Get Out of Your Brain and Into Your Body: Interoception & Pain

Take a moment to feel what’s going on inside your body. Maybe your stomach is starting to feel hungry, or maybe it feels pleasantly full and satisfied. Maybe you don’t feel any specific area, but instead you sense a hum of life within you–your breath gently moving in and out and subtle tingles throughout your body. What’s amazing is that, while those feelings seem like they’re happening in your body, it’s not your body that’s actually feeling them! Instead, your brain is creating your experience of your body. Your brain can produce a feeling in your body, even when there is no stimulation of any part of your body. This happens, for example, when you experience butterflies in your stomach when you’re anxious or stressed. Additionally, your brain can not only make you feel something in your body when it’s not really happening (such as stomach butterflies), but it can also interpret real feelings coming from your body in emotional terms. All of this depends on your brain’s ability to sense, perceive, and model the internal physiological conditions of your body, also known as “interoception.” Understanding interoception can help you to regulate your emotions and experience less stress.