Article by Dr Arielle Schwartz about 'Interoception: A Key to Wellbeing'

[Hope67]

https://drarielleschwartz.com/interoception-a-key-to-wellbeing-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.YovWgO7MIn8

I hope that link works ok.  It is an interesting article, and I particularly liked this part of it:

"Drawing your senses away from the outer world can be challenging when you have a history of trauma. When you have had to attend to your environment for extended periods of time, your attentional focus can start to feel stuck in this manner. You might find it difficult to let down your guard because you fear that you will be unable to protect yourself without it. Or you might fear that your body will begin to relax, which gives you greater access to your emotions. In short, letting go of your defenses can feel vulnerable.

One way to build your capacity for interception is by cultivating dual awareness. Dual awareness involves noticing environmental cues that let you know you are safe now while simultaneously paying attention to uncomfortable sensations or emotions for brief periods of time. For example, you might look around your healing space and focus your eyes on external cues of safety, such as the sky outside your window, until you feel calm and at ease. Then you might begin to orient your attention to your body. It can help to start by noticing the feeling in your fingers and toes or the movement of air through your nose as you breathe.

As you continue, you might feel more capable of paying attention to your internal sensations, such as the temperature of your body or the feeling of your breath moving in and out of your belly. If at any point an emotion or sensation feels overly distressing, you can return your attention to your external cues of safety. Eventually, you might feel comfortable paying attention to patterns of physical tension or the weight of any emotional burdens you carry. Most importantly, be gentle with yourself."

I know that I struggle with Interoception, so seeing an article like this is helpful to me. 

Hope 

[paul72]

thanks for sharing this Hope67
Dual awareness eh? I wonder if that is what Armee meant when she mentioned one time about one foot in the past and one out sort of thing.
I can't do this at all but this is helpful...very helpful I think. I never use external cues of safety for one.
I hope it is gently and wonderfully helpful to you  - thanks again!!!!

[rainydiary]

Thank you for sharing.  I also have a tough time with interoception and it is helpful to have resources.