Healthy Brain and Intuition Power
Intuition: Perception or Delusion ?
The intuitions reported by mystics, poets, artists, ordinary people, even scientists, often go beyond of the range sensory perception. In the reductionist culture inspired by classical science, they are dismissed as mere delusion classical empiricism claims that there is nothing in the mind that was not first in the eye. However, the classical tenet is not universally upheld. It is exceptional in annals of the history, and even in the context of contemporary cultures.
In the history intuitions were embedded in the conceptual framework through which a given culture interpreted the nature of reality. In indigenous societies shamans and medicine-men (and women) tuned themselves to spontaneous apprehension through rigorous initiation and training; they derived their mystical vision from them. In mythically oriented societies the world was seen as a cosmic realm of spirits, and in classical cultures it was believed to be governed by a panoply of unseen gods. The Abrahamic monotheistic religions recognised the intuitions of their prophets as conveying fundamental truths about God and the nature of His creation. Eastern cultures have always held that reality extends far beyond the domain of the senses.
On the other hand Western culture takes as real only that which is manifest – literally “to hand.” Because what people see is constrained by what they believe they can see, everything that is not conveyed to consciousness by eye and ear is dismissed from the modern view of the world.
But are the intuitions that occasionally surface in consciousness mere delusion? Or can there be intuitions that are as real and fundamental as sensory perception? This question calls for a deeper look at the possibility that spontaneous insights and apprehensions may have a physical basis. There are findings at the cutting-edge of scientific research that affirm this possibility.
Intuition More Reliable Than BrainAccording to psychologists, our instincts and intuition are more reliable in a decision making, than our conscious brain. A new study conducted at Northwestern University offers precise electrophysiological evidence that such decisions may not be a guesswork at all. Human brain can recognize and process things that are not consciously being retrieved from the memory. Very often people have the vague feeling of knowing something without having any memory of learning it before, such as getting dressed in the morning, or eating breakfast. This phenomenon is commonly known as a "gut feeling" or "intuition," also described as implicit or unconscious recognition memory. People automatically do those things because they are routine procedures that are a part of the implicit memory. "Unconscious memory may come into play, for example, in recognizing the face of a perpetrator of a crime or the correct answer on a test. Or the choice from a horde of consumer products may be driven by memories that are quite alive on an unconscious level," explained Professor Ken Paller, of Northwestern's Psychology Department. Such memory can influence peoples actions without ever entering into conscious awareness, while explicit memory involves active and conscious memory retrieval. While experts agree in general that routine tasks are part of implicit memory, they are not that sure about visual recognition. While it is true that a person must consciously try to remember whether he has seen something or someone before, it might be possible for one's subconscious to help figure out things without even knowing about them, with the help of intuition or just some lucky guess that has originated in an implicit memory. With all this in mind, neuroscientists decided to determine if implicit memory can direct explicit memory and visual recognition and, in case of a positive answer, to figure out how does it happen. Intuition Powers and Perils
Instinct has the power to hush reason. But when it safe to go with your gut ? Researchers may remain uncertain about the reliability of intuition, but it is a difficult force to deny.
After a career spent pondering the connections between subjective and objective truth, feeling and fact, and intuition and reality, I'm predisposed to welcoming unbidden hunches. I once took an instant liking to a fellow teenager, to whom I've now been married near 40 years. Upon meeting job applicants, before I can explain my feelings, my gut sometimes reacts within seconds as a sign in Albert Einstein's office is rumored to have read, Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." There is also the quandary of mining untapped intuitive powers. When hiring, firing and investing, should we plug into our "right brain" premonitions? Or, with bright people so often believing demonstrably dumb things, do we instead need more "left brain" rationality? |
About: Intuition
Have you ever had an experience, when someone you know or someone you have not seen in a long time all of a sudden "pops" into your head ? Then a short time later you get a call from this person out of the blue....creepy huh!
Well not really , This has happened to me, and Im sure, many others people on more than just one occasion. In fact, when working in my Chiropractic office, my office manager and I use to bet a small wager on who we thought would be calling the office soon after we got that "intuitive connection". Here�s how I validate my intuitive feelings. OK, I am getting ahead of myself. First, let me provide you with some background on the subject of intuition, here is what I have found to be true. "How do I know that I am in touch with my true intuitive feelings and not confusing them with all the other feelings that I am having?" Perhaps, this is a question that you all struggle with...I know that I did for years. Who said that understanding what your body might be trying to tell you is easy work anyway ? How Sensitive to Life’s MessagesDid you sometimes feel as if your world is falling down around you ? Have you experienced one setback after another ? Then this article is for you knowledge. |