Intuition - Truth and Consequences
While women often talk about
intuition - men are more likely to talk about gut feelings.
What is the difference between intuitions, gut feelings and
guessing?
Many times I followed my feelings into
avoidable suffering. And, I can recall times that I did not attend to
my own feelings, and subsequently missed opportunities. Following a
discussion with friends in Chicago, I write this page to organize
my thoughts, feelings and experiences concerning intuition.
While most people can recall feelings about situations
involving risk, some people claim to be special, or claim special
connections or infallible insights about the truth or future of situations,
individuals or opportunities - without access to concrete facts
or information. These special people may make claims and
predictions (often retroactively, as in I knew that would
happen).
Claiming to intuit the far future, the
distant past, or life on the Pleiades, appears to be harmless delusions
of control. Someone who can accurately intuit tomorrow's stock market
prices could quickly become a billionaire ... but instead they teach
others how to duplicate their behavior.
Apart from the accuracy of
intuitive advice, I am interested in the responsibilities
and consequences of giving and accepting irrational advice.
How mature and responsible are the advisors? How about the people who
pay for this luxury? How does giving and accepting irrational advice
affect people's lives - their relationships with friends, families and
children, and their life success?
What is Intuition?
The word intuition comes from the Latin
intueri, which translates as looking inside or contemplating.
Intuition could be defined as an apparent ability to acquire knowledge
without inference or logic.
As I look around today's advertisements on the internet,
intuition often describes: a) guesses, or b) an unconscious
synesthesia of received information, c) some sort of unrealistic
idealism or d) a scam.
|
Advert: Intuition
is a comprehensive grip of the
principles of universality. A person who develops intuition can know anything,
without the barriers of time, space or other obstructions |
As intuition is often used to proclaim or support irrational
beliefs, intuition has been a subject of study in psychology, and a topic of
perennial interest for members of New Age groups. The internet offers
many pages about intuition training (over two million on Google just now).
I note that the goals of these trainings are rather
abstract, without evidence or checks to test whether or not intuitions
are accurate, relevant or even destructive. So much is assumed to be true.
|
Advert:
After I teach you how to listen to your intuition ... you'll possess
an unfailing source of wisdom that will guide you, moving you through
crises and towards your hopes and dreams. |
No responsibility seems to accompany intuited
advice. If their advice isn't effective - you're on your own.
As for consequences, intuitive people seem most comfortable around
other intuitive people (if they avoid discussing details), and do
not seem overly tolerant of people with other perspectives.
I Feel Therefore I Am
Two mental facilities are thinking
(inner dialogue) and feeling (self perception). Our thoughts
reflect what we consciously know or at least suspect, while our
feelings seem to reflect our less conscious impressions.
Many modern theories of brain function
are based on the differential functioning of two brain sides or
hemispheres. The left hemisphere is associated with logical
expressions such as philosophy and mathematics, and the right with
emotional expressions such as music and art.
I have heard circular arguments many times that what
feels right must be right because it feels right!
But rather than trying to make the irrational rational, let's consider
some consequences.
A parents' predictions can enormously affect their
children's' lives. If parents pronounce their guesses as infallible
truth, the children must either deal with this at some age, or carry
a burden throughout life. Most people in this world follow the same
religions as their parents. It is easier to go with the flow.
A person who offers intuitive advice/diagnosis to friends
may lose many of those friends. But, if they are skilled orators, they may
replace those friends with followers or even devotees.
Truth or Consequences?
Much depends on the definitions that
we use. Some people's descriptions of intuition sound very much
like thinking, some sound like guessing and others more
like random association. I have talked with many people who make
important decisions on the basis of intuition - both their own intuitions
and those received or purchased from other people.
If the intuited advice was beneficial, people
give praise. If the advice was not beneficial - some intuitive people may
blame the enquirer for thinking bad thoughts, having doubts
or lacking faith.
This leads to a dark side of intuitive advice ...
mentor damage. Dysfunctional mentors may seek
compliant adults and use their authority to treat those adults as if they were
children, or use them to test the mentor's ideas. Some people need to
influence others - especially disillusioned
people or people in a mid-life crisis who
want to create meaning in their otherwise meaningless lives. And some
people use other people as guinea pigs or research rabbits to test their
theories.
You can probably recall unpleasant experiences
that damaged your relationships - even relationships with friends or family.
Following mentor damage, I find that many people become unable to discern who
is good for them - and who not. Abused people may avoid any form of
mentorship or seek out many forms of advice - often simultaneously!
Both of these reactions can increase the inner chaos.
Were you raised in a family and a community that
preferred myths to reality? In my coaching, I often explore
personal myths - some can be called:
- Lost Identity - lost or diminished
contact with sense of self
- Identification - identify with another
person, usually while under stress
- Identity Bonds - behavior is bonded to
others, often by a need to survive
- Identity Conflict - identify with two
or more people simultaneously (usually parents)
|
Seen on Internet:
Develop your intuition with my Intuition Training!
Are you stuck
and can't decide? Ask me for an intuitive consultation!
|
Intuition and Identity Loss
Many people complain of chronic sadness, anxiety, anger or
inner criticism. We often coach such people to recover parts of
themselves which were split-off during trauma or disappointment (see
Inner Child). Probably you can
recognize people with these symptoms ...
- People who cannot define their own goals or outcomes
- People with little internal motivation - they must be
asked or pushed
- People who describe empty spaces or black holes
in or close to their bodies
- People who express few or no emotions and appear dissociated
(very distracted)
- People who were once idealistic and are now depressed
about the failure of their dreams
Yet these missing or lost parts do communicate. Some
parts will communicate inner criticism, many will communicate through emotions;
while others can communicate abstract images.
Bottom Lines
You constantly expose your maturity and integrity.
When stuff
(emotional baggage or learning opportunities) arises; we can help
you handle our stuff. We show people what they can expect in any
relationship with us.
Use both your feelings (intuition) and your thoughts (reason)
when you choose and implement plans, without relying too much on either.
Online Coaching for Emotional Blocks and Relationship Issues
Plagiarism is theft.
Copyright © Martyn Carruthers, All rights reserved 1999-2012 |
