The Inner Sense Driving Your Thoughts

While hiking and allowing his mind to wander, Alex Messenger suddenly started to notice his body. "My breath quickened, my eyes widened, my pulse doubled immediately, my airways opened." It took some time for his conscious brain to catch up in time to see a 600 pound bear that "swatted him to the ground with a blinding blow to the head." Alex survived and, looking back, wondered how his body knew danger was coming before any of his five senses, and long before he was consciously aware of the bear. BBC Correspondents, Matt Warren and Miriam Frankel, highlight Alex's experience and numerous other examples, research, and studies from their book about the inner sense called interoception defined as "our ability to perceive and interpret signals coming from within our own bodies." Most of us may notice a speeding heart, nervous butterflies, or hunger, but there are many other more subtle messages our bodies are communicating that could prove beneficial. Mysteries remain and messages are subject to interpretation and context, yet we could all benefit from listening to our bodies. One researcher recommends meditation as a way to begin. "One thing you're doing when you learn to meditate is to pay attention to your body, to what's happening in your body..."

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