You’ve likely heard phrases like “I feel it in my stomach” or “I always go with my gut.” These expressions highlight our gut instinct, a primal reaction often triggered in fearful situations. This gut intuition sends signals to the brain, prompting a response. Understanding this can be simplified with the ‘five Fs’ of how we typically handle fear:
- Flight – The urge to escape danger quickly.
- Fight – Confronting the threat head-on.
- Freeze – Many animals and insects adopt this strategy, staying motionless to avoid detection.
- Food – Fuelling the body to handle the stress.
- Fornicate – Driven by a primal need to ensure the survival of the species.
When faced with danger, our brain directs the gut to boost blood flow to our limbs, preparing us to either confront the threat or flee from it. This intuitive process often means our decisions are influenced by fear or the need to defend ourselves.
Beyond the gut, there’s another critical intuitive centre: the heart. It operates with its own independent nervous system and contains around forty thousand neurons, similar to those found in various subcortical areas of the brain. This complex network suggests that the heart plays a significant role in how we process and react to the world around us.
For a deeper dive into how to harness and act on your intuition instantly, consider exploring my book, ‘You Do Know – Learn to Act on Intuition Instantly.’ Discover more about this fascinating interplay between your gut and heart, and how it influences your everyday decision-making.
