Jennnifer Barzey, LCSW
What Is Interoception?
Imagine having a sixth sense—one that connects your internal bodily processes to your emotions, cognition, and overall well-being. Sound cool? If so, I have good news. You have it and it’s called interoception. While we’re often more aware of external stimuli (exteroception), our internal processes play a crucial role in shaping our daily lives. Interoception is a term used to describe the internal experience of feeling and understanding what’s going on inside your body.
Even if you haven’t heard this term before, you have experienced interoception and it has a profound impact on your life. For example, it is through sensations in our body that we recognize that we are hot, cold, hungry or thirsty. It is also how we feel our heartbeat, and even the subtle flutter of anxiety.
Research using advanced technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is providing ways to study and better understand the strong connection between bodily sensations and how we both perceive and interact with the world. We tend to assume that our awareness travels from brain to body in a top-down manner. However, newer research is suggesting that a larger amount of information travels through sensory channels from body to brain (bottom-up).
The Dance of Internal Rhythms
In general, we don’t think about our heartbeats, breaths, and gut contractions. They just happen with regularity on their own, creating a state of equilibrium in the body. As our organs do their thing, chemical and electrical signals are also being sent to our brain via the vagus nerve and blood circulation. While this is all behind the scenes, the beat and rhythm of our bodily processes are major players in how we feel and experience the world.
Let’s explore some key players involved in interoception:
1. The Lungs: Besides allowing us to take in oxygen, breath is a gateway to relaxation, self-awareness, and health. Breath is intricately connected to our nervous system state which is one reason breathing techniques are often taught in the management of anxiety.
2. The Gut: Your gut impacts not only digestion but also your emotional state. If you have ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach during excitement or nervousness, that’s your gut communicating with your brain. In fact, the gut is often referred to as “the second brain” due to its significant relationship to mood and mental well-being.
3. The Skin: It’s our largest organ, an important part of the detoxification system and so much more. It is through touch, temperature, and pain that much of our perception of the world is formed. Even slight changes in facial muscle contractions impact our emotional experience.
Interoception and Mental Health
What does interoception have to do with anxiety, trauma and mental health?
Interoception and the ability to be in touch with one’s internal state is an important aspect of self-awareness and feeling at home in one’s body. Being able to interpret your bodily sensations can help you identify your emotions.
Trauma, disease, diet and stress can all interfere with interoception. When the system is overwhelmed, one way it protects itself is by shutting down or disconnecting from sensory awareness. This can leave a person feeling numb or cut-off from their body and/or emotions. Alternatively, intense fear and overwhelm can lead to a heightened level of sensitivity where a person feels on-edge, easily startled and quick to become flooded with emotions.
Healing involves restoring the connection to self. Interoceptive awareness helps individuals manage anxiety and panic attacks. Techniques like focused breathing can ground us in the present moment. Tuning into bodily sensations can be a powerful tool in managing depressive symptoms.
In the Therapy Room
What does the inclusion of interoceptive awareness look like in therapy?
Cultivating interoceptive awareness can be done through mindfulness practices, body scans and breathwork. It can also be as simple as asking “what do you notice in your body as you tell me about that experience?”
When I ask this question, I am seeking to get an idea where the person may currently be on the continuum of interoceptive awareness. If they are feeling too much, we can focus on ways to encourage a sense of calmness and containment. If the person is disconnected or numb, we can work on ways to bring them back into safe connection with their body. The pace of this process varies. It is common to want things to happen fast, but the best and most long-lasting results occur when we slow things down. Especially in situations where trauma may have left negative associations with the body or difficulty tolerating physical sensations, it is crucial to take the time to develop resources and capacity first. While the journey to building a better connection between mind and body may look different for each person, it is an essential element on the path to wellness.
Remember, your body whispers its wisdom. To hear it, you need to listen closely.
Jennifer Barzey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker #65681 who provides in-person therapy services in Chico, CA and telehealth sessions for clients throughout California. Jennifer is an integrative practitioner trained in EMDR, Somatics, Internal Family Systems and Nutrition for Mental Health.
To find our more or to request an appointment with Jennfier, visit www.jenniferbarzeylcsw.com
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