Fascinating, thank you. I'm having a hard time discerning between intuition and sensation. Maybe because much through my childhood, especially teens and twenties when I traveled solo through several countries, I relied on a strong sense of intuition to keep me safe. I always considered myself a pretty intuitive person. I pick up on energies from people pretty quickly.
However, as I've gotten older and done lots of somatic therapy, I've learned to listen to my body in ways that use sensory perception as intuitive signals as well. Do I feel safe with this person? What is happening to my body, what is it trying to tell me? The lines between intuition and sensation become blurred as my intuition results in felt experience within my body.
I think that makes sense and tracks on to the idea that the unconscious can express itself via the body (the somatic unconscious). Although we often speak of intuition and the unconscious as psychological in nature, I do believe that psyche and the body are interconnected, or perhaps one in the same thing. In that way, the body can become a channel for powerful insight. Somatic work (and other body based practices) helps us to refine that skill.
Another angle to consider is that you have good access to both perceiving functions (this is true if you lead with thinking or feeling), but intuition comes a bit naturally, so you utilized that instinctively. Now, with focus and intention, you're developing the sensation function for insight.
I really enjoyed reading this, for the past years i’ve been really fascinated by Jung, as someone who makes a living doing tarot readings, i always found his quotes and ideas extremely enlightening, but sometimes i feel scared that maybe reading his texts id be too confused, but you really broke it down in a very easy to read manner.
And its been a curious case because tarot has been like a mirror that reflects back at me the intuitive pulls ive been feeling, as ways of confirming what my intuition tells me.
Jung's writing is very confusing - dense, academic, rarely straightforward. So you're not alone there :) I find reading books from his students/others in the Jungian field to be much more approachable...a good way to get started, then tackle Jung after!
As an INFJ, I resonated with all of this :) I lean heavily on feeling and intuition, whereas my husband struggles with it more because he's an ESTP so he will feel something but then his brain immediately steps in and scrubs it out. He thinks intuition is merely just our brain picking up survival instincts passed down from evolution.
Yes, MBTI does help, although it diverges from Jung’s original theory. I do think it offers some useful innovations, like the type codes (e.g., ESTP) and the function stack (the specific combination of cognitive functions per each personality type).
The most intuitive are those that lead with either introverted or extraverted intuition which are INTJ and INFJ (they lead with introverted intuition) and ENFP and ENTP (they lead with extraverted intuition).
INFP leads with introverted feeling, with extraverted intuition secondary.
Thanks for asking, Alyssa. I am very attentive to intuitive information and use that way of perceiving and knowing regularly. I also guide my executive coaching and spiritual guidance clients to work in more trustworthy ways with it. So I have thought a lot about doubt, discernment, ethics/integrity with it, and ways to recognize when we may be deluding ourselves or missing the message.
Because it's so important to me that we are able to use all our capacities AND that we do it credibly and with integrity, I pay a lot of attention to what other thoughtful people see on these topics. While I'm no expert in things Jungian, I have loved all that I've exposed myself to far of his work and ideas (including what I read from you), so deeply appreciate this perspective that you're sharing.
Intuition is such a powerful guide for that kind of work. And I love that you're helping your clients to cultivate it as well. For some, it comes quite naturally. And for others, there's a lot of uncertainty or mistrust. Developing the full range of psychological functions is what makes us more balanced, flexible, and grounded. That's what I love about the Jungian perspective! It really encourages a well-rounded approach :)
I think I am an intuitive feeling type as well, with sensation perhaps not far behind. I have always had strong intuition present in my life. I am an artist and creative, and use my intuitive function in many ways. I think I have had an ongoing struggle to trust it fully however. In this world, and household I was raised in, it feels like thinking and sensation are more dominant and more highly valued, rational and results driven. So learning how to listen and trust my intuition and feelings is important to me and something I want to practice more.
It's really typical, though unfortunate, to have this experience. When a family or societal culture values certain functions over others, it can really strangle the natural development of our personality. Or, create a sense of mistrust or shadow material. It's so tough :(
At its most extreme, an individual might even suppress their natural functions in favor of others!
Do you think feeling is your top function, the one you use and trust most naturally?
I think intuition is my top function, and I think I support it and relate to it with my feeling function. I also think my feeling function responds strongly to the culture and values around me, which often puts thinking, rationality, logic, and solid quantifiable results ahead of intuition and feeling, so that is where the tension lies a lot of the time, leading to self doubt. But I am practicing being more in tune and trustful of my intuition and feeling functions, they speak strongly to me!
Ah, it sounds like you may have extraverted feeling (Fe). Are you familiar with the functions in these different expressions? It can be tough when Fe attunes to those outer values, diminishing what comes naturally to oneself.
Not super familiar, just a little bit, but I am learning! This is why I love your platform here, so much fantastic juicy content, I feel like I’m learning so much, and I’m eager to get more deeply in to it! 🤗💖
And I do not want to diminish the value of the thinking and sensation functions in myself (and outside of myself), they are very important to me as well and I value them, I just feel they are not as dominant in how I perceive the world and find my motivation, if that makes sense.
Totally, they're such important psychological tools. But because they naturally oppose the other functions, it can become quite contentious! Especially when the familial/cultural overlay prefers them!!
Fascinating, thank you. I'm having a hard time discerning between intuition and sensation. Maybe because much through my childhood, especially teens and twenties when I traveled solo through several countries, I relied on a strong sense of intuition to keep me safe. I always considered myself a pretty intuitive person. I pick up on energies from people pretty quickly.
However, as I've gotten older and done lots of somatic therapy, I've learned to listen to my body in ways that use sensory perception as intuitive signals as well. Do I feel safe with this person? What is happening to my body, what is it trying to tell me? The lines between intuition and sensation become blurred as my intuition results in felt experience within my body.
I think that makes sense and tracks on to the idea that the unconscious can express itself via the body (the somatic unconscious). Although we often speak of intuition and the unconscious as psychological in nature, I do believe that psyche and the body are interconnected, or perhaps one in the same thing. In that way, the body can become a channel for powerful insight. Somatic work (and other body based practices) helps us to refine that skill.
Another angle to consider is that you have good access to both perceiving functions (this is true if you lead with thinking or feeling), but intuition comes a bit naturally, so you utilized that instinctively. Now, with focus and intention, you're developing the sensation function for insight.
I really enjoyed reading this, for the past years i’ve been really fascinated by Jung, as someone who makes a living doing tarot readings, i always found his quotes and ideas extremely enlightening, but sometimes i feel scared that maybe reading his texts id be too confused, but you really broke it down in a very easy to read manner.
And its been a curious case because tarot has been like a mirror that reflects back at me the intuitive pulls ive been feeling, as ways of confirming what my intuition tells me.
Jung's writing is very confusing - dense, academic, rarely straightforward. So you're not alone there :) I find reading books from his students/others in the Jungian field to be much more approachable...a good way to get started, then tackle Jung after!
As an INFJ, I resonated with all of this :) I lean heavily on feeling and intuition, whereas my husband struggles with it more because he's an ESTP so he will feel something but then his brain immediately steps in and scrubs it out. He thinks intuition is merely just our brain picking up survival instincts passed down from evolution.
Hahah spoken like a true sensate thinking type ;)
I’m an INFJ too!
Hehe! INFJ’S UNITE!
Interesting. Would MBTI then help us too. It seems INFP and INFJ are the most intuitive types?
Yes, MBTI does help, although it diverges from Jung’s original theory. I do think it offers some useful innovations, like the type codes (e.g., ESTP) and the function stack (the specific combination of cognitive functions per each personality type).
The most intuitive are those that lead with either introverted or extraverted intuition which are INTJ and INFJ (they lead with introverted intuition) and ENFP and ENTP (they lead with extraverted intuition).
INFP leads with introverted feeling, with extraverted intuition secondary.
Thanks for asking, Alyssa. I am very attentive to intuitive information and use that way of perceiving and knowing regularly. I also guide my executive coaching and spiritual guidance clients to work in more trustworthy ways with it. So I have thought a lot about doubt, discernment, ethics/integrity with it, and ways to recognize when we may be deluding ourselves or missing the message.
Because it's so important to me that we are able to use all our capacities AND that we do it credibly and with integrity, I pay a lot of attention to what other thoughtful people see on these topics. While I'm no expert in things Jungian, I have loved all that I've exposed myself to far of his work and ideas (including what I read from you), so deeply appreciate this perspective that you're sharing.
Intuition is such a powerful guide for that kind of work. And I love that you're helping your clients to cultivate it as well. For some, it comes quite naturally. And for others, there's a lot of uncertainty or mistrust. Developing the full range of psychological functions is what makes us more balanced, flexible, and grounded. That's what I love about the Jungian perspective! It really encourages a well-rounded approach :)
Thank you so much for this wonderful guide.
I think I am an intuitive feeling type as well, with sensation perhaps not far behind. I have always had strong intuition present in my life. I am an artist and creative, and use my intuitive function in many ways. I think I have had an ongoing struggle to trust it fully however. In this world, and household I was raised in, it feels like thinking and sensation are more dominant and more highly valued, rational and results driven. So learning how to listen and trust my intuition and feelings is important to me and something I want to practice more.
It's really typical, though unfortunate, to have this experience. When a family or societal culture values certain functions over others, it can really strangle the natural development of our personality. Or, create a sense of mistrust or shadow material. It's so tough :(
At its most extreme, an individual might even suppress their natural functions in favor of others!
Do you think feeling is your top function, the one you use and trust most naturally?
I think intuition is my top function, and I think I support it and relate to it with my feeling function. I also think my feeling function responds strongly to the culture and values around me, which often puts thinking, rationality, logic, and solid quantifiable results ahead of intuition and feeling, so that is where the tension lies a lot of the time, leading to self doubt. But I am practicing being more in tune and trustful of my intuition and feeling functions, they speak strongly to me!
Ah, it sounds like you may have extraverted feeling (Fe). Are you familiar with the functions in these different expressions? It can be tough when Fe attunes to those outer values, diminishing what comes naturally to oneself.
Not super familiar, just a little bit, but I am learning! This is why I love your platform here, so much fantastic juicy content, I feel like I’m learning so much, and I’m eager to get more deeply in to it! 🤗💖
Thank you 🥹 That means so much!! If you have requests for certain topics, let me know!
And I do not want to diminish the value of the thinking and sensation functions in myself (and outside of myself), they are very important to me as well and I value them, I just feel they are not as dominant in how I perceive the world and find my motivation, if that makes sense.
Totally, they're such important psychological tools. But because they naturally oppose the other functions, it can become quite contentious! Especially when the familial/cultural overlay prefers them!!
This is so helpful and clear, Alyssa. Thank you! I love these practical guides. 🙏🏽
Thank you, Grace!! What's your relationship to intuition? Do you find it natural to discern and trust?