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I am often asked to explain what intuition is. People are curious about what it feels like, and they want to know how it expresses itself. They also want to know when they are using it. And, most important, they want to know how they can develop the trust in it that is necessary to follow its direction. I find that describing intuition is easier than trying to put it into definitive terms, because it expresses itself differently in each person.
We are so conditioned to using our five physical senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), that we expect intuition to be something equally tangible. We expect it to be black and white, and it is not. Intuition is the sensory process that reveals its information through the pictures it paints in our minds and the quiet inner voice that we hear throughout our body. The five physical senses are easy to understand and relate to. Intuition, the "sixth sense," requires us to trust, not to know.
Are You An Intuitive?
Every single one of us is an intuitive being. A person does not have to be psychic to be intuitive or to use their intuition for the purpose of diagnostic analysis of the body. Intuition is one of our natural instincts and is a critical part of our mental processing. In fact, it is so integral that most of the time we take it for granted or are not even aware that we are utilizing it. Intuitive mental processing is usually associated with right-brain functioning. However, it is really whole-brain thinking. We utilize our intuition as a means of providing a different way to look at situations, as a means of getting a well-rounded perspective on what is happening.
Intuition is a like a weather gauge. It tells us what the current conditions are and alerts us when change is in the air. It is the vehicle through which our spirit expresses itself to our external world. It sees the situations and challenges that life throws our way from a holistic point of view. It is the conceptual part of our thinking and is what allows the mind to create ideas. Its spark kindles the flame and fuels the fires that drive us to manifest our dreams. Its energy provides the inspiration needed to encourage us to follow our visions. The use of intuition encourages us to look at possibilities and explore the unknown.
Intuition can often provide the answers to problems when the conscious mind cannot. It does not express itself through the five senses or the left part of our brain, but rather through the pictures, dreams, memories, feelings, and impressions that are stored in the right brain. Intuitive information reveals itself to the conscious mind in the form of emotions, which are then chemically communicated to the physical body through reactions such as hunches, gut feelings, sudden bursts of insight, or flashes of awareness out of the blue. For example, have you ever known someone was going to call even before they do? Or got an idea and just knew that it was a sure-fire winner? Or struggled with a problem only to find the solution in a dream? That was intuition in action.
How to Develop Intuitive Skills
Another question that people ask me is what can they do to develop or hone their intuitive skills. The first and most obvious answer is to create an awareness around it. Pay attention to how it expresses itself. Then practice integrating it into your daily life so that you will become comfortable with it. The more you use it, the more you will trust it, as well as the information it provides. Another important element in the development of your intuitive skills is not to work hard at being intuitive. Intuition is not something that can be accessed when your mind is active or outwardly focused. It requires a relaxed mind and a relaxed body. Your focus must be internal and introspective. The information it can provide must be allowed to flow freely. It requires time and lack of expectations so it can look at the situation or problem from all perspectives.
The integration of intuition into your daily life heightens your sensory awareness. It empowers you, and it expands your consciousness. It opens up a whole new way of looking at life and prepares you to cope with change. It reduces the amount of anxiety and fear in your life. They are two of our most powerful emotions and capable of creating stress in the physical body and imbalance in the energy body. They are precursors to the creation of illness.
Become Your Own Intuitive Diagnostician
The energy system is very effective in communicating its state of health. With a little practice, you can perform your own diagnostic checkup. How? The fastest way is by learning to let your hands read your energy field. The hands, and particularly the fingertips, are very sensitive instruments that can scan the physical body to feel where imbalances are occurring. If the energy system is strong and vital, then you will feel an overall warmth over the areas being examined. However, if there is congestion or energy depletion, then you will feel cold spots or there will be areas where you can barely feel any heat at all. If there is chemical overstimulation of an endocrine gland or an energetic protrusion, then the affected area will feel very warm or hot.
Let me share an example to help you understand how the energy system and the physical body affect each other. Let's say you are in a conversation where you are trying to express your thoughts on a particular topic. The problem is that the person you are talking to cannot seem to understand what you are trying to say or cannot appreciate the importance of the point you're trying to make. The more you try to get your point across, the more frustrated you become. As your frustration increases, so does your stress level. This emotional reaction causes the energy system to sound the alarm and warn the body that the reaction is in fact having a negative impact on the physical body.
Now, let's say your frustration turns to anger. The more angry you become, the greater the severity of chemical imbalance in your body. The physical result is that your throat tightens up. The minute this happens, you begin to have difficulty swallowing -- perhaps you cough or choke or your voice breaks. These physical reactions are the energy system's way of trying to tell the body to shut down what is creating the imbalance. If you were to scan the throat area at the time this was happening, you would feel a large hot spot (protrusion) of energy in this area. Then, as the emotional reaction subsided, the energy in this area would return to normal and you would just feel a warmth around the throat.
Evolving Intuition to Perceive Energy Imbalances
I believe that each of us can become an intuitive diagnostician to some extent. All that is required is that we evolve our intuition to the point where it allows us to read the energy system for the purpose of gathering information and perceiving any malfunctions in the body. With some practice and patience, any person can hone their intuitive skills in such a way that they can accurately read where energy imbalances are occurring in the body. However, there is one important element that you must adhere to if you are to become an accurate diagnostician, and that is the ability to emotionally detach from the person you are reading -- not an easy thing to do, especially if the person you are trying to read is yourself. Yet, without the ability to emotionally detach, you contaminate the quality of the information your intuition provides. You will distort the information so it feels safe, or negate what it is telling you as not being valid.
The best way to start the process of becoming your own diagnostician is to learn how to read your own energy and body. Start by paying attention to how your intuition communicates with you. Does it reveal itself through your instinctive feelings? Perhaps it is a gut feeling or a sudden flash of insight, or maybe even those goose bumps you get when you "just know that you know". Pay attention to the impressions that your intuition sends you. Listen to how it tells you that something is out of sync. When you get those feelings, ask your intuition where in the body you are out of sync and what is causing it. If you pay attention, it will even tell you what is needed in order to restore balance.
Intuition: Trust Your First Impression
When you are using your intuition to read your body, it is always important to trust your first impressions. They will tell you precisely what is happening within the body. Do not dismiss any impression even if it is disturbing. The impressions you receive first provide a clear picture of what is really occurring, as they have not yet been distorted by your emotions. If you get the message that something is wrong, then act on that information. Your first impressions will always serve you well, and nine times out of ten, they will be right.
You do not have to literally see the human energy system as I do in order to be an energetic diagnostician. You can develop a skill called symbolic sight. In fact, many gifted healers and intuitive diagnosticians work from symbolic sight. Symbolic sight is where you look for the symbolism of what is happening in your life and connect that symbolism to what is happening within your physical body. For example, when a person feels that life is beating them up, then their body responds by feeling beat up and tired. When craving sweets, then maybe they are craving sweets in other parts of their life such as self-esteem, financial abundance, love, and relationships. Breathing problems symbolize the feeling of being stifled. Being financially strapped shows up in the lower back. Inability to face life shows up through mental illness. Never being good enough manifests as autoimmune diseases and anemia.
Intuitive Diagnostic Keys
Learn to listen to your emotions. Spend time with them. Do not rush to hide them or make them go away. Emotions provide direction. They are indicators that send very clear messages of how you are feeling both energetically and physically. If you are feeling positive and optimistic, then your energy level increases and your whole body responds by feeling good. If you are feeling depressed, then your energy level decreases; your body becomes tired and lethargic. Confusion causes a chemical imbalance in the brain, and your thinking becomes cloudy. The feeling of being out of control causes an energy loss throughout your entire body. Resentment drains energy from your stomach area. The feeling of being taken advantage of causes a loss of energy in your heart. Anger toward others drains the lower extremities of energy. Your emotions can even tell you if you're holding on to old emotional hurts and if you are using those hurts to manipulate others to get what you want or to feel sorry for you.
Begin to pay attention to how you interact with the people in your life: family, friends, and co-workers. Do you surround yourself with people who energize you or drain you? How do you react emotionally to these types of people? Do the people in your life support you, or do they want you to be dependent on them? Do they enable you to stay emotionally wounded, or do they encourage growth and change? Always listen to your intuition when it comes to dealing with others. It will provide a clear picture of what is really happening. Learn to read your behavioral patterns when around others. If your behavior is submissive, then you will attract people who will try to control you. If you send out the message that you are emotionally vulnerable, then people will sense that and take advantage of you. Is your behavior telling people you are a victim? If so, that might help explain why you keep attracting individuals who are domineering and aggressive.
Body Scanning: A Tool for Healing
Take a daily pulse check of your energy body by doing a body scan. The body-scanning process allows your intuition to participate in your energetic evaluation. It also hones your skill to become sensitive to energetic imbalances. Through the scanning process, you will receive impressions that can tell you where you are both energetically and physically.
I find that my morning meditation is the best time for me. Start at your head or crown and work your way down all the way to your toes. Spend time in each section of the body. Run your hands over each part to locate any energy protrusion or depletion. The body is very effective in communicating where there are any imbalances. It will usually convey these imbalances physically through our aches and pains, and areas where we feel discomfort. If a blockage is occurring, then there will usually be some kind of inflammation or heat buildup in that particular part of your body.
The technique of body scanning also fully utilizes your intuitive awareness by bringing attention to the impressions it sends. When you get an impression that alerts you that there is something out of balance, spend time with that impression. Determine where in the body you are sensing it.
For example, if you are scanning the body intuitively and get an impression that your stomach is on fire, spend time exploring why it is occurring in this area. Ask yourself some questions. Could the imbalance be caused by something you ate? Have you been under a lot of stress lately, and is this where you are carrying your stress issues? Have you been suffering from frequent indigestion for a prolonged period of time? Is the severity of the discomfort enough to cause your mind to become alarmed? If so, then it is probably time to have it checked out by a physician or a holistic practitioner, depending on your belief system. Remember, the body will tell you what it needs; you just have to take the time to listen.
Keeping an Energy Journal
You can also keep an energy journal. This will help track your energy cycles. Each of us has them. Some of us are morning people, while others are night owls. Some people get their day started energetically at three o'clock in the afternoon, while others are ready for a nap. Know when you feel energized and when you are energetically low.
Begin paying attention to what or who drains your energy, and if at all possible, stay away from those things or people when you are in a low cycle. Avoid tasks that require large amounts of energy to be expended in your down times. Stay away from having to deal with emotional issues when you are feeling low. It is too draining, and the results will be less than desired. Also, never deal with emotional issues before you go to sleep, or you will wake up the next day energetically drained and physically tired. Try to deal with emotional issues when you are in your high-energy cycle.
When you first start the process of being your own diagnostician, it may take a bit of getting used to. If you give yourself time, it will become second nature to you. You will find the rewards to be many. There is one thing, though, that I must warn you about: once you allow your intuition to become an active part of your life, you will change. But change is what life is about anyway, isn't it?
Excerpted with permission from the publisher.
Published by Hay House Inc. www.hayhouse.com.
Article Source
Your Personality, Your Health: Connecting Personality With the Human Energy System, Chakras and Wellness
by Carol Ritberger, Ph.D.
Carol Ritberger explains how personality behavioral patterns, the human energy system, and the endocrine system are all connected to the process through which the body heals itself and that everybody has the power to self-heal.
Info/Order this book. Also available as a Kindle edition.
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About The Author
Carol Ritberger, Ph.D., is a medical intuitive, bioenergetic diagnostician, and nationally renowned lecturer who holds a doctorate in theology. She helps people understand how emotional, psychological, and spiritual energy can lie at the root cause of illness, disease, and life crises. Carol can literally "see" the human energy system to identify where there are blockages that affect the wellness of the physical body. She may be contacted by email at
