Understanding Survival Intuition and the Impact of Trauma

Our survival intuition is a gift we are born with to sense threats and keep ourselves safe. It provides gut hunches and knowingness about our environment through a connection to our physiology. However, unprocessed trauma can interfere with this innate ability.

Deeply instinctual, survival intuition originates from our solar plexus chakra – the center of personal power. It feeds us information about safety and risk through our physical sensations, tuned into energetic fields all around us. But when trauma disrupts the nervous system, it hampers our reception of these intuitive signals.

Constant anxiety, stress or dissociation due to past events can make every situation seem alarming rather than providing nuanced guidance. As children, experiences like abuse, neglect, or other overwhelming emotions leave emotional fingerprints if not addressed. This deregulates the system long-term, obstructing physiological awareness.

Healing on both somatic and subtle levels helps reconnect us to our survival intuition. By bringing the nervous system back into a balanced state of regulation, we can discern real threats from imagined fears more clearly. With a calm presence, a regulated being walks into a room feeling discomfort only where danger exists, not projecting anxiety everywhere.

Our body’s energy also perceptively scans situations in advance. Once, driving home with a friend at night, I suddenly felt we needed to slow down without knowing why. Moments later, a deer ran across the road where we would have hit it if not slower. This showed how the solar plexus scans through its emanating field.

By practicing following subtle nudges, even without rationale, trust in intuition strengthens. Trauma release work and attention to body sensations likewise fortifies our natural sensitivity. With care, we redeem our birthright to feel secure guided by discernment rather than distortion. Each step closer to self-regulation redeems a quiet wisdom within us all.