Let’s be honest: not every “gut
feeling” is divine intuition. Sometimes it’s your trauma wearing a spiritual
mask, speaking in a voice that sounds like truth but is really fear dressed up
as guidance. And to be frank, every time I see a meme on social media
proclaiming “If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not. That’s your intuition.” No, very
often, it’s not. So I am sharing this series on the difference between
intuition or “gut feeling” and knee-jerk reaction that comes from several
sources: fear, trauma, and unfamiliarity. In some cases, it heralds a need to
heal, and in others, to learn. To broaden one’s horizons and use common sense.
That can be a difficult thing
to admit, especially if you’ve been told to “always trust your gut.” But if
you’ve lived through betrayal, chaos, abuse, or even subtle emotional neglect,
your body becomes a finely tuned danger detector. You learn to read
micro-expressions, feel tension in the air, and sense shifts in tone or energy
before anyone else notices. It’s an incredible survival skill , but survival
skills and pure intuition are not always the same thing.
When It’s Not Intuition ,
It’s Memory
What feels like a warning might actually be a flashback. Your body remembers
what hurt before and braces to protect you, even if the present moment is
perfectly safe. That sensation can be sharp and immediate: a sudden drop in
your stomach, a tightening in your chest, or an overwhelming urge to leave.
The tricky part? Intuition can
create those sensations too. The difference is in the quality of the signal.
True intuition feels steady, clear, and quietly confident. Trauma feels urgent,
loud, and demanding. Intuition gives you time to breathe; trauma insists you
act now.
The Pause That Saves You
One of the most powerful tools for sorting this out is the pause. When a gut
feeling hits, don’t move right away. Take a few deep breaths. Feel your feet on
the floor. Ask yourself:
- Is this my knowing, or is this my past?
- Am I responding to what’s here, or to a pattern I’ve seen before?
- Does this feel like clarity, or does it feel like panic?
The pause doesn’t mean you’re
ignoring your instincts , it means you’re giving your nervous system time to
settle so you can hear the truth underneath the static.
A Real-Life Example
I once met someone who immediately made me feel uneasy. The old me would have
labeled that intuition and cut them off. But when I checked in, I realized they
reminded me , in voice, posture, and even hairstyle , of someone from my past
who had deeply hurt me. It wasn’t them that was unsafe; it was my memory
talking.
By noticing that, I could
choose consciously: stay open but cautious, rather than shutting the door
completely. The relationship turned out to be positive , and I gained trust in
my ability to discern.
Rebuilding Trust With
Yourself
If you’ve been in survival mode for years, it’s normal to doubt your intuition.
You might even feel like it’s broken. It’s not. It’s just buried under the
noise of your body’s defense system.
By practicing the pause, by
separating fear from fact, you slowly clear the channel. You learn that you can
protect yourself and stay open to connection.
Why This Matters
If you confuse trauma with intuition, you risk closing yourself off from safe
opportunities, meaningful relationships, and growth. But when you learn to tell
the difference, you make choices based on reality, not reflex.
That’s how you reclaim your
inner authority. That’s how you step into the kind of self-trust that changes
everything.
**Journal Prompts:** Find a quiet moment, sit with these questions
and journal your thoughts. Start with your initial reaction. Don’t overthink
it. Just write it down. Give it a day, come back and read what you wrote. This
will give you insights into your patterns and help you identify where to work
toward healing.
- When have I mistaken fear for intuition?
- What does real inner knowing feel like in my body?
- What situations trigger a “false alarm” in my system?
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