Interoception in the age of AI

And why 'out dated' is the safest way forward

Interoception. The 8th sense, the sensory key to regulation, the basis of the ancient ‘trust your gut’, the system that literally keeps us alive and has kept humanity evolving since the beginning of time.

Interoception is the sensory system that allows us to perceive and interpret the feelings inside our body. Whether it be the physical - I’m tired, I’m hungry, I need to wee, that perfume gives me a headache, that gluten messes with my gut. Emotional - that frightens me, I’m feeling your sadness, the sound of your voice is making me nervous. Or instinctual - I knew you were going to call, this doesn’t feel right, somethings up, I think I love you.

Interoception is key to making authentic connections and friendships, aligning ourselves with what feels good, physically caring for ourselves and our needs and trusting our gut. It’s a sensory system that develops on the back of receiving sensory input from our eyes, ears, skin, nose and tongue and our brain perceiving what the info means. It requires stimulus to work. It needs practice to develop.

But how does this translate in a world in which we literally cannot believe what we see or hear anymore? AI generated content, fake news, algorhythms etc, etc. How do we and our children develop sound interoceptive systems that set our body up for detecting safety and risk, truth and falsity when our sensory receptors are literally being tricked on the daily?