How to Start Trusting Your Intuition: Pro Tips from an Expert

By Misia Welters, a meditation coach and intuitive reader based in the UK

You've probably heard people talk about "following their gut," but what does this actually look like in practice, and how do you know when your intuition is trying to tell you something? If you're not sure how to tap into your inner wisdom, don't worry—I’m here to help. I'm Misia Welters, a professional meditation coach and intuitive reader, and in this article, I'm going to walk you through how to start trusting your intuition . And if you've ever wondered how to tell the difference between intuition and anxiety , I'll cover that too! Keep reading for everything you need to know.

How to Start Trusting Your Intuition

Pay attention to your body—your intuition can present as a feeling, sensation, or even physical discomfort. Following a meditation practice is the best way to help you connect to your intuition. Keeping a journal or a dream journal and developing self-awareness via therapy will also help you tap into your intuition.

Section 1 of 6:

How to Rely on Your Intuition

  1. When your intuition has something to tell you, you might experience a feeling you can't shake. Intuition often presents as a niggling sensation that you just can't get rid of. You may even experience some discomfort or a sense of unease—as if there's a feeling that wants to surface. But you may also just experience a sudden, random subconscious insight that you know, somehow, is true.
  2. Meditation in general is a good way to get in touch with your psyche. One of my favorite meditations that I recommend is a Jungian-style journeying meditation (more on this in the next section ) , which is similar to tapping into dream states, except that you have more control over how you interact with your subconscious than you do in a dream. If I'm feeling uncertain about something or need an answer to a question, I'll write my question down, and then I'll do 10 minutes of breath work—in other words, I'll meditate for 10 minutes while focusing intently on my breath to come to a place of presence and stillness before engaging in active imagination.
    • Some people like to imagine a guide to whom they can ask questions. By imagining a character (a symbol of wisdom and guidance) for you to interact with, you can give a voice to your subconscious. Some people like to call this a spirit guide.
    • The subconscious speaks in symbols, which is why engaging with symbolism in meditation can help you connect with your intuition. Participating in active imagination is one way to do this.
    • Meditating can help you glean inner wisdom and understand your true feelings about a situation; when you've finished, you'll likely have an answer to the question you've asked.
    Advertisement
  3. You may have seen pendulums at your local occult shop—they can be very effective tools for helping you engage with your subconscious. By asking your pendulum a question and seeing how it moves in response, you can get a sense of how you really feel about a certain situation.
    • Take a pendulum, hold the end of the chain in one hand, ask it to give you a "Yes," and see how it moves: does it sway slightly from left to right? Does it move in a circle? Next, ask it to give you a "No," and observe its movement.
    • Now that you know what a "Yes" or "No" will look like, you can ask the pendulum a question you need an answer for, like "Should I take this job?" or "Should I break up with my boyfriend?"
    • You can tell what the "pendulum" thinks by how it moves. But it's not some secret force telling you what to think—it's your intuition subconsciously guiding the movements of the pendulum.
  4. Keep a dream journal . Really, any kind of introspective practice can help strengthen your intuition, but personally, I love to dream journal. It helps bring to the surface all your underlying thoughts, feelings, and memories.
    • Anything that helps you be more centered and aware can be effective, whether it's general journaling, artmaking, or therapy. Keeping track of how you feel and how it might impact your thinking and decision-making is a good way to get in touch with your intuition.
  5. Your ego can make up stories about what something "should" look like. Even if your intuition is telling you one thing, your ego can blind you to that truth if it doesn't line up with expectations for how reality should be. In order to trust your intuition, it's imperative that you drop the ego and be open to new ideas and possibilities.
    • Try to adopt a perspective of non-duality —an Eastern concept that suggests there's no separation between the self and the universe, and that all things are interconnected. This concept can help you tap into your intuition and dissolve the ego.
    6. Advertisement
Section 2 of 6:

How to Strengthen Your Intuition

  1. If you're not used to trusting your intuition, you're unlikely to know how to listen to it right off the bat. But the more that you work on your inner compass, and the more in alignment with your core self you get, the better you'll get at making decisions that line up with your values and desires.
    • Practice listening to your gut when making small, low-stakes decisions, like where to eat for lunch, rather than second-guessing yourself or deferring to others all the time.
    • Once you get comfortable trusting yourself when it comes to the little things, you'll learn how to tell when your intuition is speaking to you regarding big things.
  2. Starting a meditation practice is the best thing that you can do to enhance your intuition, but it can be hard to meditate if you're not used to it. Start small, with a 10- or 15-minute basic breath awareness meditation, and then once you keep practicing that, it will start becoming more comfortable. You'll start noticing that you feel more relaxed day to day. Eventually, it'll become a habit, and you can do it for longer and longer, and then move onto more active imagination practices.
    • When I say "active imagination," I'm referring to a Jungian style of meditation that involves imagining a scene in your mind and observing what happens, and what that might say about how you really feel about a certain situation. It's very dreamlike.
    • There's no one way to do it—you can imagine yourself walking around and observe what happens to you. You might meet characters who give you wisdom.
    • Or you can visualize someone to talk to, whether it's yourself in a mirror or an imaginary character. Ask them questions, with the assumption that the figment will give you the answers you need.
    • In some spiritual traditions, this is called a spirit guide meditation. Whatever you call it, it's a really great way to communicate with the deep aspects of your psyche.
  3. The ancients seemed to be more in tune with their intuition because they had more of a slow, introspective life back then, without all of the distractions we have today. It really shows in the depth of their philosophy, as intuition goes hand in hand with the ability to think metaphysically. But today, we're less connected to our intuition and internal wisdom. But you can engage with your intuition by being more intentional and reflective in your everyday life.
    • This step goes hand in hand with developing a meditation practice, because meditation is all about self-awareness and the ability to label how you feel. Every thought starts as a feeling, and if you can slow down enough to name that feeling, you can see how it influences your thoughts.
    • It's best to slow down gradually, rather than immediately deleting your Netflix subscription and social media accounts. If you sit and try to meditate for 30 minutes, all of the things that you've buried for years will come up, and it will just make you more anxious and less able to focus on your intuition!
    • So, slowing down your lifestyle in increments is the way to go. Instead of scrolling TikTok, go watch a YouTube video, because it demands more attention. Instead of YouTube, watch a movie. Instead of a movie, read a book. Gradually slow down your media consumption so you can get in touch with your own internal voice.
  4. Trauma can block intuition and make it harder for you to trust yourself. Enduring a traumatic experience can shape the way you feel in certain situations, but that's not intuition—it's your past experiences tinting your current perceptions. This is why it's important to be as centered as you can when trying to decipher what your intuition is telling you.
    • If you have any past traumas that may be affecting your ability to rely on your gut, it's worth seeing a therapist to work through those past experiences and get more in tune with your emotions.
  5. Your pineal gland is the gland that is responsible for producing melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. The pineal gland has been proven to calcify as we age, and this can negatively affect our brain health. [1] According to some esoteric schools of thought, the pineal gland is the house of intuition—so when it calcifies, our intuition may be weakened or damaged.
    • Scientists still don't know what all of the pineal gland's functions are, so it's been dubbed a "mysterious" organ. But it has been known in many cultures and belief systems as the "third eye" because of its location deep inside the center of the brain and because of its connection to light, via the circadian rhythm and secretion of melatonin. [2]
    • According to many spiritual traditions, the pineal gland serves as a connection between the physical and spiritual worlds and the locus of consciousness and creativity.
    • It's unclear how to decalcify your pineal gland, but some people theorize that reducing your fluoride intake can help. Fluoride in water can help strengthen tooth enamel, but some people believe too much fluoride can cause increased pineal gland calcification.
    • A 2019 study in rats discovered that those rats who were given a fluoride-free diet for 4–8 weeks experienced a greater increase in pineal gland cells compared to rats who consumed fluoridated food and drinking water. [3]
    6. Advertisement
Section 3 of 6:

What is intuition?

  1. There are two ways of knowing: intuitive and logical. Intuition is strongly associated with spirituality because spirituality is inherently intuitive, since it relies on intuitive connection to metaphysical concepts—but that doesn't mean that intuition can't be used and enjoyed by everyone and understood from a scientific point of view. It's how people in history have made sense out of the world and developed their own philosophy.
    • In fact, many of the greatest scientists advocated for relying on your intuition. Einstein is famously quoted as saying, "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant." Even his theory of relativity was widely discredited when it was first introduced, but he stuck to his instincts. [4]
    • Nikola Tesla, too, experienced intuitive visions that inspired many of his inventions, and he is believed to have said, "Instinct is something which transcends knowledge." [5]
Section 4 of 6:

How do I know if it's intuition or anxiety?

  1. When you're operating from a state of anxiety, it's easy to get caught up in overly rational, frantic thinking. But intuition is very deep, slow, and underlying. If you are in a heightened state of anxiety—if your heart is beating very fast, or your head is spinning in all directions—it's hard to connect to your intuition. Intuition is slow, calm, and grounded, while anxiety is frantic, manic, and marked by heightened emotions that can affect your perception.
    • How do you connect to your intuition when you're anxious? Slow down. Give yourself time to come back to center so you can see how you really feel. You'll get a greater sense of clarity once you're in a very still and calm emotional place.
    2. Advertisement
Section 5 of 6:

How to Use Your Intuition to Make Decisions

  1. Listen to your gut when it comes to relationships of all sorts—familial, platonic, romantic, and professional. Your gut can give you a sense of whether someone is safe, or even whether they're "right" for you.
  2. Where should you move? What job should you take? Should you have a child? Should you go back to school? When it comes to decisions that affect the trajectory of your life, it's important to listen to your intuition.
  3. If you've ever walked into a room full of strangers and sensed something wasn't right about one of them, listen to your instincts: they might be trying to protect you from something that only your subconscious mind is picking up on.
    • Your intuition doesn't just protect you from external threats: you can also trust it when it comes to your physical health. You may "sense" something is wrong in your body, even if you don't have noticeable symptoms. Don't ignore that inner knowing!
  4. No matter what the situation is, if your gut suddenly tells you something is off, it probably is. You don't feel that way for no reason.
    • Many of us have been taught not to act on how we feel, but we can trust it! Working on and developing your intuition will help you learn to listen to your gut and rely on it when it really matters.
    5. Advertisement
Section 6 of 6:

Signs You're Disconnected from Your Intuition

  1. When you're disconnected from your intuition, you're likely to become anxious and to feel very lost. You may feel like you don't have a clear direction in life.
    • Statistics suggest we as a society are only getting more anxious, which indicates losing touch with intuition is only becoming more common. [6]
    • If you struggle with anxiety, speaking to a therapist may help you work through past and present experiences that may be contributing to poor mental health.
  2. Remember, when you're connected to your intuition, your decisions will come from a calm, centered inner knowledge. If your emotions are regularly heightened, it's a sign you may not be in touch with your intuition. Avoid making decisions rooted in fear, anger, or distress.
    • When I say "heightened emotions," I'm including "good" emotions in that, like excitement or passion. When you make a decision in alignment with extreme emotions, it's less likely to be in alignment with your intuition.
    • To be sure you're making decisions rooted in your inner wisdom, make a practice of pausing before committing to a choice. Give yourself permission to slow down for an hour or even a day or more in order to be as calm and unclouded as possible when making a decision.
  3. When you're out of touch with your intuition, you don't know how to trust yourself. You'll likely find yourself second-guessing every decision you make and deferring to others. You may experience impostor syndrome or feel like you're not sure who you are or how to be your authentic self.
    • After making decisions, they may not sit right emotionally, spiritually, or even physically.
    • If you're in the habit of second-guessing yourself, it may be because you're worried about making the "wrong" choice, or because you don't put enough stock in how you feel—or can't trust how you feel.
    • You can gradually overcome this habit by making small decisions without overthinking them. This will help you learn to trust in your own instincts more, as well as help you remember that even if you make a "wrong" choice, it's not the end of the world.
    • For instance, if you're in the habit of changing your outfit three times every morning before committing to what to wear, make a point of sticking to the first outfit you try on for the next week.
  4. When you have to jump through mental hoops to make a decision, rather than relying on your gut, you may experience a racing heart, sweaty palms, or an upset stomach. Trusting your intuition is typically accompanied by feeling physically calm.
    • Don't be afraid to slow down or take a break before making a decision if you're feeling physically uneasy. Take a walk around the block to clear your head and alleviate any stress; this may help you feel calmer and more grounded, and therefore, more able to tap into your intuition.
  5. Not listening to your intuition likely means you make the "wrong" choice again and again, those “wrong” choices being choices that don't bring you to a place of deeper fulfillment. Ignoring your intuition can leave you in unwanted or even sometimes dangerous situations—like walking down a dark alley at night, even though your gut is telling you it's not safe.
    • If you're out of tune with your intuition, you may find yourself living a life you don't want. Uncertainty is the greatest cause of stagnation.
    • But when you have a deeper sense of clarity about the decisions that you make, it's easier to step into the unknown and take risks, following the path that you feel is right for you. How many times have you stepped back because of uncertainty? When you trust yourself deeply, a lot more options open up to you.
    • Don't underestimate the power of the gut: it can be a trustworthy asset when it comes to making important decisions! On a subconscious level, you often know what the right path to take is—tapping into your intuition and not second-guessing it can ensure you end up on the path that feels right.
    6. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Develop Your Intuition
      How to
      Follow Your Intuition
      How to
      Develop Your Sixth Sense
      What is Spiritual Awareness? Plus, How to Become More Spiritually Aware
      Beginner Ways to Meditate for Self-Discovery
      How to
      Channel to Gain Wisdom from Beyond
      How to
      Tell the Future
      How to
      Connect With Your Spirit Guide
      Are You Experiencing Relationship Anxiety or Gut Instincts?
      Claircognizance: What It Is & How to Tell If You Have It
      Spirit Pendulum: A Complete Guide for Beginners
      How to
      Become More Spiritual
      How to
      Know If You Are Psychic
      How to
      Calm an Overactive Mind
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6017004/
      2. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23334-pineal-gland
      3. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31713773
      4. ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/29/steve-jobs-and-albert-einstein-both-attributed-their-extraordinary-success-to-this-personality-trait.html
      5. ↑ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78127/10-electrifying-facts-about-nikola-tesla
      6. ↑ https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/annual-poll-adults-express-increasing-anxiousness

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 379 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement