Sensing
Sensing 1 – The Foundational Senses
We begin to develop our senses as part of the fetal growth process, the interconnected abilities of the mechanisms of our mind~body~spirit, continually trying to translate the perceived information into meaning. We begin in the womb.
Scientists have well documented the fetus’s response to various sensations, music, massage/caresses, and familiar voices. [Verny MD, Thomas R, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child; Faure, Meg, The Secret world of the unborn – How your baby’s senses develop in the womb, BaybSense.com.
At birth, our senses are dramatically awakened as we are stimulated in a strange environment by all things unknown.
Hearing – the sound of voices and even our own cry, the beginning of language and expression.
Seeing – The light of the sun, or electric lights, the outlines of people and objects.
Touching – The feeling of hands on our body, our mother’s warm chest. The sense of being
wrapped in materials foreign to us. Temperature and that which makes us warm or cold.
Smelling – The now waterless environment out of the womb. The smell of people, ourselves,
and all that is within our physical space.
Taste – As our tongue protrudes and explores, as we begin to nurse.
At birth, we have already developed a basic level of sensory perceptions in all dimensions, and as a newborn we begin to experience multiplicity of stimuli coming forward. We learn and grow expanding our capabilities to survive, to give preference, and to adapt.
The ability to intuit is often referred to as a sixth sense. In infancy, intuiting arises from a physical sense and not a spiritual sense. A startle reflex for instance is the intuited response to the unexpected, a loud noise for instance. The response, the arms up and out, an attempt to display early protective mechanisms.
What we learn in this newborn stage, we implant into our mindset. Early concepts of trust, safety/security, and love are rooted here. These remain as foundational knowledge from which we build future perceptions and responses.