Trust Your Gut Feelings – Part 3

How Sensations Become Intuition

The vagus nerve communicates gut signals to the brain by first connecting to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) in the brainstem at the base of the brain. From here, information is relayed to 1) the amygdala, which registers fear and panic; 2) the hypothalamus, which regulates the balance of your autonomic nervous system (fight or flight); and 3) the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (which generate our subjective sense of awareness). This is how gut-derived sensations translate into reactivity and/or intuitive knowing.

The insula supplies internally generated signals, such as tension, urgency, and other sensations from the gut or heart. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) evaluates whether the body sensations and emotions registered by the insula are emotionally relevant, threatening, or important enough to act upon. It helps to detect when something doesn’t feel right or when attention or an adjustment is required. The anterior cingulate cortex then influences the dopamine system via the striatum to mobilize action. This pathway between the insula and the ACC needs to be reset for us to break habits, resist cravings, or initiate new behaviours. The anterior cingulate cortex connects the amygdala with the prefrontal cortex and translates feelings into motivation, choice and behaviour. 

The ACC also affects the autonomic nervous system and can cause changes in heart rate and muscle tension depending on the perceived emotion. When the insula constructs an inner felt sense, the ACC interprets and evaluates it by determining: Is this important? Does this conflict with what I expect? Do I need to act? After this computation, the anterior cingulate cortex sends a message to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), giving rise to a sense of clarity or knowing. In other words, it is as if the insula registers, “I feel something”; the anterior cingulate cortex decides, “This feeling matters”; and the prefrontal cortex computes, “This is what it means.” 

Childhood trauma can negatively affect the function of the anterior cingulate cortex in deciphering the relevance or threat of body sensations and emotions. Trauma can cause reduced volume and connectivity of the ACC, and impair communication between the insula and the prefrontal cortex. Instead of an inner knowing, we may either not notice gut feelings or may be overwhelmed and confused by them. 

If the amygdala is activated, or the insula is overactive or underactive, or the anterior cingulate cortex is impaired, then the prefrontal cortex may misinterpret the original gut feelings and make a bad decision leading to actions that cause harm to oneself or others. On the other hand, when the interoceptive system works well in a context of safety, we can trust our gut feelings and make apt decisions based on a confident inner knowing.

Making Meaning of What We Sense

Once our gut signals reach the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex, they are integrated with emotional memory and decision-making via the following structures:

How to Reconnect to Our Gut Feelings and Emotions

To reliably access our gut feelings, we first need conditions of safety, which will increase parasympathetic vagal tone, calm the amygdala, and expand our range of sensitivity to notice gut feelings. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated and the vagus nerve is functioning well, we are more attuned to positive and neutral sensations in the gut. Hence, we can better listen to and respond to the signals from the body. We don’t misread them. On the other hand, when we feel threatened, stressed, or afraid and the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the gut sensations may be amplified or distorted, causing us to have a bad feeling about something when no danger is present. Internal safety can be generated by slowing the breath down to 4-6 breaths per minute for 5-10 minutes; singing or chanting; compassion-focused or mantra meditation; gently stroking your arms or legs; or practicing some form of mindful movement, such as yoga. 

How do you know when you are responding accurately to a gut feeling and your intuition is correct, or if you are having a trauma response? When our intuition is clear, we are in a calm, regulated state. We are curious, can easily assess the risks and benefits of an action, and experience a connection to ourselves, our values and what is important for us. There is a clear “This is right” or “This is not right” even when you don’t know why, and there is no need to explain. You may sense warmth, openness, ease, peace, confidence, and relaxation in the chest or belly, and your breathing is calm. Your face and jaw are relaxed. There may be an optimistic gentle excitement present. You are not trying to prove anything. This intuition lingers over time and may keep coming to visit until you act upon it.

On the other hand, when you are having a trauma response, either your sympathetic nervous system is on high alert, or your dorsal vagus is in a shutdown or collapsed mode. Your response is fear-based, and your memory is unconsciously linking to a past threat. There is an impaired connection to your prefrontal cortex and decision-making. In this case, you may experience a sense of urgency, panic, dread, or hypervigilance. You may believe that you have to act right now to protect or defend something, with a sudden surge of energy. There will be tension or flaccidity in the body, with shallow breathing, and your heart may be racing, or you may feel numb. The sensations of butterflies in your stomach will have a flavor of fear rather than excitement. You may feel cold or excessive heat. There is a belief that danger is present, though there is no actual danger.

To heal from trauma, the first step is to calmly become aware of body sensations in the present moment. Pay attention both when your body is still and as you move through space. Notice the body sensations that arise as you interact with the people and world around you. Physical self-awareness is essential in order to free ourselves from being hijacked by events from the past. We train and sensitize the insula each time we pause to notice and name what we feel. The next step is to befriend and create space for our emotions. Bring acceptance, curiosity, and spaciousness to the noticing and naming of emotions. Breathwork, mindfulness meditation, body scans, yoga, dance, somatic therapies (including Compassionate Inquiry), being in nature, good company, and bodywork can calm the amygdala and support our capacity to feel. 

We can strengthen the insula’s ability to register signals from the body when we stimulate the insula by exposing our body to heat, cold, or touch—such as with a hot infrared sauna, cold-water bathing, or safe touch through massage—or when we delay eating or drinking to pay attention to hunger and thirst. Fasting can improve the function of the insula. Noticing the breath, heartbeat or pulse are other ways to activate the insula.

Emotional Suppression Changes the Gut Flora

When our emotions are suppressed in childhood due to chronic stress or trauma, other physiological effects tag along. The stress hormone, cortisol, increases when the sympathetic nervous system is activated. High cortisol causes a shift in the gut ecology, potentially decreasing beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. When the gut is inflamed or the microbiome is disturbed, gut feelings are noisier and more difficult to interpret. It becomes harder to differentiate a chronic disturbance in the gut from a rapid gut signal emitted to protect us from danger or threat. When we grow up in an environment of chaos, criticism, violence, and/or unpredictability, our nervous system is likely to register a chronic state of fear. We may then confuse a fear reaction to a current trigger with a gut feeling or intuition. 

Research and common experiences have shown that when we suppress emotions such as anger, we may experience symptoms in the gut, such as an upset stomach, irritable bowel, constipation, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain. The next time you have any of these digestive symptoms, tune into your gut feelings and ask yourself, “What do I feel right now? What am I not expressing? Am I afraid, angry, or sad about something? Is there a ‘no’ that I am not saying?” and pay attention to the response. 

Psychological states characterized by frequent and intense negative emotions (e.g. depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD) are often accompanied by disorders in the gut and a shift in microbial balance. For example, depressed individuals often have reduced numbers of the following bacteria – Prevotelaceae, Coprococcis, and Faecalibacterium—compared to healthy individuals.

One study of 206 women found that emotional suppression was linked with a lower diversity of organisms in the gut, while increased diversity of gut flora was linked to more positive emotional states. Interestingly, increased suppression of anger was associated with higher numbers of specific gut bacteria, including: Anaeromassilibacillus sp. An250, B. faecis, B. hydrogenotrophica, C. bolteae CAG 59, C. leptum, S. intestinalis, and S. parasanguinis, while higher levels of positive emotions were associated with lower numbers of the same organisms. Some gut bacteria and fungi are associated with diseases related to both mental health and inflammation, which contribute to emotional distress and a dysregulated nervous system. 
The gut microbiome has evolved alongside our human evolution in a symbiotic way to benefit humans as well as perpetuate the survival of the microorganisms that colonize us. As humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers to industrialized urbanites to international travellers, our gut flora has transitioned along with us. The shift is influenced by where we live, what we eat, our age, how much we exercise, our stress level, hours of sleep, personal hygiene, and many other factors. Each individual’s gut environment favors certain microbes, and those organisms in turn perform functions (nutrition, neurological development, immune system regulation, detoxification, metabolism, and improving the gut barrier and the blood-brain barrier) that benefit the individual and our species. Thankfully we can positively influence the balance of the gut flora and our well-being at every stage of our lives with dietary and lifestyle practices. One of the most impactful factors that can encourage a healthy diversity of beneficial gut microorganisms is to include sufficient fiber (40 grams daily) in one’s diet, and approximately 30 different plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, seaweeds, herbs/spices) per week to promote microbiome diversity.  

About The Author

Sat Dharam Kaur

Sat Dharam is a naturopathic doctor and has supported Dr. Gabor Maté in structuring the Compassionate Inquiry approach so that others can learn it. She created the Beyond Addiction program, a yogic path to recovery. She trains people in Kundalini Yoga and has a private practice in Owen Sound, Ontario.