What’s the Connection Between Interoception & Alexithymia?
If Alexithymia is a surface term, then something deeper must be at play. Over the last few years, researchers have found that interoception is the underlying neurobiological cause or the foundation of the Alexithymia experience.
Interoception is a sense that allows us to feel our feels and notice the internal sensations inside our bodies. These internal sensations provide valuable clues to our emotions. For example, I’ve learned over time that a tight feeling in my chest and a rolling feeling in my stomach are clues that I’m feeling anxious. My body provides me with clues about my emotional experience. My ability to notice and interpret my body sensations (something that I’ve worked very hard on!) allows me to be more clearly aware of when I feel anxious and, in turn, manage my anxiety more effectively.
Each person has a unique interoception experience, and personal body clues for anxiety will likely be different from my clues. But what we do know from interoception research is that the ability to notice and interpret our body sensations leads to a clearer understanding and awareness of our emotions.
So, if our interoceptive body sensations are providing valuable clues to our emotions, it stands to reason that someone that has difficulty identifying their emotions (aka Alexithymia) might be experiencing a breakdown in their interoceptive awareness. And this is exactly what emerging science supports. So if you, a client, or a loved one has Alexithymia, an interoception-based approach is a must!
