Qualitative aspects of intuitive perceptions
In intuitive health assessments, intuition may speak through any of our senses. Some healers access intuitive information through the aura – as described above. Others may hear words that alert them to explore particular aspects of the assessment; or sometimes the name of a condition may be heard on the inner hotline. Healers have told me that they recognize certain diseases by a smell or taste that they perceive when particular diseases are present. Others have reported they resonate with the symptoms of healees, sensing pains in their own stomach or other parts of the body that identify for the healers where the pains are in the healees. These have been termed telesomatic reactions (Schwarz 1967).
Intuition may appear as mental imagery. This could be a direct picture that points to the problem, such as seeing a blocked artery to the heart that explains chest pains. It may be a “snapshot” or “film clip” of past trauma that uncovers emotional difficulties, such as sexual abuse that leaves a woman with severe menstrual pains – relieved when she is helped to release the fear, hurt, shame, anger and other buried feelings associated with her traumatic memories.
Sometimes the intuitive impression rises through the unconscious mind much like a dream image, appearing to the conscious mind as a metaphoric explanation for a problem. My fist experience of this sort was at a healing workshop, where I was paired with a nurse for bioenergy sensing exercises. I got a mental image of someone riding piggy-back on her, whipping her unreasonably to move faster. I had the feeling that she ought to tell this person to get off. Hesitantly, I shared this image with her. She burst into tears, saying, “You’re absolutely right!” Perplexed, I asked her to explain. She clarified, “I’ve been working on this pediatric unit at the hospital for a year. Lately I’ve felt miserable. I just got a new boss who is younger than me, and because she feels insecure, she’s cracking the whip and insisting that I do things her way. She actually doesn’t know the routines for many of the special care children we treat, and I’ve hesitated to assert myself because I don’t want to get on the her wrong side. But it’s not good for the children, and I really do need to tell her to get off my back!”
As with dream interpretations, it is best for the healee to make her own interpretations of the intuitive imagery that relates to her problems – even when it arises in the mind of the intuitive counsellor.
Developing the gift of intuition
Intuition is a gift, much like drawing or playing the piano. Some can take a pencil and – as if by magic – produce accurate reproductions on paper of anything they see. Some sit down at a piano with no lessons or practice, and can tickle heavenly music out of the keys. Most of us can develop our drawing or piano playing abilities, and with diligent practice may become quite proficient. Some are better off not bothering with these arts, sparing themselves and others a lot of frustration. Similarly, to some people intuition comes naturally, easily, unbidden, and can be tapped fairly regularly at will. Most of us have a small to modest measure of intuitive abilities, which we can develop through various practices. Some have no conscious awareness of intuition in their lives, and may never be able to understand the word or the concept.