Do you ever wonder whether you’re ‘psychic’? Could this be you? We can all tap into our intuitive abilities and there are countless well-known people who acknowledge intuition. This article looks at some basic traits and what it means to be an intuitive person.
Intuitive Person Traits
What are the signs of an intuitive person? We think of a psychic as a highly intuitive person. What is it about them? I can think of 5 traits or intuition characteristics:
- They find meaning from underlying symbols, signs, or patterns of events (they recognize patterns)
- They ‘know’ things’ from the info they receive subconsciously
- A person who is intuitive displays a level of thinking and sensitivity that sets them apart
- They ‘go with their gut’ (though it may not be logical and they can’t explain why they trust it)
- They trust their intuition to make a call
But then, we all have intuitive power, it’s not an ability exclusive to special people. Is it normal to have an intuitive personality? I’d say yes. We are all special in that way. Just maybe some are more innately intuitive or practised than others.
Intuitive Person Meaning: What It Means to Be Intuitive
What is an intuitive person? An intuitive person is someone who uses their intuition to know or have a ‘feel for something’ that’s right. Their channels are open to what I would call a ‘fast-paced knowing’.
Am I intuitive?
How to know if you are intuitive? Let’s explore the basic 5 traits mentioned above in more detail. You might resonate with some of these.
1. You recognize Patterns
Trait 1: You compute meaning from underlying patterns of events or symbols.
Notice the word patterns. It is the main difference between logical and intuitive thinking, as cited in the research literature.1
Logical or analytical thinking vs intuitive? Here’s my basic analogy. With logical thinking: A + B + C = D. With intuitive or ‘pattern thinking’: A + B + C is not straightforward but rather derives from a system, a pattern of events respective of the components — not explained logically.
About intuition and recognizing patterns
A recent study described intuition or pattern recognition as one of two brain systems that we use to arrive at our answers to problems.1 The second brain system involves analytical thinking. More on the science of intuition in another article. But what is pattern recognition?
Examples of pattern recognition and how to spot an intuitive person
The following three examples indicate pattern recognition and possibly how you could spot an intuitive person.
* An ability to read people
Intuitive individuals can be highly discerning of people. They tune into body language more closely than others and tend to identify patterns in a person’s behaviour or personality that raise red flags or warning bells and scream “run…get far away”, that others don’t see. It can seem like paranoia, and it could be. But then again, is it their deep intuition that allows them to see through the charisma, charm, physical beauty, and talent to sense something just not right beneath the surface? You might find later that they were right in their call and they might find it hard not to say “I told you so” when you finally acknowledge that that person is something else. Or…they could be completely wrong! In which case they’ll probably reflect on what set off those red flags and learn from it.
* An ability to pick things up about their surroundings
Intuitive persons pick up on meaningful patterns in the surroundings around them that others miss.
* Are highly creative
Their creative ideas come from deep within or from outside of them, someplace that can’t be logically explained. Creativity can be expressed in numerous ways, and it’s usually from recognizing patterns in the world and the people around you, that you get your ideas in creativity.
2. You Intuitively Know Things
Trait 2: You know things from the info you receive subconsciously.
You have vivid dreams that at times have symbolized future happenings.
Thoughts drop into your mind that inspire you on the right track even though you can’t explain why or where they came from.
You get messages or sense things from inanimate objects, such as when you hold something worn by another person.
You think about things, and then they just happen. There is a lot of synchronicity (meaningful coincidences) in your life.
3. You Feel You’re Somehow Different
Trait 3: You display a level of thinking and sensitivity that sets you apart.
You easily pick up on the emotions of others. You are highly sensitive to these. You can literally feel the vibes. You may feel the anger, hate, depression, and tension in the air. This can be confusing to you if you are unaware of why that’s so. When you don’t understand why, you might take it personally as being directed at you when in fact it is someone else’s issue.
This has happened to me many times before I became aware of why I felt that way.
You may feel you don’t belong. You may be more mindful and seek out time alone.
You may attract other ‘intuitives’. They can sense your soul.
You tend to be an introvert.
You can be prone to addiction using this as a means of suppressing those feelings.
4. You Go With Your Gut on Things
Trait 4: You ‘go with your gut’ (though it may not be logical and you can’t explain why you trust it).
You might do things such as pick up the phone when someone is about to call. Or, you might show up at a random time that coincides with a meaningful event.
5. You Trust Your Intuition
Trait 5: You generally trust your intuition in making a call on something.
In relationships, you let in and let go of, the right people in your inner circle.
You follow that hunch that leads you to where you need to go or to meet that special someone.
You don’t use an alarm to wake up at a certain time but simply tell yourself the night before what time you wish to wake up the next morning.
You ask your spiritual guide, ‘the Universe’ or your God, for the answer and it responds.
What Does Intuitive Mean?
Here’s an intuitive meaning based on the above: Knowing or sensing what’s right without understanding the logic of it. In the neuro- or brain-system sense, it refers to the fast-paced process of recognizing underlying patterns to determine an answer or knowing.
If you’ve lived it, you’re probably thinking… well there’s more to intuition than a ‘brain system’. For example, how do I explain those times when I happen to think of someone I haven’t seen for ages and then suddenly they appear or contact me out of the blue? Or, those times when I forgot to check Google Maps for directions to an address but I just so happened to make the right turns to ‘magically’ get there.
How Intuition Feels
Intuition feels like guidance from above or some external connection… rather than a system of the brain. You might refer to this as ‘the Universe’, ‘Source’, ‘the Divine’, ‘God’, or other names of an all-empowering force. This is how most of us express it. Science admits it doesn’t know everything and that’s the beauty of it. With science, each recognized law or concept is purely a theory, accepted based on the weight of scientific evidence until a new theory comes along that challenges the previous one. So, maintain an inquisitive mind and stay open to mystery.
Final Thoughts
How intuitive are you? Do you ever have strong intuition?
I know that it’s real. I don’t proclaim to be a psychologist or a neuroscientist, but I know of intuition because I’ve had lived experiences. And, I’m not the only one outside the fields of cognitive or brain science to recognize it. Supporting this are intuitive people who are highly successful. That’s a topic for another article.
Sources
- Tay, S. W., Ryan, P., & Ryan, C. A. (2016). Systems 1 and 2 thinking processes and cognitive reflection testing in medical students. Canadian medical education journal, 7(2), e97-e103. See here.
- Pétervári, J., Osman, M., & Bhattacharya, J. (2016). The Role of Intuition in the Generation and Evaluation Stages of Creativity. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1420. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01420. See here.
- Image credits: Image by akilvarman on Pixabay
