Neuroscientist: If You Feel THIS, You're Living the Wrong Life (Unlock The One You're Meant For)

In this profound conversation, Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and medical doctor, explores the theme of intuition, grief, and the hidden wisdom residing within us. Drawing from her personal experience following the loss of her husband, she delves into how trauma and intuition are embodied, the role of nature and community in healing, and the scientific challenges and spiritual dimensions intertwined with understanding life, death, and inner guidance. The dialogue also touches on the modern disconnection from self and environment, the interplay of mind and body, and practical tools for reconnecting to one's inner voice.

Intuition as Hidden Wisdom

Dr. Swart reframes intuition as "hidden wisdom," a form of subconscious learning formed by life experiences that shape patterns beyond our conscious recall. She explains how intuition is not just a brain phenomenon but involves the whole body, with memories and learned patterns embedding into the limbic system, brain stem, spinal cord, and even the gut neurons—hence the common term "gut instinct." Recent scientific hypotheses suggest trauma is stored not only in the brain but also in body tissues like muscles and fascia, influenced by biochemical modulators such as serotonin. This embodiment of wisdom and trauma makes intuition a holistic, mind-body phenomenon.

Signs of Disconnection from Intuition

Disconnection from intuition often manifests as repeated unhealthy patterns, difficulty making decisions, chronic stress, or overreliance on logic at the expense of gut feelings. This disunion of mind and body also contributes to mental rigidity and anxiety, frequently compounded by gut health issues affecting brain clarity, known as "brain fog." When stressed chronically, individuals find it harder to tap into intuition, which in turn exacerbates stress, creating a feedback loop where clarity and decision-making are impaired.

Personal Journey Through Grief and Connection to Intuition

Dr. Swart shares her transformative journey after the death of her husband, Robin, in which her ability to trust herself and her intuition faltered. The psychological safety provided by her community and time spent in nature helped her reconnect with her inner guidance. She highlights the importance of physical activities such as walking and yoga in reuniting body and mind. Exploring ancient human behaviors like drumming, dancing, and cave paintings reflects humanity's deep, ancestral need to express, process emotions, and maintain connection with the environment and each other. Bodywork therapies accelerated her healing process, exemplifying the integration of mind and body in trauma recovery.

Science versus Ancient Wisdom

The conversation examines whether recent scientific findings about trauma and intuition truly represent new knowledge or simply elucidate what ancestral cultures have known for millennia. Dr. Swart emphasizes that while science attempts to provide frameworks, many ancient societies held beliefs in souls, afterlife, and ancestor communication, practices reflecting a spiritual understanding of human existence often sidelined by modern science. The dialogue invites reflection on whether only scientifically provable phenomena hold value in the human experience.

Experiences of Signs and Communication with the Deceased

Drawing from her own story and the stories of others, Dr. Swart discusses signs from lost loved ones—symbols like robins (named after her husband), feathers, and repeating numbers—and how these brought her comfort, guidance, and joy. She recounts consulting mediums initially out of skepticism but later realizing that connecting to these signs was possible personally. For skeptics concerned about her scientific background, she underscores the human need to find meaning and heal, stressing that embracing such experiences need not contradict scientific understanding. The practice has enriched her life and helped many others.

The Mind's Filtering and Confirmation Bias

The discussion touches on the brain's necessity to filter the immense input of sensory data, focusing attention on what is most relevant or familiar. This cognitive filtering explains why people might increasingly notice certain symbols or signs once their attention is primed toward them, a phenomenon linked to confirmation bias. Dr. Swart acknowledges this effect but also shares personal anecdotes that suggest her experiences go beyond simple coincidence or selective attention.

Near-Death Experiences and Terminal Lucidity

Dr. Swart explores research on near-death experiences (NDEs) and terminal lucidity, where individuals with severe brain damage suddenly regain clarity before death. These phenomena challenge current scientific models, suggesting the mind or soul may function independently of brain physiology at life's edges. Such experiences often transform individuals' perceptions of life, fostering freedom, calm, and reduced fear of failure. For Dr. Swart, the signs and communications have similarly deepened her appreciation for life and connectedness.

The Collective Unconscious and Archetypes

Referencing Carl Jung's theory, the collective unconscious is described as a shared human psychological heritage encompassing universal archetypes and shared experiences like birth, life, and death. Jung's concept of synchronicity, meaningful coincidences, aligns with the themes discussed, hinting at a cosmic field or "cosmic soup" that humans may tap into intuitively or spiritually. Dr. Swart connects this idea to current scientific curiosities about consciousness and mind-body interactions.

The Role of Nature, Community, and Connection

Modern life has disconnected many from essential connections: to self (intuition), to others (community), to the planet, and to something greater (spirit, universe, God). Dr. Swart stresses that nature is a vital conduit for restoring these bonds, rooted in humanity's evolutionary history as part of the natural world. Spending time in nature fosters awe, presence, and embodiment. Likewise, authentic human interactions away from digital distractions nourish communal bonds. A sense of purpose tied to these connections helps restore intuition and meaning.

Expanded Human Senses Beyond the Traditional Five

The discussion broadens to human perception, noting research identifying between 22 and 34 senses, including subdivisions of taste and even the immune system, highlighting the evolving understanding of how humans experience the world. Many of these senses are unconscious or underappreciated, suggesting that intuitive knowledge might partly arise from these deeper bodily and sensory channels.

The Challenge of Openness and Skepticism

Humans often struggle to accept new paradigms or the possibility that knowledge is incomplete due to survival mechanisms, cultural conditioning, or a desire for certainty and control. The medical profession can be particularly rigid, favoring diagnostic categories that sometimes inadequately address complex or subjective human experiences. This rigidity can limit the integration of spiritual or intuitive dimensions into health care, even though holistic models like the biopsychosocial-spiritual framework are gaining some attention.

Intuition in Medical Practice

Dr. Swart recounts how intuition played a crucial role early in her medical career, enabling her to detect a pulmonary embolism despite conventional logic pointing to a heart attack. This intuitive judgment, based on experience and subconscious pattern recognition, was validated by senior consultants and shaped her confidence. She stresses that intuition is something all people possess but may be overshadowed or doubted.

Practical Tools for Tuning Into Intuition

To cultivate intuition, Dr. Swart recommends journaling decisions involving a tension between logic and gut feeling over an extended period to observe patterns and outcomes. She shares the "unfurling exercise," involving deep breaths and connecting sequentially with head, heart, and gut to distinguish logical, emotional, and intuitive responses. Seeking perspective by imagining advising a friend or a future self also helps externalize and clarify inner wisdom. Another practice she endorses is creative mentoring, where one imagines how trusted or admired figures might respond to dilemmas, stimulating insight.

The Importance of Embodiment and Movement

Disconnection from the body is common in modern sedentary, screen-dominated lifestyles, resulting in diminished bodily awareness and emotional suppression. Embodiment practices such as yoga, movement, dance, and body therapies like craniosacral therapy or osteopathy help release trauma stored in fascia and restore the mind-body connection. Such practices reawaken visceral, gut, and somatic senses crucial to intuition. The ancestral human experience was deeply physical and interwoven with creative rituals to express emotion and process trauma.

Intergenerational Transmission and Community

Building community and nurturing connection are vital not only for emotional health but also for accessing collective wisdom and shared healing. Grief and loss are deeply personal but can be eased through communal support, shared rituals, and acknowledgment of a reality beyond the individual self. The collective unconscious similarly shapes human culture and experience, offering comfort in shared archetypes and symbols.

Grief, Healing, and the Evolving Relationship to Death

Dr. Swart and the host reflect on grief's evolution over time, emphasizing the importance of reframing loss as a gift that shapes personal growth and purpose. She acknowledges that psychic or spiritual experiences following loss vary widely, and each individual's grieving process is valid. Maintaining a sense of connection to lost loved ones, whether through signs, memories, or internalized characteristics, fosters ongoing healing.

Encouraging Authenticity and Courage

Sharing her personal story, Dr. Swart speaks about the courage required to be vulnerable and authentic, especially within a scientific profession where such topics are often stigmatized. The positive response to her openness has been overwhelming and underscores the deep human need to explore and validate non-material dimensions of experience, including love, intuition, and life beyond death.