How to Get Control Over Your Health (What is Interoception?)
The more aware you are of your body, the more control you have over your health.
Being able to self regulate requires you to be in-tune with your body.
I have noticed over my 8 years of being a manual therapist that;
The more people can feel what is going on inside their body. Then the more they know what they need for their health.
This doesn't mean they don't need guidance, it means they understand what their body needs.
They can tell what is working and what isn't.
At times I have treated people who can't explain their symptoms at all. This makes it challenging to help them because they are unaware of what is contributing to their problem.
They keep doing the things that bring on their symptoms without even realizing it.
What Is Interoception?
Interoception is your awareness of what is going on internally in your body.
It is being aware of subtle sensory feelings inside your body.
Feelings like;
- warmth/coolness
- pain
- itch
- thirst
- heartbeat
- breath
- muscle activity
- distention of bladder & stomachs, etc.
"Interoception is a way of monitoring ourselves so that we can ease the felt pain, expand the felt joy, and make sure that we get the resources needed in any given moment." - Alan Fogel
Interception is so important to health because it is our ability to connect to our body.
To be in-tune with your body requires you to have good interoception capabilities.
We need to connect with ourselves & our body.
Lack of interoception makes it hard for us to self regulate & soothe.
Poor interoception makes it hard for us to give ourselves what we need. It can make it challenging to focus, deal with emotions and behaviours.
The good news, is you can improve your interoception. It isn't a fixed quality.
To be in control of your health & healing process, you need to have good interoception.
Your Body Is Self Healing
Our body is capable of healing itself.
Your subconscious knows what it needs to heal.
If we pay attention to body and tune in to the signals we can uncover our own healing capabilities.
“Agency” is the technical term for the feeling of being in charge of your life: knowing where you stand, knowing that you have a say in what happens to you, knowing that you have some ability to shape your circumstances… Agency starts with what scientists call interoception, our awareness of our subtle sensory, body-based feelings: the greater that awareness, the greater our potential to control our lives.” - Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Self Awareness is the key to Body Agency
The problem is people aren't body aware.
We don't pay attention to how things make us feel or when they started.
This prevents us from finding solutions for ourselves.
We say things like;
- "I don't know when this started"
- "I don't know how to explain it"
- "I don't know what makes it worse"
The disconnection of how our body feels is hindering our health.
If we want to be in control of our health and be able to give our body what it needs, we have to pay attention.
How To Control Your Health
Self-regulation is a skill that we need to learn.
You can't rely on other people or doctors to solve all your problems.
Taking self ownership is important. A lot of things we can fix on our own, if we pay attention.
The better you are at self regulating the better you are at fixing things before they become a bigger problem.
This will limit the amount of time you will need to visit professionals. And will decrease the amount of time it will take to heal.
When you know what your body needs you support it. When your body is supported it functions better.
How To Improve Interoception In Your Body
If you want to improve your interoception, work on being more mindful during your day.
Here are 6 different ways to improve interoception & connect to your body.
1. Meditation
Meditation can improve interoception by having us slow down & focus inward.
Often times breath work is also included in meditation. This has you paying attention to our inhales & exhales.
Meditation brings a pause to our everyday life and when we slow down we can really start to FEEL what we're feeling.
2. Breathwork
Breathwork like mentioned above has us focus on how our body feels when we inhale and exhale. We may notice tension or challenges when doing the exercises.
The focus on how our body feels no matter what the sensation is, allows us to have better interoception. (Plus all the other added benefits of breath work!)
3. Gentle & Slow Movement
Gentle, slow movement is easier to feel our body vs. quick movements. When we slow things down we are less likely to miss something. Same goes for movement.
This could include:
- stretching,
- restorative yoga,
- going for a walk, etc.
Try incorporating more slow movement in your days & weeks.
4. Osteopathic Manual Therapy (light touch)
Any form of light touch will improve interoception. I've said Osteopathic Manual Therapy because it generally is a lighter palpation by the practitioner (and it's what I do!).
Light pressure is harder to feel if someone is doing something vs harder pressure. Applying subtle movement & pressure, the client may or may not feel things changing or the pressure itself.
Often times when I treat people mention "it barely feels like you're doing anything!"
Other times I have people who can feel so much, which is always really cool to experience with them.
5. Massage
Massage like Osteopathy can be another way to improve interoception. The palpation, quiet space & flowing movements of massage can allow you to connect to your body.
You can also tune into different areas of tension & your breathing when you're getting a treatment.
See if you can notice differences in your body the next time you get a massage.
And if you haven't had a massage...what are you waiting for?
6. Body Scan
If you aren't familiar with a body scan, it is pretty straight forward in the name,
Basically you lay on the ground (you can also sit but I find laying down is the best). Then you allow yourself to settle and start by noticing if there is any pain or tension in your body.
This exercise to start is more about awareness rather than fixing anything. However, you can influence the different areas you notice with intention & breath.
You can also tap into your breath, heart rate, and even chaos in your mind.
It's a way for you to assess what areas might need more support & then you can decide what your body needs.
Only you can feel your body - no one else will ever know what you're feeling or experiencing.
This is why its so important to connect to your body.
If your goal is to work on improving your interoception & be more body aware. Practice mindfulness during your day, take moments to pause and check in with how you're feeling.
Work on improving your connection between your mind and your body.
You will gain more control over body & create better body agency.
Improved interoception will improve your movement & the feelings in your body.
Hopefully you found something useful in this Journal.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best on your healing journey.
- Jo
If you're needing support along your health journey, here's how you can work with me.
1:1 Manual Osteopathic Treatment (in person): We will go through an assessment and treatment based on your needs & goals.
