Working With, Not Against Our Gut Feelings by Ellen Besso, MA - Personal Coach for Women 35+

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment". Part of trusting ourselves is listening to our intuition, or "the power of knowing things without conscious reasoning" according to Webster's Dictionary.

We all experience both positive and negative intuitive or gut feelings. These body-mind messages come as hunches, thoughts, voices, restlessness or feelings of relief. Trusting rather than stifling them gives us more information to work with. This helps us communicate clearly and allows us to be more honest with ourselves and others. Then we operate in a way that's congruent...that is, our words, feelings, thoughts and non-verbal messages are in sync. We feel and act in a way that's closer to our authentic selves. Martha Beck calls this the 'Essential Self'. It's the part of us that dreams, feels joyful, creative and childlike. It's our spirit.

Many researchers have agreed that there is a strong body-mind link. Even though many studies point to the connection, the formal structures of our culture (i.e. corporations, schools and government) don't acknowledge it much. So it's usually not part of our daily lives. Candice Pert's studies show that neuropeptides throughout the body and brain biochemically link to emotion. The subtle energy system of the chakras is believed to produce odd sensations and intuitions. The Enteric Nervous System or 'the brain in the gut', helps us evaluate situations based on sensory input. All these theories and studies suggest that our 'gut feelings' or 'intuition' provide us with information that shows the body-mind connection.

How do you do personally deal with your gut feelings? Would you like to be more aware of them and use them in your communication with others? The body-mind never lies. We can choose to ignore the messages we are constantly receiving, or to increasingly tune into them and raise our 'Gut Feeling Quotient'.

The following exercise may help you tune into your body-mind on an ongoing basis:

· Begin with 3 slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Make sure you push
out as much air as possible on the outbreaths.
· Think about something unpleasant that happened recently (e.g. a conversation, a small accident, a
missed deadline). Notice the sounds, smells and sights associated with this memory. Notice the
sensations your are experiencing in your body. Where in your body are they? Rate the negative feeling
on a scale of -1 to -10, with -10 being the worst possible.
· Take 2 or 3 deep inhalations and exhalations to release the memory from your body. Move around if
you want, to shake off the feelings. Now think about something great that happened recently. Again
notice the associated sensory input and where in your body you feel the feelings and sensations. Rate
this positive feeling from +1 to +10 with +10 being the best possible rating.
· You can, if you choose, apply this tool to any daily situation right in the moment. It will give you
information about your body-mind. By paying attention in this way you will train yourself to be more
aware of your 'gut feelings'.
Adapted from Dr. Martha Beck's The Body Compass

Ellen Besso is a North Star Coach, personally trained by Martha Beck, PhD, and a certified counselor with a holistic approach. Through her Odyssey of Change program, Ellen coaches midlife women through life challenges as they strengthen their body-mind-spirit connection, release beliefs that limit their growth & take specific actions to move themselves towards their ideal life. If you feel unsatisfied in any area of your life and would like to explore life questions in more depth, contact Ellen at: 800 961 1364 or info@ellenbesso.com. Find out more about Ellen's work and read articles by her at: www.ellenbesso.com