You Have an Inner World.

You may not even be aware of it. Did you know that you have an inner experience that is just as real and important as your outer experience?

Your outer experience is through your five senses; it's how you experience everything you experience in the outer world through these senses- smell, taste, touch, sound and sight. Your outer experience is the feeling of the warmth of the sun or cool breeze on your skin, hearing the birds chirp or someone mowing their lawn, smelling freshly baked cookies or an evening campfire, tasting freshly brushed teeth or that first sip of your favorite beverage. Just as our five senses help us experience our outer world, your inner world also has a sense to help you experience everything within you–it's called interoception.  Interoception helps us be aware of things like how our breath feels, when we feel hungry or full, the temperature of our body, pain we experience, our heart beat. Interoception also allows us to experience or feel emotional sensations such as sadness, excitement or anxiety in our body.

When we are able to perceive and identify our internal body signals it helps us identify what we need at any given moment. Our interoception sense provides information that helps us act in ways that create stability for us physically and emotionally.  When you recognize your cues of hunger within your body you can eat to stay regulated. If you don’t eat you begin to feel dis-regulated within, light headed, shaky or maybe even hangry. 

When someone recognizes they feel emotional sensations like the sensation of sadness in their body, they can be with the sensations of sadness, express sadness and release sadness. This allows them to be able to move through the emotion so they don't stay in a dysregulated sad state. 

Our interoception sense can also signal us that something is wrong or that there is a sense of danger. We feel pain after rolling our ankle. We know we need to tend to that part of the body to help it heal. Interoception sense helps us perceive and identify when we are experiencing dysregulation so we can act and meet our needs to be able to stay regulated both physically and emotionally.

When an individual experiences a lot of physical or emotional stress they live in a dysregulated body and it begins to feel safer for them to disconnect from the inner-world and not pay attention to the interoception sensations of the body. They begin to be unaware of their physical and emotional sensations and needs. When this happens it makes it difficult to listen to, trust and interpret the signals their bodies send to help regulate their body.

When an individual experiences persistent physical pain it becomes easier to cope with the pain by ignoring, masking or disconnecting from the sensations of pain, this unfortunately can disconnect one from many of their interoception senses, not just pain. 

Also when someone experiences trauma, such as a car accident, loss of a loved one, abuse or violence, the nervous system goes into survival mode. With so many overwhelming and scary sensations inside their body all at once, they disconnect from their inner world because they don’t know how to feel and process all the overwhelming sensations that are there. It feels safer for them to stay disconnected from the interoception sensations. 

Listening to the inner world of interoception sensations can be really overwhelming and scary especially when one has experienced pain, stress and/or trauma. Yet when we only pay attention to our external world we stay in a stuck, disconnected and in a dysregulated state.

There is hope for healing and reconnecting back to the inner world and the interoception sensations so that you can feel grounded, present and at ease. This happens through building a foundation of safety, which helps regulate the body’s stress response/nervous system and builds resilience from triggered unsafe sensations within. This is key for individuals on the journey of reconnecting with their inner world of sensations. A first step to building safety is through cultivating a mindfulness mindset.

The role of mindfulness while exploring interoception safely, offers a profound pathway for individuals to begin exploring their inner world with safety and compassion. Mindfulness is  the practice of noticing what is in the present moment without judgment towards one's experiences, without trying to change the experience. This provides a framework for developing a compassionate relationship with oneself.

Mindfulness also invites individuals to approach their experiences with curiosity and gentleness, fostering a sense of openness and exploration. Instead of reacting to internal sensations with avoidance or resistance. Individuals learn to embrace curiosity, inviting a deeper understanding of the inner experience with kindness and curiosity.

Once someone has developed a mindfulness practice there are other modalities to explore that help them connect safely to their inner world. This includes somatics and other grounding exercises that help regulate the nervous system. These modalities emphasize embodiment, self-awareness, and gentle exploration of bodily sensations, empowering individuals to gradually rebuild trust with their inner world of sensation in their bodies.

Mindfulness serves as a guiding light, on the path towards inner safety in a body that carries lots of overwhelming sensations due to  stress and trauma. By embracing a mindfulness mindset individuals can cultivate a deep sense of presence, compassion, and empowerment, paving the way for profound healing and transformation. If you would like help developing this capacity to be mindful, I'd love to meet you! Contact me for a session or free consultation here: www.steyncounseling.com/andrea