What is Interoception?

Tall saguaro cactus in a desert landscape with other desert plants and a partly cloudy sky.

Interoception is when our body perceives and interprets internal bodily signals. These signals could be your breathing patterns, your heart rate, pain sensations, and even hunger just to name a few. Interoception is a crucial component in regulating our behaviors and emotions. It is our body’s awareness to keep us safe! However, our body’s can be trained in thinking we are in an unsafe situation when we are no longer in an unsafe situation—which can cause negative symptoms like depression, anxiety, and even emotional dysregulation. An example of interoception would be: getting bullied while giving a presentation in school and feeling anxiety during your next school presentation.

Mountain landscape with rocky peaks and green pine trees under a blue sky.

Restoring Our Interoception

Can we restore our interoception? Absolutely! There are a handful of things that we can do and teach our children to do in order to restore our interoception to perceive more appropriately. Some options would include:

  • Mindfulness

  • Yoga

  • Progressive muscle relaxation

  • Deep breathing

  • EMDR

  • Attending therapy

  • Polyvagal work

  • Understanding our parts