Once you discover you have intuitive abilities (everyone does!), it makes sense that you’d want to develop them. Receiving precise and clear guidance from your intuition makes life easier. But intuition isn’t just about “knowing things” or getting it right. Intuition is about living a life that’s grounded in your truth and authenticity. It takes time, patience, and self-compassion to develop your intuition.

Is it even possible to develop and improve intuitive abilities?

Absolutely everyone has intuitive abilities. Intuition is rooted in neuroscience. Scientists believe intuition operates through the right side of your brain and is connected to your digestive system with neurons located there as well. Studies show that everyone uses intuition in decision-making processes every day. Over time you can develop your trust in yourself and your intuition through practice and self-reflection.

There are many reasons to develop your intuition. I’ve coached CEOs that want to be able to rely on their sixth sense in business decisions, professional intuitive readers, or those who simply want a life that’s more aligned with their soul. No matter who you are, you can sharpen your intuitive abilities over time. There is also an unexplained component to intuition, which comes from your soul.

Your mindset makes all the difference when developing your abilities — decide to believe in your own magic. When you decide to develop an ability, it will help you to have a growth mindset. According to Harvard Business Review: “Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts).” As you develop your intuition, you’ll become comfortable with trusting your feelings over your conditioning or stories you’ve been told about who you are and should be.

Steps to Develop Your Intuitive Abilities Effectively

1. Get to know the difference between Intuition and Fear

When you ask yourself a question, you’ll typically get one of two responses back — an intuitive knowing or a fear response. The higher the stakes the decision is, the more common it is for your fears or anxieties to surface. Fear is essential, it keeps us safe, but you don't want to make all your life decisions based on fear. It’s necessary to take risks sometimes to live a fulfilling life. Intuition is a subtle energetic guidance. The thing you know you need to do that may not make rational sense. Fear and anxiety are persistent and urgent and engage your nervous system. Anxiety asks questions like “What if something bad happens.” Intuition feels sure, grounded, precise, and subtle. When anxiety presents as a question, intuition is the answer. 

2. Get to know what your own energy feels like

Intuition is an energetic nudge. Through your intuition, you are constantly receiving information. Getting to know what your energy feels like is the first step in learning how to develop it. By understanding what is and is not your energy, you can begin to recognize your intuitive awareness. You can differentiate between your energy and others and set energetic boundaries. The best way to get to know what your energy feels like is to spend time with yourself. Consider how you are when you are alone. You for you, when you’re not presenting your energy to another person. You might also try this meditation to connect with yourself.

3. Listen to your body

Your body is like an antenna for psychic and intuitive information. Intuition is often called a “sixth sense”, but you use your physical senses to pick up on energetic impressions all the time. Intuition is instinctual, it lives in your body. By being present and in tune with your body, you connect more deeply with your intuition. Practice noticing how your body feels and what your body wants and honoring those cues. Notice when your body tenses in the presence of someone or in particular situations. Notice how your body relaxes and softens. These clues from your body are essential when developing intuitive abilities.

4. Understand your conditioning 

We all view the world through the lens of our own experiences. Your upbringing, the society you live in, your family, and your culture all shape how you view the world and your identities. If you were taught as a child, as many were, to push past intuitive feelings and ignore your sensitivities, this pattern could be more challenging to untangle. Each time we tell kids to eat more of a food they don’t like, hug someone they don’t want to hug or sit still when they need to move and stretch, we are signally to them to ignore their instincts and intuition. Consider the beliefs you have about yourself and your intuitive abilities. To develop your sensitivity to the world around you, you have to believe in it and honor it. 

5. Practice 

Practice is how we develop a new skill and retrain our brains. When you first begin to develop your intuitive abilities, your mind will want to interfere. The job of your conscious mind has forever been to keep you safe and comfortable and choose the path of least resistance. That’s why starting or stopping a new habit is so challenging. Your mind wants what is comfortable, familiar and safe. With intuition, it can feel like you're taking both feet off the ground to trust a feeling or knowing you have. By practicing trusting your intuition, you recondition your brain. Each time you practice, your brain gets the message that it’s okay. You’re not going to die from listening to your feelings. It becomes reconditioned to take this perceived risk. 

6. Affirm your intuition by listening to it 

If you’ve gone years not honoring your intuition or, worse, trying to suppress it, it can take time to open it back up again. Think of your intuition as a relationship. It takes time to build trust and you may have doubts along the way. Going against your intuition or constantly second-guessing yourself takes energy away from your intuition. By listening to your intuition, you affirm it and build trust with yourself. This builds over time, and eventually, your brain will get the message that it is safe to listen to this inner guidance.  

Best Exercises to Develop & Strengthen Intuitive Abilities

1. Practice tuning in 

Developing your intuition takes practice. I recommend starting with low-stakes situations. This will allow you to feel less pressure and keep your fears out of it. Before a meeting, taking a walk, or answering the phone, practice tuning in. You might ask your intuition, “What do I need to know about this situation?” Pay attention to the answers and how you receive them. Notice any feelings you have or symbols that appear in your mind's eye. Perhaps you hear something in your inner voice. Pay attention to all of this. 

2. Harness the light within 

Meditation is a beautiful way to get in touch with your intuition and your energy. In meditation, you have the chance to notice your thoughts. This can help you differentiate between your thoughts and your intuitive impressions. To try meditating specifically to connect with your intuition, and ask your intuition to help guide you during meditation. Think of a question or an area of your life where you’d like your intuition to guide you. Sit quietly and imagine holding this question in your mind or in your heart. As you breathe slowly inhaling and exhaling, imagine your intuition as a light within you. With each breath, the light becomes brighter. Do this until you feel surrounded by the light of your intuitive awareness. Pay attention to any messages you receive and how you feel. Practice this meditation as often as possible to connect with your own light. 

3. Pay attention to what you notice

Intuition is all about noticing. Pay attention to your reactions to situations, people, and environments. What jumps out at you that seemingly has no context? What is your eye drawn to? When someone speaks, do you feel emphasis on certain words? When you meet someone, and they remind you of someone else you know, consider why. Is your body tensing or relaxing? These are all small ways that your intuition can be communicating to you. 

4. Try binaural beats 

A binaural beat is an illusion created by the brain when you listen to two tones with slightly different frequencies simultaneously.

Studies show when you listen to binaural beats, your brain activity matches the frequency set by the frequency of the beat. This is called the frequency-following effect. This means you can use binaural beats to train your mind to reach a particular mental state.

You can use binaural beats to improve intuition, memory, or relaxation. This is most effective when you listen through headphones because it ensures each ear hears a different sound. I recommend Brain Waves Volume 1: Alpha, Delta, Theta Waves Music for Relax, Sleep and Brain Power. The first track, Delta Waves Sounds of the Universe, is one of my go-to’s for mediation music. 

5. Give your analytical mind a break 

Your right brain is more visual, creative, and intuitive. Your left brain has a more analytical and organized way of thinking. People sometimes refer to the right side of the brain as the analog brain. Your right brain is responsible for feelings visualization, rhythm, art, and imagination, whereas your left brain handles sequencing, mathematics, facts, and logic. To awaken your intuition and creativity consider spending more time on “right brain” activities. Try your hand a watercolors, put in your favorite song and dance, or walk in nature. 

6. Practice visualization

Visualization is highly linked to intuition. Clairvoyance (french clear seeing) is the ability to receive information from your intuition through your inner vision. You might have heard this as your third eye or second sight. Clairvoyant images appear in the same space as your imagination. You might be picking up intuitive impressions through your clairvoyance and dismissing them assuming it’s “just your imagination.” Try a meditation where you visualize yourself in a scene and let your imagination create a space to explore. Notice what you see, any symbols that appear. Think of this as an active daydream where you explore your intuitive awareness. Let yourself wander through a forrest trail or imaginary library and explore. Ask your intuition to guide you and pay careful attention to what appears. This is a wonderful way to receive messages and strengthen your clairvoyance. 

7. Tarot Cards as Zener Cards 

You might remember Zener cards from the scene in the 1984 movie Ghostbusters when Venkman tests the “effects of negative reinforcement on ESP.” Zener cards are a deck of 25 cards used in research into extra-sensory perception. On the face of each card is printed one of five symbols (circle, cross, square, star, or wavy lines.) The cards are named after psychologist Karl E. Zener, who devised them at Duke University in 1930. To experiment, you hold up the card with the back side forward and write down which design is on the front of the card, then compare your answers.

Another, even better alternative is to use a deck of oracle and tarot cards. Lay the cards out and use your intuition to tune into them one at a time, only seeing the back of the card. Write down your impressions. Any feelings, symbols, or senses you have. Then, check your answers with the front of the cars. It takes practice to get your conscious mind out of the habit of trying to guess the answer or “get it right.”

8. Ask your intuition for practical help 

This is one of my favorite ways to practice with intuition everyday. Before I head to my office, I ask my intuition where I will find a parking space. You might be surprised by how accurate this can be. When you’re walking to the mail box ask what type of mail or how many pieces will be inside. You can ask which check out line will move the fastest. When the answer that comes to you seems unexpected you can bet that’s your intuition. Practicing with everyday situations helps you build trust and can make your life easier!

If you're wanting to trust yourself more, join the free waitlist for Uncovering Intuition: The Course. You'll learn the practical tools to become confident at tapping into the part of you that is most wise.

9. Telepathy with a friend 

Having a friend to practice and share your intuitive journey with is fun and validating. If you can find someone who is willing to practice you might notice that your intuitive abilities are amplified, this is especially true when your energy is in synch. Make sure you find a partner who’s not going to judge or make you self conscious (that’s likely to have the opposite effect).

Sit facing one another and take turns sending a thought back and forth to one another. You might choose a category like a color, number, or memory. I like using a memories or symbols because there are an infinite number of possibilities. Keeping it really open lets my conscious mind move aside and resist trying trying to figure out the answer (using my analytical mind). If you’re comfortable with it, your might try holding hands to amp things up. Hold your hands out in front of you and have them place their hands on top. The sender should bring to mind a thought and imagine projecting it to the recipient. 

10. Pay attention to your dreams 

When you dream, you are most connected to your subconscious mind, intuition, and the Spirit World. Dreams allow you direct access without interference from your conscious mind. 

You can look to dreams as you develop intuition. Through dreams, you may develop a deeper understanding of yourself. Whether it is your psychic awareness, subconscious mind, or the Spirit World trying to communicate with you, all this information can be valuable. Keeping a dream journal helps develop an understanding of what’s occurring. 

Try this exercise: 

Before going to sleep, list some common symbols that have appeared in your dreams before and look up the meaning. 

When you awaken, journal about any symbols or messages you received. How did you feel about them? 

Expert Tips From a Psychic Professional

1. Journal about your impressions

Keeping a journal helps you connect to yourself. Your inner most thoughts can flow freeong onto the page without any filter. This can allow you to tap into your intuition and subconscious. Try free writing first thing in the morning. I’ve worked through The Artist's Way book several times, and part of the process is the prescribed morning pages. If you’re unfamiliar with The Artist's Way, the guidebook takes you through a 12-week program that blends spirituality with exercises to unlock your creativity.

The book has been around 30 years and is still a bestseller. Elizabeth Gilbert has said without the Artist's Way, there would be no Eat Pray Love. When I was journaling every day with The Artist's Way pages (straight stream of consciousness), I would notice that by page three, all sorts of revelations would come through. Suddenly I’m looking down at the page, and to my surprise, I realize I don’t want the work opportunity that I thought I did, and I don’t like the fancy coffee maker I got for my birthday—I miss the old coffee.

If you need inspiration or want to focus on specific aspects of your life, here are a few of my favorite journal prompts.

Magical journal prompts to start your day with intention

• What permission slip can I write myself to experience my life to the fullest?
• What gifts and talents do I possess that can serve others?
• What kinds of stories am I telling myself? Are they helpful?
• What is the most loving thing I have done for myself? What might I do in the future?
• What is something only I know about myself? Would I consider sharing with someone I trust?

2. Practice positive affirmations for your intuition

Affirmations are used to reprogram the subconscious mind, to empower us to shift our thoughts and create the reality we desire. Through conscious choice we have the ability to alter our thoughts, beliefs, and values. We may choose our thoughts and reprogram the neural pathways in our brain to form beliefs that support how we’d like our life to feel. For example, someone who grew up in an emotionally neglectful home and has low self-worth can, over time, choose self-affirming thoughts in order to build their self-esteem. Affirmations have three parts: Affirmations are in the present tense, use positive language, and are stated as facts. When you’re developing your intuition try positive affirmations to help you reframe your thinking and boost your confidence. 

Here are six affirmations for developing intuition:  

I trust the deep inner wisdom of my intuition.

As I listen to my inner voice with an open heart, I move towards my truest self. 

My intuition is always influencing me, I can move forward with out all of the answers. 

It is safe for me to grow towards my fullest potential.

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

I can trust myself to make decisions that support my highest good.

3. Decide to believe in your own magic

Sometimes trusting your intuition can leave you feeling like you’ve had to take both feet off the ground. When I’ve had to make major life decisions a sense of doubt creeps in and I have to work to clear my mind and feel my intuition. My belief in myself and my connection to the divine is what helps me stay on track. When I’ve quit a job, moved across the country, or when I left my first marriage I've had two voices in my mind. One telling me about all the things that could go wrong, the people I might hurt, or what I could miss out in. The other is a loving voice of knowing what I have to do for my soul. 

You might have an inner narrative that tells you “you’re making this up.” You might feel on a deeper level that it’s not safe to trust your feelings and intuition over your analytical thinking. Consider that you are a miracle. Your life is precious and you exist exactly at this time with the experiences you’ve had for a reason. Decide to believe in your own power, the power of the living universe and the magic of the unseen world. Decide to trust yourself more and trust your intuition more. Instead of looking for proof and validation, decide to believe in yourself more. 

Takeaways

Biologically you are intuitive, it’s just a matter of practice and learning to trust yourself. Slowing down and feeling through the static noise of life can help you go inward and connect to your intuition. You can weave your intuitive practices into your everyday life. Developing your intuition is not about knowing things or getting it right all the time — it’s about living a freer life that’s grounded in your truth and authenticity.