Neuroscientist: If You’re Feeling THIS, You’ve Lost Touch With Your True Self

Rangan Chatterjee

Dec 17, 2025

Episode description

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What is intuition? What happens when we die? And, how does trauma get stored in our bodies? These are just a few of the fascinating themes I explore in today’s episode with returning guest, Dr Tara Swart. Tara is a neuroscientist, a former medical doctor & psychiatrist, a lecturer at MIT, an executive coach and author of 2 books, including her very latest The Signs: The New Science of How to Trust Your Instincts

In this episode, Tara shares her own personal story about love, loss, and learning to trust herself again, after the death of her husband, Robin. This life changing experience left her questioning her deepest beliefs as a scientist, when in the midst of her grief, she started noticing unusual signs that she felt - she was unable to ignore. At first, she was sceptical, but these moments gradually helped her reconnect with her intuition in ways she never expected.

In our conversation, we explore:
- What intuition really is and how to start accessing it again
- The gut-brain connection, and how emotions, trauma, and even grief can be stored (and released) in the body.
- The practical tools and techniques that helped Tara - and can help you - rediscover your own intuition, including journaling, creative practices and nature
- How to gently challenge your beliefs and open yourself to possibility (even if, like Tara, you’re sceptical at first).
- Reflections on what science can and can’t explain - and why sometimes, believing in something greater (be it love, the universe, or connection itself) can be a healing force.
- How to help your children (or yourself!) grow up with a stronger trust in their inner wisdom, without fear or ridicule.

We also talk about the disconnection that many of us feel in the modern world, the transformative power of nature and the many different ways in which humans try to make sense of death.

This is a raw, honest and thought-provoking conversation that I’m certain will leave you feeling inspired and eager to rediscover your own inner wisdom.

#feelbetterlivemore

Connect with Tara:
Website https://www.taraswart.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drtaraswart/
Twitter https://twitter.com/TaraSwart
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSourceDrTaraSwart/

Tara’s books:
The Signs: The New Science of How to Trust Your Instincts US https://amzn.to/4901bZW UK https://amzn.to/3Yg4TbL
The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain US https://amzn.to/44hFqlJ UK https://amzn.to/48CLF4Y

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Episode description

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Learn from near-death stories to enhance appreciation for life

Simply learning about other people's near-death experiences can provide some of the same psychological benefits, such as an increased appreciation for life, as having one yourself.

#awareness

#fulfillment

Utilize body work to process trauma effectively

PTSD can shut down the brain's speech center (Broca's area), making body-based therapies like art or yoga more effective for processing trauma than talk therapy alone.

#therapy

#trauma

Utilize ancient rituals for emotional processing and trauma healing

Ancient practices like drumming, dancing, and making art were not for leisure but were crucial survival tools, likely for processing emotions and trauma.

#emotion

#trauma

Explore terminal lucidity to understand mind-brain independence

Terminal lucidity, where individuals with irreversible brain damage suddenly become clear-minded before death, suggests the mind may operate independently of the physical brain.

#mind

#neurology

Recognize 34 senses to expand understanding of human perception

Scientific literature review reveals that humans have at least 34 identifiable senses, not just five, with the immune system being the most recently classified physiological sense.

#immune-system

#neurology

Align intuition through the unfurling exercise

The 'unfurling exercise' involves placing hands on your head, heart, and gut to ask each for its perspective on a decision, helping to align logic, emotion, and intuition.

#emotion

#intuition

Release intuition stored in tissues for holistic healing

According to the serotonin hypothesis, intuition, like trauma, is stored not just in the brain but also in the body's tissues through patterns held in muscles and fascia.

#intuition

#trauma

Nurture intuition in children by asking about feelings

To foster intuition in children, you should ask 'How do you feel about that?' as often as 'What do you think about that?' and use phrases like 'What does your heart say?'.