Interoception
Introduction
Interoception is the sense that helps a person understand and feel what is happening inside their body and the way to react. It is the sense that lies at the core of every sense. It comprises the process of the brain that integrates signals that are relayed from the body into other sub-regions helping a person in the process of self-regulation. Interoception is a person’s ability to feel and witness the surroundings inside their body, from the muscular pressure to the heartbeat, from being calm to fear and anxiety.
Because the inner sensations are part of the emotion, interoception is a major model in the performance of the whole body and mind and is a significant sign of a person’s awareness of themselves and their well-being. Interoception is a major aspect that helps a person regulate the needs of their body, for example when they feel hungry, cold, and exhausted (Critchley, & Garfinkel 2017). Interception varies differently among human beings because an individual’s experiences determine their inner world. Things such as trauma, disease, diet, and social-economic factors can have a major impact on the character of interoception in an individual. An example of this is, a person can suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and this can lead to a reduction in the access to interoceptive awareness. At the same time, a person may be suffering from an anxiety disorder and experience hypersensitivity to interoception which may lead to a person having more inner feelings than they can handle. This shows that interoception has an impact in both directions and has the possibility of throwing us from our center.
Interoception relates to pain, emotions, anxiety, decision making, intake of food and water, regulation of emotions, eating disorders, and addiction among others. A person’s perception and how they interpret the internal state of their body are related closely to awareness and emotion (Garfinkel, Seth, Barrett, Suzuki & Critchley 2015). The capability for a person to interpret the information they are receiving about their internal state has a major contribution to their emotional state. For example when a person suddenly feels nauseous and they think it’s because of some bad news they are about to get from a call they are waiting for, but in reality, the feeling is from some milk they took a while back. In this case, the person is interpreting whatever they are feeling and making predictions based on what is about to happen. The accuracy of a person’s interoception is influenced by their conscious thoughts and in this case, it is not accurate which is normal and part of being a human being.
Interoception is unconscious but a person can become aware of some things such as how they are breathing, their heart rate, and whether or not they are hungry. It helps a person to know how they feel at any given time. For example, when a stomach is growling, a person automatically knows they are hungry and that prompts them to eat. A racing heart and tension make one know that they are anxious and that urges them to seek comfort. If it can make all those connections and regulations, then an interception system that is not working well would have a big impact on a person’s life (Farb et.al 2015). Unfortunately, some people face this problem of having an interception system that is not functioning as it should. People with conditions like anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges among others experience that problem. Knowing the role of interoception helps a person understand the way they feel.
When a person’s interoception is working properly, their brain helps to organize information such that they react to what they are feeling physically and emotionally. Therefore interoception plays a significant role in the life and person’s body and so for the people who experience problems with interoception, research shows that it can be improved by mindful practices that are the most effective in this case (Farb et.al 2015). Mindfulness activates the insula which is the interoceptive center in the brain and that is the reason people who practice mediation mostly have high levels of interoception. Other activities that can help a person to improve interoception are breathing exercises, exercises related to emotional recognition, and activities that help with sensory stimulation.
Conclusion.
Interoception is the sense that makes us understand the feeling that we are feeling in our body. It helps us connect on when and how to react to them. Interoception relates to pain, emotions, anxiety among others, and how a person interprets the state of their body is closely associated with emotion and cognition. Unfortunately, some people have difficulty with their interoception which makes it difficult in regulation and their well-being because the brain is not able to organize information as it should, therefore affecting a person’s reaction physically and emotionally. However, interoception can be improved through mindful practices which include meditation, breathing, and sensory stimulation exercises among others. Interoception plays a very significant role in a person’s body.
References
Critchley, H. D., & Garfinkel, S. N. (2017). Interoception and emotion. Current opinion in
psychology, 17, 7-14. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X17300106
Garfinkel, S. N., Seth, A. K., Barrett, A. B., Suzuki, K., & Critchley, H. D. (2015). Knowing
your own heart: distinguishing interoceptive accuracy from interoceptive awareness. Biological psychology, 104, 65-74. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051114002294
Farb, N., Daubenmier, J., Price, C. J., Gard, T., Kerr, C., Dunn, B. D. ... & Mehling, W. E.
(2015). Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 763. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00763/full
