Interoceptive Awareness: The Eighth Sense

Interoceptive awareness, often referred to as our ‘eighth sense,’ is the ability to read and understand our body’s internal signals. This includes sensations such as our heartbeat, breathing, and temperature. When we are in tune with our body’s internal signals, we can better understand how our body is reacting to different situations, even before we can cognitively explain them.

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When we are experiencing intense emotions, our body often reacts before our mind can process what is happening. This is because our body is wired to respond to threats or stressors before our brain can rationalize the situation. For instance, when we are grieving, we might say, ‘My heart is heavy,’ because that is how it feels in our body. Similarly, when we are anxious, we might say, ‘My stomach is in knots,’ because the feeling of anxiety lies in our stomach.

Source: cdn2.psychologytoday.com

The Connection Between Interoceptive Awareness and PTSD

Research has shown that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have trouble processing sensations in their bodies. This is because trauma can reshape our bodies and brains, leading to a disconnection between our mind and body. In his book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score,’ Bessel van der Kolk explains how trauma can affect our interoceptive awareness and lead to a range of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

A study published in 2020 found that a 16-week yoga program was more beneficial in reducing symptoms of PTSD and stress than a 16-week wellness lifestyle program. The yoga program focused on the body, physical postures (asanas), controlled breathing (pranayama), and meditation, which helped participants develop greater interoceptive, somatic, and emotional awareness, as well as self-regulation.

Examples of Interoceptive Awareness in Film

There are many films that showcase the concept of interoceptive awareness, where the body reacts before the mind can process what is happening. Here are three examples:

• Black Swan (2010): The body of Nina (Natalie Portman) physically deteriorates in front of us as the pressure in her life builds and her mental state collapses. While her brain doesn’t process what is happening to her, her body transforms into something else – something she has rejected, something horrific, frail, fierce, and destroyed.
• Manchester by the Sea (2016): Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is emotionally shut down, following the tragic death of his children in a house fire caused by his own negligence. Lee is so consumed by an unbearable amount of guilt that he is living in an embodied state of perpetual numbness.
• The Wrestler (2008): Mickey Rourke portrays Randy, whose body becomes a metaphor for his ruined life. His self-inflicted damage on his body as a wrestler is a physical manifestation of his self-loathing and lack of self-worth.

Reconnecting the Mind and Body

By learning to pay attention to our body’s signals in a mindful, present way, we can reconnect the mind and body. This can be achieved through practices such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. By developing greater interoceptive awareness, we can better understand our body’s internal signals and respond to them in a more intuitive and compassionate way.