4 Ways to Improve Interoception Within Your Body

Interoception is the bodily sense that allows us to be in touch with what our body is communicating to us. We’re all born with an awareness of what our body is saying to us, but if there’s physical, mental, or emotional trauma or if this awareness isn’t properly nurtured, then this ability can diminish.

When someone has poor interoception, there is a disconnect from the body. This increases the risk of developing different physical and mental health conditions. Signs of poor interoception may include:¹

  • Difficulty recognizing when you’re hungry or full

  • Constipation

  • Exaggerated and abnormal responses to pain, stress, or other emotions

  • Difficulty recognizing or explaining signs of illness like fatigue, fever, headache, nausea

If you have signs of poor interoception, fortunately, there are many ways to improve interoceptive awareness within your body.

Improving interoception isn’t complicated. Our bodies come equipped with many ways to heal and increase awareness of the signals and messages the body is sending. By improving your awareness, you can then improve both your mental and physical health.

Any activity where you are able to deeply listen inside your own body will help to build interoception. 

These activities are also referred to as embodiment practices. These practices can range from exercise like yoga or breathing exercises to targeted therapies. Embodiment practices help increase the connection between the outside world and the body. 

Mindfulness practices, similar to embodiment practice, have been found to improve interoception by increasing development of the insula.² You’ll remember from my last blog that the insula is the part of the brain that acts as the “middle-man” between external and internal senses. A more developed insula can allow you to feel more connected to and aware of the messages your body is sending you. In other words, a more developed insula means improved interoception.

And improved interoception means a better relationship with your mind and body.

Therapeutic Approaches to Interoception 

While there are many different ways to improve interoception, one way to begin the journey of interoceptive awareness is to change the way your body is treated and cared for. This can include trying different types of medicinal practices, therapies, and exercises. 

Osteopathic medicine and Craniosacral therapy are bodywork practices that treat patients as a complete entity. Diagnosis and treatment involves hands-on approaches using light, gentle touch to help release tension within the body’s fascia and central nervous system. Osteopathic providers practice based off of three principles:³

  1. “The human being is a dynamic functional unit, whose state of health is influenced by body, mind, and spirit

  2. The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms and is naturally self-healing

  3. Structure and function are interrelated at all levels of the human body.”

When Osteopathy or Craniosacral therapies are used, both physical and mental ailments can be addressed. Craniosacral therapy has been associated with improvements in pain, immune system function, and mental health conditions.⁴

Other types of therapies that work within the body’s central nervous system include acupuncture and tapping exercises such as the Emotional Freedom Technique. Acupuncture and tapping exercises focus on stimulating different pressure points in the body. Doing so allows for improved connection to and peace within the body.

Exercises That Improve Interoception

One type of exercise that focuses on deep connection with the body is yoga. Yoga has been around for centuries and continues to be a powerful way to connect with your inner self. If you don’t want to go to a yoga studio, there are thousands of free or low cost yoga classes that you can take online in the comfort of your own home. 

Yoga often includes breathing techniques such as pranayama or deep breathing. Deep breathing has shown to not only affect the lungs, but it also has positive effects on the health of other organ systems throughout the body. One reason for this is stimulation of the vagus nerve.⁵

Our ability to consciously control our breathing is quite amazing. Our respiratory system is one of the only organ systems that allows us to act consciously. Other organ systems like the gastrointestinal system (stomach and intestines) function automatically, without us even thinking about it. 

For more information on the benefits of deep breathing, see my article: How Breathing Can Boost Your Immunity and Longevity.

Online Classes and Trainings for Interoception Development

For those who would like further training on interoception development, there are several online classes and training programs that I recommend. 

One type of training is called neural reprogramming or brain retraining. As humans, we have the amazing ability to connect with our mind and body through interoception. These courses offer ways to retrain our brains to be more in-tune with and aware of the messages our bodies send us. 

  • The Annie Hopper Program features a dynamic neural retraining program to help you retrain your brain to respond to stress without harming your body.

  • The Gupta Program combines training on neuroplasticity, mindfulness, and holistic health to help combat chronic illness. 

These courses are also a way to self-direct our neuroplasticity. This means that we have the power to change our wiring in our own nervous system so that we can feel, think, and act differently. The physical effects of brain retraining programs have a positive effect on digestive, neurological, immune, endocrine, and somatosensory systems of the body. 

There are others as well. One of my patients just recently let me know about one that she finds very helpful called Primal Trust. 

One of the ways that we know that the brain can be retrained is by using techniques that employ development of our intuition. For some of my patients, this is a great option for them to connect with and understand the signals that they are receiving. So I will often recommend they get more formal training with these resources: 

Additional Resources for Practicing Mindfulness and Regulating Interoception

If you find that you’re unable to carve out time for a class or training on mindfulness, there are several meditation apps that can easily be downloaded on your smartphone. 

  • Headspace: This app comes equipped with various guided meditations, courses, and mindfulness exercises. It also comes with meditations to help you achieve better sleep. 

  • Calm: This app also comes with guided medications and mindfulness exercises. They have courses and exercises geared towards specific conditions like anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and addiction. They also offer sleep stories to help you fall asleep.

  • Insight timer: If you are looking for a mindfulness app that’s completely free to use, you should give this one a try. It offers thousands of guided meditations that target anxiety, sleep, self-love, focus, and more. 

There are also several books on the topic of interoception and mindfulness. Here are just a couple. This is a growing topic of interest for many people, and there are new books coming out every day.

  • Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace by Benjamin W. Decker offers a different exercise for every day to practice mindfulness and interoception. Find it here. 

  • The Inside Story: The Surprising Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body by Dr. Susan Sands teaches us ways to have a positive body image and a deeper relationship with ourselves as we grow older. Find it here. 

There are endless ways to improve your awareness of interoception. An improved awareness of and connection with the body can offer improvements in mental and physical health.

The Benefits of Building Interoceptive Awareness

By increasing interoceptive awareness, you can become more in-tune with your body. This may look like:

  • Improved body image

  • Decreased anxiety and depression

  • Improved response to pain treatments

  • A sense of inner peace and calmness

The signals and messages our bodies send to us are important, and they are its way of speaking to us and telling us when something is wrong. We honor ourselves by listening to this. 

Tom Meyers has been studying the human body and fascia since the 70s. In his book, Anatomy Trains, he writes: 

“Fully into my seventh decade, I remain convinced that the recovery of the body—the body as a felt, lived experience, not the body as a commodity—is our most pressing opportunity from a political, environmental, and social perspective.”

The ability to become more connected to and aware of what the body is trying to tell us just may be the key to overcoming many physical and mental ailments. Practicing interoceptive awareness gives us the opportunity to heal our body and achieve true balance.