Why does intuition training require nervous system regulation?

Are you in a state of emotional overwhelm? Do you often feel powerless? Are you highly empathic and sensitive with big feelings? The demands of work, family, and personal commitments can easily overwhelm us, affecting our mental and physical health. One of the less discussed consequences of chronic stress is its impact on our intuition, when your nervous system regulation is cloudy, you are less likely to become intuitive. In my intuition course, I discuss how the body is our translation tool, and we can’t translate effectively when stuff gets stuck, or if we find ourselves in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. 

Let’s get nerdy.

The nervous system is one of the most complex and intricate systems in the human body, orchestrating functions that keep us alive, aware, and able to interact with our environment. This vast network of neurons and supportive cells processes information, controls movement, and regulates internal processes, ensuring our body operates harmoniously. Understanding its functionality can offer insights in how we can become intuitive. 

The NS is broadly divided into two main parts: The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central NS consists of the brain and spinal cord, which process information and direct actions.  The peripheral NS is comprised of the nerves and ganglia outside of the central NS. 

The autonomic NS is a crucial component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological functions. Imagine it as a special team that makes sure your heart keeps beating, your food gets digested, and you can breathe easily on its own. This team has two main parts: the “go” part, called the sympathetic nervous system, and the “slow down” part, called the parasympathetic nervous system.

Sympathetic Nervous System: Fight or flight.

The first step of intuition training is recognizing that you have anxiety, and making peace with that. The “fight or flight” response is a reaction from your sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system makes your heart beat faster, sending more blood to your muscles, and releasing adrenaline in a burst of energy. If someone is trying to attack you, anxiety is necessary. If you are trying to take a test, anxiety is not. Be kind to your anxious self, this is your body trying to protect you from life-threatening danger. 

For nervous system regulation to occur, there is a parity between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system, with the body switching between the two states as needed. When I talk about “nervous system dysregulation,” in my intuition course, I am referring to the imbalance of these two states. Outside of emergencies, the sympathetic nervous system can give you the energy and stamina to perform well, providing the extra boost needed to meet challenges and stay engaged. However, chronic stress and emotional overwhelm often result in prolonged activation of the sympathetic nervous system, keeping the body in a state of high alert and emotional overwhelm. The imbalance can lead to a host of problems that are bad for mental and physical health, including anxiety, digestive issues, insomnia, weakened immune function, and the inability to become intuitive. It is important to remember that you cannot become intuitive while you are in a state of anxiety.

In order to become intuitive, we must be in a parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) state. When the parasympathetic nervous system is active, the body can repair itself, digest food, and bring your physical health into balanced condition. For intuition to emerge clearly, the mind and physical body need to be in a state of calm and receptivity—conditions that are fostered by the parasympathetic NS (1). Signs that you’re in a parasympathetic state are when your breathing is regulated and your body is conserving energy.  When you are in a state of flow, you have a steady heart rate, you are not actively thinking, and you are in tune with your body; these are the moments when you can become intuitive. 

The vagus nerve: Why we freeze.

The vagus nerve plays a significant role in the parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body and extends from the brainstem through the neck and into the chest and abdomen, influencing all of that resting and digesting (2). One of the critical ways the vagus nerve impacts our response to emotional overwhelm is through the “freeze” response, a survival mechanism. When faced with extreme threat or stress, the vagus nerve can trigger a state of immobilization. This response, which can make a person feel numb or detached, is thought to be an ancient survival strategy. If you have ever startled a possum, they freeze and play dead to avoid being eaten by predators; it’s essentially you playing possum (3). 

Your vagus nerve may be “off” if you experience the following:

1. Stiff shoulders.

2. Bad digestion (like IBS).

3. Chronic anxiety.

4. Difficulty swallowing.

5. Brain fog.

6. Consistently low heart rate variability (HRV).

7. Fainting spells.

8. Feeling disconnected from your surroundings.

9. Dizziness.

10. Frequent inflammatory responses such as colds and infections.

Nervous system regulation: Why we don’t become intuitive when we are in fight, flight, or freeze. 

Nervous system regulation is a large part of intuition training. Nervous system regulation is the homeostasis between the branches of your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system so that the body doesn’t get unbalanced from external or internal stimuli. Essentially, we want to remain flexible and adapt to stressful situations without getting into a state of emotional overwhelm. On the contrary, nervous system dysregulation is when you feel like you don’t have power over your triggers, leading to chronic overaction from the autonomic nervous system. When our body is in survival mode, we cannot become intuitive (4). 

If all of this seems confusing, don’t worry. Neurology is complicated and is not entirely understood by the experts who study it. Only recently have neuroscientists, psychologists, and physicians started writing about the connection of nervous system regulation and its effect on mental and physical health. I highly recommend checking out the work of Dr. Gabor Maté’s book, When The Body Says No, The Cost Of Hidden Stress. Maté (5) says, “In virtually all chronic physical illness, there are deep-seated emotional issues that relate to people’s entire lives. There is no separation to be made between the psyche and the soma – between people’s emotional lives, their limbic systems, their life histories, and their physiology.”

Why are we so stressed?

On a scale from zero to ten for levels of emotional overwhelm, the majority of my clients who take my intuition course, regularly place themselves at a seven. Stress and anxiety have become commonplace in our world, and they can impede our ability to think clearly and make sound, intuitive decisions. According to Healthline (6), there has been a particularly high jump in the stress experienced by people between the ages of 45-65, with a nineteen percent increase. 

There are a ton of everyday situations that cause stress and emotional overwhelm that we have gotten used to: 

1. Traffic.

2. The news.

3. Work-related pressure.

4. Social obligations.

5. Deadlines.

6. Caretaking.

7. Noise pollution.

8. Household chores.

9. Lack of sleep.

10. Social media.

And the list goes on and on. Social media can be particularly toxic. While social media is a great way to stay in contact with friends and promote your business, we are a generation that is getting lost in our phones. I recently downloaded an app to see how much time I was spending on social media and I was floored how easily hours could slip by. Even when I had deadlines coming up, I would procrastinate by going on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, without even thinking about it. Social media gives us a dopamine hit that is dangerously addictive for mental health and wasted time can lead to feelings of anxiety (7). Seeing friends and influencers display their seemingly perfect lives on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem as you feel the need to hold yourself to unattainable standards. Another stress-inducing aspect of social media is the spreading of negative news and online harassment, which can affect nervous system regulation (8).

Taking care of our mental health is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Intuition training is a lifelong journey, but we can start by having a box of tools at our disposal that we can use to adapt during stressful situations. There will never be a “one pill fix,” but we can start by developing a better understanding of when we need care, and finding the specific exercises that work for us. Here are several simple practices from my intuition course that you can do to regulate your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system: 

 

Breathing: Taking deep, slow breaths automatically stimulate your vagus nerve and decreases your heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of stress hormones like cortisol. Deep breathing also increases the flow of oxygen to the brain and muscles for mental clarity. You can find my exercise on box breathing here. 

Journaling: Without judgment, take some time to write about your day. When our thoughts and feelings get all jumbled up, journalizing is a great way to process complex feelings, alleviate stress, and reflect. We are so often forced to keep secrets about our complicated lives. Journaling is a way that you can “talk things out” without fear of repercussions. If journaling isn’t for you, sometimes I take time to express my feelings out loud while I am alone. I also like talking things out with my dog, Phoebe, who is an excellent listener!

Practice Yoga: Practicing yoga supports the parasympathetic nervous system through mindfulness and flow. As you move through yoga, you engage in rhythmic breathing, which helps slow down your heart rate and lowers blood pressure. You also release muscle tension and promote balance and vitality. 

Go On A Nature Walk: At the end of the day, we are just flowers with feelings. Humans are not meant to be inside all day and sunlight is incredibly important to increasing cognitive function. If you live in a concrete jungle, try your best to find a park or area with trees9. Walking outside helps regulate the body’s internal clock, which plays a crucial role in sleep-wake cycles and mood regulation. Additionally, exposure to nature stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness, while also suppressing the production of melatonin, so we can stay awake through the day. 

Try Humming: “Om” isn’t just a Buddhist chant that woo-woo people sing when they meditate. “Om” is meant to imitate the sound of a gong, gradually tapering into silence. When we hum, the vibrations activate the vagus nerve, which has a calming effect on the system. Humming has also been shown to stimulate the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that lift your mood. In addition to regulating your breath, the rhythmic nature of humming can also synchronize brainwave activity. Spiritually, it is believed that chanting “Om” also aligns us with the vibrational frequency of the universe. 

Meditation: Engaging in a mindfulness meditation can cultivate present-moment awareness and reduce stress. Set aside time each day for a meditation, even if it’s only for five minutes, to meditate and you will notice a huge difference in your day-to-day life. Meditation can improve cognitive function, focus, and memory. You can find my meditation here. 

 

Traditionally, people have leaned on meditation in intuition training. Understandably, our lives can feel so intense that if you are coming to meditation from a state of intense feelings, getting into a place of Zen can feel impossible. I have a background in neuroscience and a vast knowledge of our body systems. Through my intuition course, I use techniques that are individually curated so you can increase your intuition and live your most expanded life. 

How intuition training has helped my students.

Overwhelmed by her responsibilities and entrenched in a cycle of stress, my student Ayanna found herself in a constant state of anxiety. She had tried every trick in the book and simple meditation wasn’t cutting it.  

Ayanna has been a clinical technician for fifteen years and never considered herself spiritual. However, she was drawn to my intuition course because I come from a neuroscience background. I explained to Ayanna that intuition can only happen when your brain shifts from a beta state (active, alert thinking) to a theta state (when your body is relaxed and your mind drifts, associated with relaxation and creativity). Theta is not to be confused with alpha, which is when you are calm, but still attentive and easily roused. To give some context, theta is what we experience before sleep, when we are not distracted by the outside world. Shifting brain states allow us access to deeper insights and connections that might not be apparent in a stressed state. This was a revelation for Ayanna, who had always relied on logic and reason in her professional life. 

“[Fleur’s ability] to broaden that truth, despite coming from a scientific background, is something that really resonates with me… From [the Fleur Intuition Mastery Method], I could learn how to expand my own thinking and philosophy and understanding of existence.”

In and out of work, Ayanna is taking care of people. She has a son with special needs and puts the needs of others before her own. Ayanna’s body was out of balance and traditional methods weren’t working. “I wasn’t sleeping well, I wasn’t eating, I was drinking way too much coffee, and I was riddled with anxiety,” Ayanna explains.

Outside of my exercises, I encourage my students to be honest about their physical health. Diet, exercise, sleep, and caffeine can all have an impact on mental health. Caffeine blocks adenosine, the neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation. While this may be helpful when we need to stay alert at work, excessive caffeine consumption can affect neurotransmitter levels and receptor sensitivity, and increase anxiety. Processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats can contribute to oxidative stress and increase the risk of degenerating your brain. You don’t have to run marathons, but regular exercise can optimize mental and physical health. Exercise promotes cerebral blood flow, oxygenation, and nutrient delivery to the brain. Finally, adequate sleep is essential for the consolidation of memories, the clearing of metabolic waste from the brain, and the restoration of neurotransmitter balance. 

Once Ayanna started my intuition training, she made improvements to her physical health, began using my brain hacks, and made a beautiful discovery. When she used my intuition training to keep herself grounded, she was able to calm down her son intuitively.  “There was a time when he was on the ground, having an episode,” Ayanna recounts. “I used Fleur’s brain hacks for nervous system regulation. I tugged on my ears, I went on the ground with him, and started doing the low humming exercise. As soon as I settled myself, my calming presence had a positive effect, and my son started to calm down as well.”

Ayanna learned that prioritizing mental health gave her more bandwidth to help others and allowed her intuition to shine where she wanted it most—for her son. The truth is, intuition cannot exist in a stressed-out system- and, ironically, that’s when you need it most. Through simple practices and a commitment to caring for her mental and physical health, Ayanna was able to shift from a state of chronic stress to one of intuitive clarity. Her journey underscores the importance of prioritizing mental health. Now when Ayanna is stressed, she does her quick and easy 3-minute brain hacks from my intuition course to regulate her mental health and become intuitive.

Fleur Intuition Course: Journal prompts.

1. Where would you rate your stress level on a scale from 1-10? How are you feeling now and how do you feel on a regular basis?
   

2. Are there activities in your life, like social media, that you think are relaxing, but may not be helpful for your mental health?
   

3. Reflect on a situation that caused you emotional overwhelm. How did you react and what could you have done differently to manage your mental health effectively?
   

4. Do you believe that you have an intuitive voice under all of that stress? If you do, what would that mean for you?
   

5. Where in your life do you find that your body is able to relax? Maybe it’s when you’re in the shower, or running outside, or taking your dog for a walk. Identify those moments where you can feel a shift from beta to theta. Those are the times that you will be able to tap into your intuition. 

Works Cited:

1. Robson, D. (2021, August). Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes wellbeing. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/15/the-hidden-sense-shaping-your-wellbeing-interoception
   

2. Bergland, C. (2017, May). Face-to-Face Connectedness, Oxytocin, and Your Vagus Nerve. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201705/face-face-connectedness-oxytocin-and-your-vagus-nerve
   

3. Caron, C. (2022, June). This Nerve Influences Nearly Every Internal Organ. Can It Improve Our Mental State, Too? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/well/mind/vagus-nerve-mental-health.html

4. Passaler, L. (2023, May). Nervous System Regulation: How to Start Regulating Your Nervous System. Retrieved from Heal Your Nervous System: https://healyournervoussystem.com/nervous-system-regulation-how-to-start-regulating-your-nervous-system/#:~:text=What%20is%20Nervous%20System%20Regulation,that%20we%20are%20not%20overwhelmed.

5. Jackson, C. (2020, September). The Big Interview: Healing The Wounds of Trauma. Retrieved from Therapy Today: https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2020/september-2020/the-big-interview/

6. Mastroianni, B. (2020, May). Why Americans Are More Stressed Today Than They Were in the 1990s. Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/people-more-stressed-today-than-1990s

7. Good Therapy. (2019, November). Retrieved from Emotional Overwhelm: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/emotional-overwhelm

8. Faye, S. (2019, Novemer). SEASON 1 EPISODE 8 – TOXIC MEDIA: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IMPAIRS YOUR BRAIN, NERVOUS SYSTEM AND RELATIONSHIP SKILLS. Retrieved from Mindset Neuroscience Podcast: https://stefaniefaye.com/podcast/toxic-media-mnt-008/

9. Briki, W., & Majed, L. (2019, February). Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running. Retrieved from NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6379348/