Can intuition be improved?

Intuition is an instinct, a natural ability to know or understand something without conscious reasoning—it’s subtle energetic guidance. We are all intuitive and receive information from our psychic senses all day long. Our bodies are like antennas for psychic and intuitive information, your intuition is always communicating through your psychic senses and your physical senses. Intuition is like a muscle and with time and practice you can strengthen and develop your intuition. There are endless opportunities to improve and train your intuition. With practice, you can develop a solid foundation, training your intuition to be clearer and more accurate. 

There is no separation between you and your intuition—intuition is within you!

Before you begin practicing on your own, it'll help to recognize the challenges you face when trusting your intuition. Many people struggle with connecting and trusting intuition when they're anxious or overly focused on results. Recognizing when you are anxious and knowing how anxiety feels to you is an important step in understanding intuition. If that's something you struggle with, read more about the difference between intuition vs anxiety. 

Next, get to know how intuition feels in your body. Intuition operates through the parts of our brain that are responsible for managing creativity, memory, and recognizing patterns. Because our brains are neuronally connected to our digestive system (our gut), many people will experience a “gut feeling” when experiencing intuition. However, “trust your gut” is not always a helpful statement to people. Those who have experienced trauma for example may have an over or under-active gut. Notice where you feel your intuition in your body. Maybe you feel it in your heart center, or your solar plexus? Does your intuition feel low in your body or high? Fast or slow? Notice where and how you feel the energy moving through your physical body can help you to recognize it. There is no right or wrong—everyone is unique!

Individual exercises to improve your intuition 

Exercise 1. Have an awareness of people

Information passes through your intuitive senses all the time. Particularly when we interact with others, we are most likely to receive intuitive impressions. Have you ever met someone and you instantly have a sense of who they are? When you're connecting to your intuition these impressions are almost never wrong. When you meet someone new or even someone on TV, imagine how you would describe them to someone who’s never seen or met them. What characteristics do you notice about people? You might be surprised at how often you read the energy of others. By having an awareness of this you can develop this psychic skill. 

Exercise 2. Practice dream interpretation

Your dreams are a wonderful resource for connecting to your intuition. Because when you’re dreaming you are in a subconscious state where your intuition has greater access to communicate impressions to you. Messages from your subconscious, desires and fears can all be processed in your dream state. Often we remember scenes, symbols, or pictures from our dreams. Feel into the mood of each piece that you remember. Make note of the mood, symbolism, and characters that appear in your dreams, keeping track of the overall messages. A dream journal can help you to track powerful messages or symbols from your dreams. 

Exercise 3. Listening in nature

This exercise is a great way to strengthen your intuitive muscles and feel grounded. When you spend time in nature you can harness the power of the earth and elements and this can give your intuition a boost. Next time you get outdoors practice listening to the sounds of nature with intention. When you hear the rustling of leaves or wind, listen closely for any words or messages beneath the sounds. Does it feel like nature is communicating with you? What does the earth have to say? 

Exercise 4. Meditate to connect with your spirit guides

Spirit Guides are infinitely loving beings that are in our lives to guide, teach and protect us. Everyone has Spirit Guides regardless of their Spiritual beliefs. Even if you don’t see, hear or feel your guides yet, you do have them. There is not a person on this planet that is alone in their life experience: we are all connected, guided and loved. Take time to quiet your mind and ask your guides to be with you in meditation. Connecting with your spirit guides can help you to strengthen and connect to your psychic senses and intuition. Learn more about connecting to your guides.

Exercise 5. Change your routine to gain mindfulness

At the center of your intuitive journey is mindfulness. We create our life in the present moment when we connect to our intuition. It is always in the present; we never feel connected by worrying over the future or lamenting the past. Of course, it is human to do both these things. To begin cultivating more mindfulness try changing your routine, this will give you more opportunities to practice mindfulness and notice new things. Taking a different route to work, walking instead of driving, or even sitting in a different place during your lunch break can provide you a new vantage point and open up opportunities for your intuition to present itself.

Exercise 6. Notice symbols

Paying attention to symbols you notice can be a powerful way to connect to and receive messages from your intuition. As you practice mindfulness, notice any symbols that appear to you. This can be in the clouds, steam on the bathroom mirror, or the coffee grounds at the bottom of your cup. Keep track of the symbols you see and your impressions of them. You might even try asking your intuition to point you toward certain signs and symbols and see what happens. Don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun developing your intuition.

Exercise 7. Practice visualization and tune into future events

This is one of my favorite ways to train my intuition. Most people that try this are amazed at certain intuitive messages they receive simply by tuning into something ahead of time. To begin, practice visualizing an event before it happens. Tuning into future events is a great way to practice and develop your intuitive muscles. This could be an upcoming meeting, a phone call with a friend, or anything you have planned that day. Take some time to quiet your mind and ask your intuition “what do I need to know about __________?” Notice what thoughts or feelings come to your awareness when you tune in. Then, record your thoughts, impressions, and feelings. This visualization will give you a chance to use your intuition to “look ahead.” Keep a journal and track your results, this will allow you to track your progress! 

Here are some ideas to quickly get started with “tuning in” ahead of time: 

• Walk to the mailbox. On your way to pick up your mail, tune in to see what the contents of your mailbox is. You might try to feel how many pieces of mail are in there or even better see what the overall feeling is or any words or phrases that may be present. 
• Who's calling? Do you ever find yourself thinking of someone right before they call you? When you wake up in the morning, tune into who you might end up speaking with that day. If you hear an alert on your phone, tune into who you feel may be contacting you. 
• Choose a line to stand in. You might try this at the grocery store, see which line you feel will be quicker for you rather than how things look. You can also try this as you pay attention to your feelings about finding a parking spot, or choosing a route home. 

Exercise 8. Spend time with yourself

Getting to know yourself and how your own energy feels can help you to feel more connected to your intuition. When you are alone and not presenting your energy to another person you might notice that you feel differently or more “like yourself”. Noticing this feeling on a regular basis can help you to know the difference between your energy and others and help you strengthen your intuitive muscles. Uncovering your intuition is about uncovering the truth of who you are. The better you know yourself, and understand your own energy the easier it becomes to train your intuition. 

Exercise 9. Set the mood for practice

Intuitive exercises can be practiced anytime and don’t require any special tools. However, if you’d like, try switching things up and having a deeper practice session with your intuition. Before you practice an exercise or meditation try some techniques to set the mood. Listening to music, or finding a quiet space. Burning herbs, incense or using an herbal spray can help clear your space and signal to you that you are about to begin your intuitive practice. Gather any objects that feel magical or significant to you. A photo of a passed loved one, a crystal or feather you find on one of your walks can be used to help ground you. Use whatever holds magic for you to help set the mood for your practice.

Exercise 10. Practice affirmations

Affirmations can be a great way to help you to connect with intuition and feel empowered. Affirmations can be used to reprogram the subconscious mind, to empower us to shift our thoughts and create the reality we desire. Try writing or speaking one of the following phrases or create your own. 

“I trust the power of my intuition.” 

“My intuition is the only proof, calling, and validation I need.”

“Everyday I am moving closer to the truth of who I am.”

“I am always guided by my inner wisdom”

Exercise 11. Read tarot for yourself

If you don’t have a tarot deck or oracle deck yet, consider visiting your local holistic center or looking online for a deck that appeals to you. Exploring Tarot and Oracle cards is a great way to connect and develop your intuition and psychic practice, both are great tools for divination and self-discovery. Pull one or two cards a day. Before you look up the meanings, notice the impressions you receive from the imagery. By simply wondering what each card means, you will invite your intuition to provide context by communicating to your intuitive senses. This may happen through images in your imagination, feeling, sensing or knowing meanings, or even hearing words in your mind. There is so much symbolism and meaning in a tarot deck, as you draw the cards in answer to questions or queries the universe will always take the opportunity to respond and provide you with the answers you seek, then it’s up to your intuitive senses to take over. Journal your feelings and then look up the card meanings. Journal or meditate on how the messages are relevant to your life if it’s not immediately clear.

Keep improving your intuition: read Uncovering Intuition: Guidance, Inspiration, and Exercises to Unlock Your Inner Wisdom.

Group exercises to strengthen each member's intuition

Exercise 1. Practice psychometry with objects

The word psychometry derives from the Greek word “psyche” meaning soul and “metro” meaning to measure and refers to the psychic ability to read or sense energy from an object. Objects and even photographs hold energy and information that can easily be accessed through your intuition, like a story wanting to be told.  Ask a friend to have you hold an object of theirs (an heirloom or something that belonged to someone they know will work best). Pay attention to what you notice as you hold the object and tune into the energy it holds. If you have trouble getting started it can help to pretend you are “making up a story” about the object. Then, ask your friend if they can validate any of the information you've shared, you might be amazed at what you can learn! You can also practice this exercise with a photograph with a friend, ask for a photograph to practice reading and tuning into energy. Make sure it’s a photograph of someone that they know enough to help you validate your impressions.

Exercise 2. Practice “tuning in” with a friend

If you have a friend that’s willing to practice with you try meditating at the same time and sending messages to one another. Set a time and make sure that you and your friend sit to meditate and “tune in” at the same time. One of you should be the “sender” and one should “tune in”. Choose a certain topic like a color or memory but don’t discuss what you’ve chosen ahead of time with your friend. The “sender” should imagine extending their soul to your friend and sharing the light or essence of the chosen subject with them. Then, check in afterwards and see if you were successful in telepathically sending the information. 

Consider joining an intuitive practice group filled with like-minded people. You'll learn how to identify your natural intuitive abilities and we'll exercise our intuition together.

Top 3 intuition training games for fun practice

1. Develop a color system with a partner

Color theory is a fascinating subject. We often assign meaning to various colors without even realizing it. Notice the colors you choose to surround yourself with and the colors in your environment. Notice how different colors affect you and what associations you have with them. Pay attention to and keep a record of color associations. When you meet someone new, ask yourself what color their energy is and what that means to you. Here is an exercise you can do with a friend to begin to develop your own color system.

You’ll need:

• An empty box or shoebox 
• Notebook and pen to write
• A blindfold to help you keep your eyes closed
• Several items of varying color that are the same in size. (I have used a set of candles I have in lots of colors, but you could use ribbons or even crayons. Crystals also work well if you have a partner that can add them to the box with you seeing them.)

Create a box of objects for your friend and then have your friend create one for you. I recommend starting with red, orange, green, blue, yellow, purple, pink, gold, silver, brown, and black. 

First, remove one item from the box one and hold it while blindfolded. As you hold the item, notice how it feels in your hand, if you had to assign it a temperature would it be hot or cool? What emotion would suit this object, are there any words or images that come to mind. It’s important not to force this process, simply allow your intuition to lead you and accept the first thing that comes to mind. If you feel your mind interfering take a breath to center yourself, this clears the mind for a moment allowing something else to come through.

Second, after you’ve held the object for a moment, share your impressions with your friend and have them write them down without telling you the color. 

Lastly discard the object from the collection box and choose a new object repeating the process. Record your observations and repeat the process until you move through each color. This can give you great insight into how you perceive colors and any associations you have. 

2. Try this version of two truths and a lie

This is a game I’ve played with my kids to practice intuition and is a fun intuition training game to play with a friend. This game is all about feeling or clairsentience. You can have fun with this and use it to get to know one another.

For each round you'll need:

• Pen or pencil
• Three sheets of paper
• Three envelopes

Write down three statements—two that are true and one that is a lie.

For example, I might write down:

I used to sing in a Spice Girl Impersonation group (true)

I have seen the Aurora Borealis (true)

I love cauliflower (not true)

Place each statement in a separate envelope and shuffle them. Each statement has the energy of either a truth or a lie, which is one of the easiest feelings for highly sensitive kids to sense. You cannot find these answers with your mind, only through intuition.

Have each player take a deep cleansing breath and hold the statements as they try to feel which one is truth and which is a lie. It is important to encourage a feeling that engages your intuition instead of just guessing (which engages the conscious mind).

3. What’s in the bag?

Arrange with a friend to each find an object from around your home and place it inside a plain paper bag. Don’t share with one another what your object is, instead take a photo of the bag and send it to your friend. Then, each of you can take turns tuning into the contents of the bag. It works best to choose one object each (rather than filling the bag with multiple objects.) Sit for a few minutes and meditate to clear your mind or take a few cleansing breaths. Write down your thoughts, feelings or impressions and try not to hold anything back especially if it seems “strange” as this is usually a sign that the information is coming to you from your intuition rather than from your conscious mind. Finally share your impressions with your friend and have them share with you. Notice which impressions relate to the contents of the bag. Remember you’re practicing and there are no “wrong” answers. After time and training you’ll begin to recognize the difference between your intuition and your mind interjecting something. 

When it comes to training your intuition, get comfortable with practice! Practicing with your intuition can take time, especially for highly sensitive or intuitive people who have shut down their intuition in the past to feel safe. Be patient and self compassionate as you practice tuning into your inner wisdom. The exercises below can help to guide you on your journey. Remember that practicing intuition is not about “getting it right” or “knowing things” it’s about living a life that’s grounded in your truth and authenticity.

Keep developing your intuition with my new book: Uncovering Intuition: Guidance, Inspiration, and Exercises to Unlock Your Inner Wisdom

Or let's work 1:1 together through a reading or coaching. But if your soul is seeking deeper connection to others, join an intuitive practice group and meet with us: Uncovering Intuition Workshop: Aligning with Your Intuition