The Neuroscience Of Intuition: Bridging Science & The Signs That Guide Us 

When neuroscientist and doctor Tara Swart, M.D., Ph.D., lost her husband, she experienced something that her medical training couldn’t fully explain. “As soon as he passed away, I had this deep knowing that his body wasn’t him,” she shared on the mindbodygreen podcast. What followed was a series of experiences—deeply personal to her and her husband—that she could neither ignore nor rationalize away.

Rather than dismiss them, Swart’s curiosity as a scientist took over. How could these experiences fit within what we know about the brain, consciousness, and human connection? Her latest work explores this intersection—the space where neuroscience meets intuition, spirituality, and emotional intelligence.

For many of us, intuition can feel like something mystical or hard to quantify. But Swart argues that it’s simply another form of intelligence, one rooted in the body as much as the mind.

“We often talk about intuition as a ‘gut feeling,’ and neuroscience supports that,” she explains. “The limbic system, brainstem, and even the neurons in our gut all play a role in how we sense what’s right or wrong.” Emerging theories like the serotonin hypothesis even suggest that both trauma and hidden wisdom may be stored in the tissues of the body.

Swart’s perspective bridges the gap between science and spirituality. She references studies on near-death experiences, thousands of cases documented by psychiatrists like Bruce Greyson, M.D., that share strikingly similar details. “It’s hard to deny the patterns,” she says. “Science hasn’t fully explained them yet, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t real.”

Swart believes that everyone has the ability to strengthen their intuition. It’s not a gift for the few, but a muscle we can all develop.

In The Source, Swart replaced “vision boards” with action boards, a deliberate shift from passive dreaming to proactive creation. “You can’t sit at home and expect things to appear,” she says. “Manifestation is really about aligning your beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors toward a goal.”

She emphasizes that belief systems shape our biology and behavior. “What you believe about yourself determines the risks you take, the partners you choose, even how you care for your health.” When you change those core beliefs, your external reality starts to change, too.

We live in a world obsessed with quantifying health, from HRV to VO2 max, but Swart believes we’re overlooking something crucial: the immeasurable markers of emotional and spiritual well-being.

“There’s a backlash happening,” she notes. People are realizing that belonging, creativity, and connection matter just as much as supplements and trackers. She cites research showing that people who engage with the arts—visiting museums, concerts, or theater—have a significantly lower risk of mortality. “It’s free, it’s joyful, and it reminds us that we’re part of something greater.”

After years of studying the brain, guiding executives, and navigating personal loss, Swart’s message is simple: trust yourself.

“We don’t know everything,” she says. “Much of the universe is unseen, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Staying open and curious expands consciousness.”