Fear. We all have it, and we all need it. It protects us from danger, helps us avoid bad circumstances, reminds us of how to avoid injury, and more. But it also has a downside. If unchecked, it prevents us from being open-minded to new possibilities, exciting adventures, interesting people, and our own potential. One of the first steps to unlocking deep intuitive wisdom is to learn to conquer your fear towards it.
Overcoming the fear of your own intuitive knowledge may be different than overcoming a phobia, which is a deep subconscious fear usually developed from childhood. These fears typically require a more dedicated approach to overcome such as through hypnotherapy or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping. For most people, unless you have an overwhelming aversion to expanding your intuition, you are simply unsure of trusting yourself due to fear.
Fear is tricky and can hide in other feelings and emotions. Here are five habits that could be stopping you from going within. If you recognize any of them, you know you have a mental fear structure towards your own intuitive ability:
- Not Trusting Yourself. We all make mistakes, but if you learned as a child to be perfect, then you only gravitate towards the known: what is largely proven, widely socially accepted, and easy to attain. Intuition is more of an art than an exact science, so you are going to have to let go of needing to control everything to tap in. And you will probably fail many times, but that is how you learn. Enjoy the inner journey as you would exploring a new town, hobby, or new book: with awe and wonder. We want predictability, which is impossible to get. Surrendering to any experience is powerful because as long as we try to change what is, we are at war with reality.
- Judgment. Many view intuition as being psychic since it can be a gateway to psychic phenomenon–-and we know how people have judged psychics. Throughout history, we called intuits witches and psychics frauds or charlatans. You may have caught yourself judging and shaming someone for believing in the metaphysical world or the “paranormal.” And yet, from what scientists know about quantum physics, understanding our sixth or seventh sense is a natural perceptive ability we all share. Renowned biologist Rupert Sheldrake alone has over 4,000 case studies and a decade of scientifically controlled experiments to prove psychic experiences are real and a normal part of human nature. As the saying goes, “If it’s normal, it’s not paranormal. If it’s natural, it is not supernatural.” Just don’t limit yourself to fully experiencing your potential until you have all the facts. Do your research. And, it is time to let century-old prejudices die.
- Attachment. Once you have fears and judgments, you become attached to those beliefs, especially when it comes to intuition. Maybe as a kid you had a hunch about something and were later teased for believing in fairy tales. To break down this belief barrier, try to identify what exactly you are afraid of. Become an observer of your inner space and mind. Get curious about when you feel the fear, and how you react to it. Observe what thoughts generate the fear, without judgment, and ask yourself if you need to still be attached to that thought? How does it benefit you, and do you still need it? If you find a huge fear structure that is difficult to dive into objectively, you may need to just be with it, feel it in your body, and let it dissolve over time. What ever you do, don’t bypass fear by activity or denial, the barrier only gets more established and the harder to break.
- Negativity or Disbelief. When you believe that there is nothing new to discover about yourself or the world around you. You believe that everything there is to know, is already known, and if there is something more, you are too old, young, weak, or distracted to get it. Remember, the core structure of this belief is just fear. If you can’t stop your stinking thinking, put it into perspective. What is the worse that can happen if you try to be open? Will it kill you? Probably not. Now, what is the best that can happen? Imagine always knowing the right direction to take in your life, trusting your decisions, the people you meet, and even knowing what food is right for your body just by trusting your inner wisdom. Isn’t that worth the risk?
- Protection. Maybe you already had a highly intuitive experience–or psychic experience–that scared you. You don’t want to face that again. This is certainly understandable since we are just now learning about energy, quantum entanglement, and more. But we all go through things for a reason. Until you learn the lessons that come from each experience, you will be a prisoner in your own mind. Until more people come out and share their experiences, we will all realize that we are not alone either. Remember, if it’s happening to everyone all the time, it is normal, not paranormal.
Although there are countless reasons for our fears, these are just the most common when it comes to tapping into our own intuition. And fears are not the only things that stop us from trusting our intuition and sense abilities. Like most things in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. But first, you need to take the first step in overcoming the fear. Start by journaling what you are feeling–it helps you gain perspective and release control. If writing is not your thing, try talking to a friend, a therapist, or use the Sedona method. With this method, you simply ask a few questions while focusing on your fear.
Lastly, whenever you feel fear, switch over to gratitude. If you are afraid of being judged by others, be grateful for the opportunity to change their perspective so they too can learn more about themselves. If you are afraid of failure, be grateful of the opportunity to challenge yourself, grow, and learn something new. Try meditation and remember to breathe. Just remember the old adage: what you resist persists. Resisting your fears only makes them bigger, so get to work!
Have a fear about intuition you want to share? Post a comment below!
