A Psychic Medium’s Guide to Developing Your Intuition (No Crystals Required)

If it feels like everyone you know suddenly has a strong sense that the universe is “telling them something,” you’re not imagining the vibe. Roughly 30 percent of U.S. adults consult astrology, tarot cards, or a fortune teller at least once a year, and a 2026 survey found that nearly one in five Americans think they’re “basically psychic.” The only problem? Nobody can seem to agree where intuition ends and overthinking begins.

On Dear Gabby, host Gabrielle Bernstein sits down with renowned psychic medium John Holland to sort through the confusion. One thing he wants people to know right away: intuition isn’t some rare gift reserved for a chosen few. “If you have a soul, which you do, it comes with the package.” 

How to Tell the Difference Between Intuition and Overthinking

Learn to tell intuition from overthinking

A lot of people assume intuition arrives with sirens, flashing lights, and a giant sign that reads, THIS IS IMPORTANT. Holland says it usually looks a lot more ordinary than that. His example is suddenly thinking about your brother for no obvious reason. You make a mental note to call him, get distracted, and move on. Then the thought pops up again later…and then again. “Intuition will keep coming back. Imagination just goes away,” he says. “Intuition will keep knocking on the door till it gets louder and louder.” Imagination, meanwhile, tends to be a lot less committed. “If you’re making it up or [it’s your] imagination, it flitters, it goes everywhere.”

Figure out your intuitive ‘type’

Holland explains that intuition comes through in four main ways (the “clairs”), and most people have one that’s naturally strongest. The sneaky trick to spotting yours? Pay attention to the words you already use:

• Clairsentience (feeling): You walk in and say, “I don’t like the feel of this.” It’s a gut thing, your body talking before your brain catches up.
• Clairvoyance (seeing): You say “something doesn’t look right.” You might get a quick image, a symbol, even just a word flashing in.
• Clairaudience (hearing): You hear it as a thought in your own voice. Holland says this one’s the trickiest because you second-guess whether it’s really you.
• Claircognizance (knowing): You just know something with zero explanation for how.

A lot of people fixate on the clair they wish they had instead of the one they’ve actually got. Holland’s fix is simple: “Start with what you have.” Lean into your strongest sense, and the others tend to come online alongside it. 

Get quiet (yes, you have time)

The number one thing standing between you and your intuition is noise, and Holland has zero patience for the “I don’t have time to meditate” excuse. “If you’re scrolling, you got five minutes,” he says. That’s all it takes to start.

He also reframes where intuition even comes from. “Your body is one big giant psychic antenna,” he says. “I don’t need to have a quartz crystal pushed into my third eye or light an incense…[your body] is all you need.” 

Bernstein’s tip for tuning in is to physically lie down, palms up, as a way of signaling surrender. “I’m giving my body a break and I’m opening up to my energetic capacity,” she explains.

Protect your energy and call the shots

One genuinely important note—developing your intuition doesn’t mean walking around like an open wound, absorbing everyone else’s stuff. “You’re not a sponge,” Bernstein says. “You’re a channel, but you call the shots.” The goal is to decide what you let in and when to close back up.

In a crowded room, on a plane, or anywhere that feels overwhelming, Holland recommends “pulling your energy in.” Your energy, he says, follows your intention, so a simple mental cue to close down is usually enough.

Listen to the full episode on Dear Gabby, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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