Foundational Principle for this conversation:
  To explore and understand the role intuition plays in the choices
we make.
 
Definition:  Intuition – The ability to immediately access and
apprehend knowledge without the use of reason.
 
STUDENT: If we were in a situation where we had all
the information we might need to make an effective
decision, why would intuition be important?
LEWIS: At times we may find, for any number of reasons
that we cannot act on the information that is available
to us.  Intuition is especially valuable in such situations.
 
STUDENT: Are there logical solutions to most problems?
LEWIS: I would imagine that given enough time one
might eventually determine the most rational, logical,
and desirable choice in virtually any situation.  We may
use every logical skill and resource available to us and
yet there will be situations where still no one choice stands
out among the various options.  There are also times in life
when we are presented with a number of choices where no
one choice seems superior to the others. And then there is
the time factor (see A Conversation on Time).  There are
situations where the time is simply not available to look at
all of the variables at hand yet the moment is here and a
choice must be made immediately.
 
STUDENT: What is one to do in such a situation?
LEWIS: A person must go with their gut feeling. 
They must trust their intuition. 
 
STUDENT: The definition of intuition seems somewhat
general.  Have researchers ever been able to isolate where it
resides in the body or area of the brain?
LEWIS: Intuition is not one thing.  As hard as it is to define

intuition specifically, it is something that almost all people agree
exists, and yet its existence is little more than an object of faith

and belief that we cannot necessarily justify.
 
STUDENT: Is intuition always there or do we develop
it as we might develop any other skill?
LEWIS: Intuition is the result of many different linear
and non-linear factors coming together (see A Conversation
on Linear Codes and Non-Linear Factors).  Intuition is what
appears between the lines of what seems logical and what seems
obvious to most individuals (called surface reality).  These elements
are then combined with historical and empirical information,

heightened observation skills, and an intention to experience
fully what is going on internally and externally in our world.
 
STUDENT: Is intuition connected to the subconscious mind?
LEWIS: Yes.  One of the strongest elements of the subconscious
mind is the ability to sense or know something immediately and
without reasoning.  As an individual focuses on the process of
Self-Actualization (see A Conversation on Self-Actualization)

they will find that that they are constantly developing ever-greater

sensitivity, both consciously and subconsciously, to what intuition
communicates.
 
STUDENT: Please describe what happens when an
individual’s intuition is in a heightened state.
LEWIS: Some people have an uncanny ability to see
that which most of us do not see.  It is not some psychic
ability that they possess yet it is some ability that transcends

ordinary knowledge.  It is as if they, the highly intuitive man or
woman, sees essential data in slow motion and somehow knows
and senses what is going on in a way that is far beyond ordinary
conscious understanding.  Over time they will increasingly learn to
trust these messages.  More often than not this "intuitive information”
doesn't come in verbal or logical form.  In fact, in the beginning they
will usually be unaware that they are developing this level of
intuitive sensitivity.
 
STUDENT: Are we all capable of doing this?
LEWIS: We are all intuitive on some level.  We often
make wise choices and yet if asked to articulate how we made
this one choice rather than another we could not say so.
 
STUDENT: In what disciplines does the study of intuition
play an important role?
LEWIS: Intuition is of interest to philosophers, theologians,
mystics, law enforcement officers, psychologists, and
many other professions where intellect alone will not
suffice to get to key information.
 
STUDENT: How is intuition used in psychology?
LEWIS: It depends on the psychological system
being applied.  Some of the earliest exploration of intuition
in psychiatry was by Carl Jung, one of the pioneers in the field

(see A Conversation on Carl Jung).  Over the years many other
important mental health pioneers have addressed and integrated
intuition into their work.
 
Today’s Blog was written by Lewis Harrison a success

coach, and contemporary spiritual teacher. To read other
Blogs by Lewis Harrison or to learn more about his
coaching programs click on the web address below or
cut and paste it into the subject line of your browser.
 
http://realuguru.com
 
Lewis can be reached at 212-724-8782
 
Lewis Harrison will be teaching a class on
Hypnosis On Dec. 4 at the  “Spa of the Mind”
At the Harrison Center in Stamford, NY
Call 212-724-8782 for information