INTEROCEPTION:THEEIGHTHSENSORYSYSTEM

Sitbackandcloseyoureyes.Whatdoyoufeelinsideyourbody?

• Isyourheartbeatingfastorslow?

• Areyoubreathingdeeplyorshallowly?

• Doyouhavetogotothebathroom?

• Areyourmusclestenseorloose?

• Howdoesyourstomachfeel?

Mostofusareabletofeelallofthesesensationswiththehelpofourlittle-known,butveryimportant,eighth

sensorysystem,Interoception.

Howdoes the interoceptive systemwork? Thereare little receptors located throughout the insideof thebody, in areas such as the stomach, heart, intestines, genitals,muscles, skin, bones

andeveneyes. These receptors gather information from the insideofourbodyand

send it to brain. The brain then uses this information to figure out how we feel.

Interoceptionenablesus to feel conditions suchashunger, fullness, itch,pain,body

temperature, nausea, need for the bathroom, tickle, physical exertion and sexual

arousal.Additionally,interoceptionallowsustofeelallofouremotions.

How is interoception connected to our emotions? Typically, each emotion feels

differently inthebody.Forexample,beforespeaking inpublic,yourbodymayfeelacertain way: your heart may race, your muscles may feel tense and shaky, your

breathingmaybecomeshallow,andyourstomachmayfeelfluttery.Thesesensations

letyouknowthatyouarefeelingabitnervous.Youareabletonoticethesesensations

all because of interoception—therefore interoception is clearly connected with our

emotions.Withoutclearlyfeelinginternalsensations,itcanmakefiguringoutemotionsdifficult,thusleading

tochallengesinidentifyingandcontrollingexactlywhatyouarefeeling.

How is interoception connected to self-regulation?Whenour interoceptivesystemisworkingat it’sbest,

the sensations alert us that something is not quite right and motivates us to take

action,todosomethingthatwillrestoreourbody’sinternalbalanceandhelpusfeel

morecomfortable.Forexample,ifwefeelthirsty–weareurgedtogetadrink;ifwe

feelfull–weareurgedtostopeating;ifwefeelcold–weareurgedtogetasweater;

ifwefeeltheneedtourinate–weareurgedtogotothebathroom;ifwefeelanxious

–we are urged to seek comfort; if we feel frustrated—we are urged to seek help.Interoceptionunderliesoururgeforaction.Ifweareabletoclearlynoticeourinternalsensations, we aremotivated to act, to seek immediate relief from the discomfort

causedbythe imbalance.Activelyseekingthisrelief iscalledself-regulationand it is

completelydependentonourinteroceptivesense.

Is interoception important to any other areas? In addition to self-regulation,interoceptionisclearlylinkedtomanyotherimportantskillareasincluding:

�Self-Awareness �FlexibleThinking�ProblemSolving �IntuitiveSocialSkills�PerspectiveTaking �OverallHealth&Well-BeingTheresearchshowingjusthowimportantinteroceptionistomanyaspectsoflifeisunequivocal.Thebrand-

newbook Interoception: The Eighth Sensory SystemPractical Solutions for Improving Self-Regulation, Self-Awareness and Social Understanding of IndividualsWith Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders (Mahler,2015, aapcpublishing.net) delivers an overview of this research and describes the clear link betweenInteroceptionandtheseimportantskillareas.