Where reason meets inner knowing

By Denise Colin

The Feeling We Ignore

There’s a particular kind of frustration that sometimes comes after a decision has been made.

It usually sounds like, “I knew it.” Or maybe, “Something told me I shouldn’t do that.” Or even, “I felt it in my gut, but I talked myself out of it.”

Most of us know this feeling intimately. That quiet inner nudge we sensed but didn’t trust. The feeling we dismissed because it wasn’t “logical enough,” or because we couldn’t explain it clearly to ourselves or someone else. Sometimes we didn’t ignore it outright; we simply squelched it with pros-and-cons lists, advice from others, or what seemed like the “responsible” choice.

And often, it’s only in hindsight that intuition makes itself unmistakably clear.

Intuition shows up differently for each of us. For some, it’s a physical sensation, possibly a tightening, a warmth, or a subtle pull forward or back. For others, it’s more elusive, like a fleeting thought, a feeling, or a sense of knowing without a clear reason why. Unfortunately for many of us, our intuition has become so faint that we don’t even recognize its signals anymore.

This isn’t a personal failing. It’s a reflection of the world we live in. Our world has trained us to prioritize what can be measured, explained, and defended, while teaching us to distrust what can’t.

How Logic Became the Gold Standard

We live in a culture that places logic on a pedestal.

From an early age, we’re encouraged to think things through, justify our choices, and make decisions that can be explained, defended, and backed up with evidence. Logic is rewarded in schools, workplaces, and institutions because it feels reliable. It offers structure, predictability, and a sense of control in an uncertain world.

Intuition, on the other hand, is often treated with suspicion.

It’s labeled as “woo-woo,” irrational, or naïve. We’re taught, sometimes subtly and sometimes explicitly, that if we can’t articulate why we know something, then we don’t really know it at all. We learn that trusting an inner feeling is risky, indulgent, or unprofessional, and that it belongs in the realm of spirituality or emotion rather than serious decision-making.

There’s also a deeply gendered layer to this story. Intuition has long been associated with the feminine, along with qualities like softness, receptivity, emotionality, and caring. And in a society that has historically devalued the feminine, intuition has been dismissed as weak by association. Not because it lacks intelligence, but because it doesn’t operate in ways that are easily proven, measured, or controlled.

Over time, many of us internalize these messages. We learn to privilege logic, even when it feels inadequate. We override our inner signals in favor of what looks sensible on paper. We ask ourselves, "What’s the smartest choice?" far more often than "What feels right?"

And while logic can be incredibly useful, this imbalance comes at a cost: we undermine our ability to make wise decisions by denying half of our innate decision-making intelligence.

What Logic Does Well and Where It Falls Short

Logic has real strengths, and it’s important to name them.

It helps us analyze information, weigh options, anticipate consequences, and solve complex problems. Logic is especially useful when decisions require clarity, structure, or long-term planning. It allows us to slow down emotional reactivity and approach situations with discernment rather than impulse.

In many ways, logic protects us. It can help us assess risk, create stability, and make choices that are sustainable over time. When used well, it brings coherence and order to the chaos of daily life.

But logic also has limitations.

Logic relies on the information it’s given, and that information is often incomplete. It tends to prioritize what can be quantified or articulated, leaving out subtler data like emotional resonance, bodily signals, relational dynamics, and values that don’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet. Logic can tell us what makes sense, but it can’t always tell us what matters most.

When logic is over-relied upon, it can become disconnected from lived experience. We may make choices that are technically sound but emotionally hollow. Decisions that look good on paper can still feel wrong in the body. And when logic is used without intuition as a counterbalance, it can even be used to justify staying in situations that drain or diminish us.

Logic is an essential tool, but without intuition, it can steer us into choices that make sense while still leaving us drained or misaligned.

Intuition’s Wisdom and Its Limits

Intuition carries a different kind of intelligence.

It draws on lived experience, pattern recognition, emotional awareness, and the body’s subtle signals. Intuition often knows before the mind can explain. It registers tone, timing, energy, and alignment. It senses when something is off or when something feels deeply right, even if there’s no immediate evidence to support that knowing. This form of knowing is rooted in the body and shaped by everything we’ve lived, learned, and absorbed.

For some, intuition is understood not only as embodied wisdom, but as something spiritual. It may be experienced as guidance from a higher self, a nudge from a spiritual support system, or a sense of being in conversation with something greater than ourselves. In this way, intuition can feel less like something we generate and more like something we receive when we’re present and listening.

These perspectives don’t need to compete. Whether intuition is experienced as bodily intelligence, subconscious awareness, or spiritual guidance, it points to a way of knowing that doesn’t rely solely on logic. And it often arrives before words do, offering information that logic alone can’t access.

But intuition also has its limits.

Not every internal signal is intuition. Fear, conditioning, trauma responses, desire, and habit can all masquerade as inner knowing. A strong feeling doesn’t automatically mean a wise one. Without reflection and discernment, intuition can be misunderstood or misapplied.

This is where intuition is often mischaracterized. It isn’t infallible, and it isn’t meant to replace thoughtful consideration. Intuition becomes clearer and more reliable when it’s met with curiosity rather than urgency, when we learn to listen without immediately acting, and to sense without rushing to interpret.

Intuition is powerful. But like logic, it’s most effective when it’s grounded, tended, and brought into relationship with other forms of knowing.

When Logic and Intuition Work Together

When logic and intuition are treated as opposites, we’re forced into an unnecessary choice. But when they’re allowed to work together, something more nuanced and supportive becomes possible.

Intuition is often the first to speak. It senses direction, alignment, and dissonance. It alerts us that something deserves attention before we can explain why. Logic, then, becomes a way of engaging that signal thoughtfully. It helps us slow down, gather information, test assumptions, and consider consequences.

Rather than asking which one you should trust, consider how you can use them together. Hear what your intuition is telling you, then leverage logic to help you respond wisely.

In this relationship, intuition sets the direction, and logic helps navigate the terrain. Intuition might tell us that a situation no longer feels right; logic can help us determine next steps, timing, and practical implications. Logic might present several viable options; intuition can help us sense which one aligns most deeply with our values and well-being.

When these two forms of intelligence work in partnership, decisions become both grounded and alive. We’re less likely to override ourselves in the name of reason, and less likely to act impulsively in the name of feeling. Instead, we engage our full capacity for discernment.

This kind of decision-making takes practice. It asks us to pause, to listen inwardly, and to resist the urge to rush toward resolution. 

Closing

If you’ve ever looked back on a decision and thought, "I knew better," you’re not alone. Most of us are still learning how to hear ourselves clearly, and how to trust what we hear.

The invitation isn’t to abandon logic or to elevate intuition above all else. It’s to let them meet. To notice the signals that arise from your body, your experience, or your spirit and to give them space alongside thoughtful evaluation.

When logic and intuition are allowed to inform one another, decision-making becomes less about getting it “right” and more about staying in relationship with yourself. And that, over time, is what builds trust.