Source: Gut Feelings
People use the term “gut feelings “, but they don’t originate in the stomach or intestines! These feelings originate in our subconscious mind also known as our “emotional brain” is connected and sends messages to the vagus nerve in the stomach….these feelings and emotions than travel throughout the nervous system.
The subconscious mind first accepts incoming information. Then it compares and matches it with a store of similar past experiences. These past experiences are stored in the subconscious,in the form of images. The subconscious is so powerful that it matches information in only 1/10 of a second! For example, you know that you’ve seen a house before and automatically the subconscious associates this information with past images which you remember. It can take a small amount of data and then select a picture instantly about it from our memory.
A very important function of our subconscious is that its the seat of our feelings and emotions. So when the subconscious reviews those images of a previous experience, even a tiny portion of it, you not only receive clear visual information, you also receive emotional input attached to this information. This is what we call our gut feelings. For example let’s say you are in an apparent uneventful situation, but you suddenly experience an unexplainable, intense feeling of fear. This is your gut feeling. What happened is that the subconscious instantly searched the situation by matching your new experience with related past experiences in its store of “images, and judged this new situation to be very dangerous. Now the conscious mind of our brain is the rational portion may see no hint of danger, but the subconscious is flashing RED ALERT! It’s saying ESCAPE!
Some people prefer calling gut feelings their intuition, but basically both are the same . Essentially it is our instinctive system providing us with a much greater amount of information than our rational process.
As we all know, our gut feelings or intuition may not always turn out to be right. Usually we are socially conditioned from an early age to prefer the laws of reason. As a result many of us will choose to distrust our gut feelings especially if there’s enough time to analyze the situation.
One of the most valuable uses of intuition is our judgement and dealings with other people, especially the ones we have just met. For instance, suppose you meet a person and suddenly experience a negative feeling about them. You can’t explain it but you just don’t like them. Your subconscious instantly is doing matches of similar people. It’s possible that they remind you of a tyrant boss you had years ago. You know you don’t like this person and instinctively will react according to the situation. Frequently in dealing with people, your gut feelings are right.
Gut feelings should be checked for accuracy. If a gut feeling is overwhelming and strong, we should give it special attention. Nature has given us our “gut feelings” as an important form of life insurance. When a real emergency arises and there’s no time for analytical thinking, it’s wise to follow our basic primal instincts – our gut feelings.
Hi Nancy,
I enjoyed reading your comment !….I find my gut feelings are far more intelligent than my thought process…as a result I attempt to send my thoughts down to my gut feelings and if it feels good,I believe my thoughts are on solid ground.
Sid
Just discovered this blog while searching on the head brain/mind/thoughts/emotions connections with the gut after learning that scientists do regard the gut as the sixth sense.Not surprising, Sid, if the brain and the gut were twins, and the gut has half of our nerve cells! I have developed late Bi Polar 1 Mania as a result of denying/negative emotions possibly with my head brain (very strong, successful CEO etc etc). The first signs of mania are always a heightening of the most commonly known five senses, but recently the gut brain has decided to unleash its power. Fascinating stuff.
Brett,
I did research your question and found an excellent article that I think answers your question:
The Brain-Gut Connection
Why do we get butterflies in our stomach before a performance?
Why does indigestion produce nightmares?
Why are antidepressants now also being used for gastrointestinal ailments?
It turns out that both our gut and our brain originate early in embryo genesis from the same clump of tissue which divides during fetal development. While one section turns into the central nervous system, another piece migrates to become the enteric nervous system. Later the two nervous systems connect via a cable called the vagus nerve — the longest of all the cranial nerves whose name is derived from Latin, meaning “wandering.” The vagus nerve meanders from the brain stem through the neck and finally ends up in the abdomen. There’s the brain-gut connection.
Have you ever wondered why an impending job interview can cause an attack of intestinal cramps? And why do anti-depressants targeted for the brain cause nausea or abdominal upset in millions of people who take such drugs? The reason for these common experiences is because each of us literally has two interconnected brains –the familiar one encased in our skulls and a lesser-known but vitally important one found in the human gut. Like Siamese twins, the two brains are interconnected; when one gets upset, the other does, too. No wonder people trust their gut. One half of all our nerve cells are located within the gut.
The state of the gut has a profound influence upon our health. It is from the healthy gut that we enjoy neurological and psychological as well as immunological health. This is not to discount the human brain. This is simply to say that the body has two brains — the second brain being our gut.
First off, this blog is amazing and I am currently reading it in its entirety. I really appreciate all the work you have done to make this information available to read. I really am starting to open up to my right side of the brain. I have a good friend that referred to the “gut feeling” in a different manner and I think both views have really great things to offer. What he mentioned involved the “2nd brain” which he considered the bowel system and how discoveries showed that since the bowel can function adequately despite cutting the neural connection betweeen spine and gut the neural mass in the gut must constitute an independent cognitive center. To me this whole idea of another brain is like a huge wrench, but am curious to what others opinions or ideas on the subject are. Thanks again Sid.