Beyond Gut Feelings: Discovering the Power of Interoception to Understand Yourself Better

The Relationship Maze

Welcome to another episode of The Relationship Maze! In today's exploration, we delve into the concept of interoception and its impact on our lives. Hosted by Tom and Angela, this episode explores our experiences of the world through our internal (biological) sensations and how these can affect us profoundly psychologically, often without conscious awareness.
We perceive signals from our bodies that tell us something about our feeling states, our moods, our dispositions or our levels of stress. Interoception refers to our brain’s perception of our bodily state: our ability to sense and interpret what is happening internally, including our hunger levels, emotions, and bodily sensations. Why does interoception matter? Studies have shown that sensitivity to interoceptive signals in our body can determine our capacity to regulate our emotions. If we can regulate emotions better, we struggle less with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Join us as we discuss the importance of improving our interoception and how higher levels of awareness can contribute to more balance in our life and ultimately to creating more fulfilling relationships. Plus, be sure to visit our website, therelationshipmaze.com, where you will find an abundance of free resources and our online course, The Relationship Maze.
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[00:00:02] The importance of understanding interoception's impact.

[00:05:15] Interoception: distorted awareness, usefulness, and problems.

[00:09:46] Distinguishing thoughts and bodily sensations is important.

[00:11:57] Interoception aids in understanding internal experiences.

[00:13:52] Reacting to threats, triggers from past conditioning.

[00:17:12] Awareness of sensations helps step back from emotion.

[00:21:01] Unconscious tension builds throughout the day, but noticing can release it.

[00:23:22] Stress management courses show mind-body connection.