Intuition
Intuition is a form of knowing and, therefore, a basis for understanding. The more complex a situation is and the less information one possesses to manage it, the less appropriate is the understanding technique of ‘analysis’, and the more intuition is required. However, in the scientific context, intuition is regarded as rather suspicious, because it not comprehensible, not objectifiable, not teachable and not verifiable. But understanding of psychodynamic and communicative phenomena is never objective and never verifiable. This form of knowledge relates to the person and the current moment. It is based upon perception, not derivation, and the information processing takes place implicitly: Suddenly I know something! Sometimes, this has been denigrated as ‘prejudice’. In the context of counselling, though, intuition is an important source for insight. Like everything, however, this process, too, can err. That is why intuition must be trained and practiced, it must be clarified through personal experience (otherwise my intuition tells more about me than about something else). But if a counsellor only works with information, he is running (or put another way, hopping) with only one leg.