Published on 12, July, 2020
Example 1: At my last psych appointment the pdoc said I looked happy. I didn't think I was.
Example 2: Was recently seen at main hospital emergency department because of chest pains. Tests were ok, but BP was higher than normal . Had to go for follow up the next day . Doctor said it had been raised because I was anxious. Apparently my pulse rate was fast. I hadn't noticed I was anxious.
I don't think it happens all the time ie I sometimes know when I'm anxious etc .
Hmm interesting reading this post and some of the replies.
I always describe myself as someone who feels very intensely.
But I wonder if it’s more that I don’t recognise it till it’s overloaded me and it has become too intense?
A question I almost always evade is, “how are you?” Or “how have you been doing?” Because either i’m unsure how to respond because I realise I don’t know how I feel, or i’m Feeling too much and too scared to answer because I don’t want them knowing some of the horrible thoughts I have in my head.
Intesnse feelings....I feel this is something I can relate to. I feel that quite a lot it's "all or nothing". I think I might have been seen as a bit of a drama queen by my parents when younger, I dont know.
A few years ago my partner and I were looking at houses. We saw one, he really liked it. I went along with it and after the second viewing on the way home we decided to go for it. I got home and threw the ironing basket and broke it. Like an outburst as I had all these feelings inside. It wasn't about getting my own way it was about getting my feelings out the only way I knew. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to buy this house. At no point did it ever occur to me to say "no I don't want to move there". I don't don think it even occurred to me that I felt that way. We didn't buy it in the end due to the survey. It was only about 2 years later I realised I am an adult and I have the agency to speak out if it's something I don't want to do.
Hi... I am no expert but have read and studied quite a lot about interoception which is basically our brains ability to process signals from the body.
Sensory integration theory links this with the ability to accurately perceive and differentiate the subtle signals from our body (the changes in physiological state) that are linked with emotion and physical wellbeing for example:
Like our other sensory systems there appears to be some differences in the way that we perceive and process sensory information (which Interestingly also became part of this thread) so it would make sense that there may be differences that we process interception.
Like the other senses we may be over (feeling every signal from our body really strongly) or under sensitive to (not getting enough of a signal) interception and have difficulty with discrimination (i.e. We might feel the sensation but have difficulty interpreting what it is)
This theory makes a lot of sense to me because I struggle to feel when I am full or hungry (until extreme states) and I also struggle to identify or feel most emotions. I find it difficult to differentiate between emotional pain and physical pain too. For example I had a head ache the other day (I think) and was being really impatient with people, but it wasn't until my colleague who knows me well suggested that I might be in pain and to take some ibuprofen that I worked out this was actually the cause.
I also no some people that are highly responsive to interception and can literally feel every sensation from their body and they really struggle with massive swings in emotional states throughout the day.
I would be interested in what others think about this theory.