it turns out, if you do!

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  3. Interest post - and have I told you I love your Ben Franklin quote? It's great.

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    1. I love that quote, too. I have a really funny image in my head. I wish I was an artist so I could draw it. It's link of like happy face people in painter overalls, carrying cans of something around. Is that too much information? :)

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  4. I definitely believe in intuition and I believe we should all listen to it. I'll have to try the TV experiment, too.

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    1. I think we use too little of our brain consciously to not have intuition!

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  5. I don't know if "intuition" is the right word for it, but there have been a couple times where I had a sudden and powerful blast of insight or inspiration that sent me in cool new directions. Both of those worked out pretty great for me, so I've been wondering if I could encourage more of them. I might try some of this stuff sometime.

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    1. I hope they work for you! I'd love to be able to control that amazing part of our brain that is creative. Even though I've known about this stuff for a while, I have yet to put any of it into practice.

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  6. I started doing this when I was in business. Even laying in bed at night, if I suspected some troubling work issue would keep me awake, I would spend as much time as it took quantifying the issue--asking the questions that would bring about solution. Then I'd do my best to let it go, and, for lack of a better word, sleep on it. I have always been amazed how the solutions come, sometimes in the night or next morning, and sometimes in a day or two, but they almost always come. I do something real similar with writing. Thanks for making more sense of it for me, Lara!

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    1. I wonder if writers are more intuitive than other people? There definitely has to be the willingness to open ourselves up to accepting the answers as they come. The brain is fascinating. Brain function and executive skills are the big thing right now in mental health land, so I've gotten to learn quite a bit in the last year. Just enough to sound like I might know what I'm talking about... :)

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  7. I love this post, Lara! This is exactly how I work.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments below.

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