His neurosurgery success rates were impeccable. In spite of how life-threatening his surgeries were, his patients never seemed to die. But this neurosurgeon kept getting migraines, and treatment wasn’t working, so he went to see psychologist Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, author of Extraordinary Knowing. She helped him pinpoint exactly when the headaches began, and it turns out they started right when he stopped teaching medical students and residents at the hospital, which he loved doing. She wondered why did he stop teaching. He was reluctant to tell her.

Turns out the neurosurgeon’s success rates are so high because he waits until a white light surrounds the patient’s head. Then- and only then- he knows it’s safe to operate. But how can he teach this to medical students? Surely he can’t train residents to look for halos around people with brain tumors and aneurysms? Because he felt like he had to hide the mystical experiences that help him guide his patients to safe healing, he quit teaching, and the discord within him led to migraines. He was stuck. He didn’t feel it was safe to tell anyone at the university that he sees white lights nobody else sees. But his body was suffering because of how he was betraying his soul. It’s the kind of conundrum many face as they keep secrets about how mystery and awe dance with life.

Knowing Things You Shouldn’t Know

I’ve had similar experiences when I knew things I shouldn’t know, and many others I know have experienced similar intuitive knowings. I was curious, so I asked on my Facebook page if people were willing to publicly share their experiences. Here are a few of the stories.

In April 2012, after serious intent to buy a home in a neighboring town, after bidding on a property, I just flat out and unilaterally decided against it in the eleventh hour. My family was beyond upset with me. The kids were excited about living in this town, but my gut flat out refused. There was nothing to explain this feeling. The town was perfect, and the home was lovely. I just felt that it was the wrong choice. I am typically accommodating and flexible, but in this instance, I was adamantly against the idea. We settled on a home within our own town. We moved in June, and the kids started school in September. On December 14, 2012, the unthinkable happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school. My youngest (a child I never thought I would be able to have and came into this existence ever so unusually to begin with), would have been in that school on that day had I stayed the course. – Christina Lianos

It was Jan 7th 2013, and while I was tidying my home, I called my mum. There was no answer, and I heard clearly inside, “She’s taken pills. She needs your help” I tried calling her twice more, but she didn’t answer. I jumped in a cab to her place, and she had taken a box of benzodiazepines. I called an ambulance and she’s with us now, but she almost didn’t make it. – Alexia Briones VandeWalle

My first experience with intuitive knowing helped me to save one of my patients’ lives. It was during training, and I was having difficult accessing the radial artery of a patient in shock. He was clamped down and I could not thread the guide wire. After many futile attempts, I felt so frustrated, knowing that this critical step was necessary to get good data to save my patient’s life. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly stepped back from his bed and closed my eyes. A sense of peace came over me. I heard myself in my mind ask for guidance, for help. I don’t know who I was asking, but I felt as though there was a response, a voice that said “Go ahead.” I thanked the voice and felt energized and reassured. I opened my eyes and stepped up to the patient. Without doubt, hesitation or difficulty, I was able to access the patient’s radial artery immediately. This helped me to turn the patient around at a crucial time. He eventually walked out of the hospital. It felt as though my hand were guided into the right place by an external force, and this phenomenon gave me a sense of amazement and awe. This was the first time I really felt connected to another level, a benevolent force. Since then, I’ve felt this guidance many, many times when helping to provide solutions to my patients. I firmly believe we have access to a whole other level in order to help each other, and I believe that our Universe is indeed a friendly place that we create on an ongoing basis. – Sean Orr, MD

I was living in Germany in the early 70′s. My baby sister, who was pregnant, was living in the Ozarks, Southern Missouri. My intuition kept telling me to send her $300. I was young myself, and didn’t have lots of money, but it was such a strong urge that finally I sent her $300 along with a note saying that I didn’t know why I was sending the money except that a portion of the money would be used for gasoline, and that everything would be alright. She received that money on the day her daughter was born. Her daughter was born with a heart condition and had to be flown immediately to Saint Louis (200 miles away) for open heart surgery. It ended up that a portion of the money was used for gasoline, and that everything turned out alright. We felt that this was a message that was clearly Divinely inspired. During the ordeal, my sister kept it together emotionally by reminding herself that everything would be alright. – Rhonda Taylor

I was in Rio, Brazil for my brother’s wedding and a few days after the ceremony, we were all sitting relaxing on the beach. My brother had walked down the beach alone about half an hour before I got a terrible, chilling feeling. I just started telling his best friend, “Go find Landon! Go find Landon!”. His friend knows my “gut” instinct level well and took off down the beach. He finally got to my brother where a lifeguard had saved him from the undertow. – Clayton Wright Robinson

When I was 31, I had a feeling I was going to die when I turned 34. I was so terrified by this powerful feeling, I couldn’t tell anyone for years. Finally, as my 34th birthday approached, I shared this with my husband, and he was shaken but determined. It guided me to continue to pursue testing with my doctor, despite signs that all was well. Ultimately, the repeated testing showed that I had extensive breast cancer. As soon as we began to explore that possibility more deeply, I “knew” this was it. My doctor, who taught at Harvard Medical School, used this as a case study to teach his students how to listen to their patients.
– Heidi Moot Vancisin

The World Is Full of Awe & Mystery

That most of us have these kinds of experiences from time to time is an exciting thing! The world is more mysterious than scientists can explain! How wonderful!

But I’m puzzled and trying to unpack this issue. Why do so many people keep these miraculous stories under wraps? Why must we shove our truth in the closet? Imagine if we all spoke openly about our mystical experiences? What if we were willing to be simply curious about that which we can’t explain scientifically, rather than feeling compelled to wrap every mystery in a neat little scientific package? What if we could stay open to mystery, awe, and wonder?

I’m writing about intuitive knowing in my next book The Fear Cure, and I’d like to include some of YOUR stories in my book! If you’d be willing to have your story of how you knew things you shouldn’t know shared publicly, please include your story in the comments section.

In awe,

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