Awareness is Like A Nesting Doll

Photo by Joice Rivas

Awareness is a multilayered experience, much like a nesting doll. At the most apparent level, we develop proprioception, our ability to sense where our body is in space and how it moves. As we refine this skill, we gain access to the deeper layer of interoception, which allows us to tune into our internal states, such as our heartbeat, breath, and gut feelings. With an even more refined awareness, we can start to perceive our thoughts and emotions—what I like to call egoception. Each layer builds upon the previous one, leading to a more profound understanding of ourselves. Let’s explore these concepts in depth.

Proprioception: Your Body’s Position Sense

Proprioception is what we commonly refer to as body awareness—the ability to perceive our body's position and movement in space. This sensory system relies on signals from muscles, tendons, and joints to help us coordinate movement and maintain balance. Without proprioception, simple tasks like walking, reaching for an object, or even standing upright would be significantly more challenging.

Examples of Proprioception in Action:

• Walking in the Dark: Even with your eyes closed, you can move without constantly looking at your feet.

• Typing on a Keyboard: Your fingers know where the keys are without looking at them.

• Yoga and Athletic Performance: Athletes and dancers refine their proprioception to enhance coordination and control.

• Closing Your Eyes and Touching Your Nose: This common test demonstrates your body's ability to sense limb position.

Proprioception is trainable and can be improved through balance exercises, strength training, and activities that challenge spatial awareness, such as yoga or tai chi.

Interoception: The Inner Sense of Self

Interoception is the ability to perceive internal bodily sensations such as heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and even intuition or "gut feelings." This sensory system helps regulate vital functions and plays a significant role in emotional awareness.

Examples of Interoception in Action:

• Feeling Your Heartbeat After Exercise: The ability to detect an increased pulse after physical exertion.

• Recognizing Hunger or Fullness: Knowing when you need to eat or stop eating.

• Noticing Emotional Reactions: A racing heart when anxious or butterflies in the stomach when nervous.

• Tuning Into Your Breath: Becoming aware of shallow breathing during stress and consciously deepening it to relax.

• Following Your Intuition: Recognizing a strong gut feeling about a person or situation and trusting that instinct.

Interoception is closely linked to emotional regulation. People with heightened interoceptive awareness can better identify and manage their emotions by recognizing how their body responds to different stimuli. Practices like meditation, deep breathing, and body scanning can help strengthen interoceptive awareness.

Egoception: The Awareness of Thought and Emotion

Egoception is a conceptual term that encompasses the ability to observe thoughts, emotions, and their impact on the body. While not a formal scientific term, egoception captures the essence of metacognition—the awareness of one's thought processes and emotional states.

Examples of Egoception in Action:

• Mindfulness Meditation: Observing thoughts without attachment and recognizing their influence on physical sensations.

• Cognitive Reframing: Noticing negative self-talk and shifting it to a more constructive mindset.

• Emotional Intelligence: Understanding how anger manifests as tension in the shoulders or sadness as heaviness in the chest.

• Decision-Making: Recognizing internal biases and their effect on choices and judgments.

Egoception bridges the gap between physical and mental awareness, fostering a deeper connection between body and mind. By refining proprioception and interoception, one can cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness and emotional resilience.

Body awareness unfolds in layers, much like a nesting doll, moving from the most gross to the most subtle. Proprioception forms the foundation, giving us a sense of movement and spatial orientation. As we refine this skill, interoception becomes more accessible, allowing us to tune into our internal states and gut feelings. Finally, as our interoceptive awareness strengthens, we develop the capacity for egoception—an awareness of thoughts and emotions as they arise in the body. By deepening each of these layers, we cultivate a richer, more integrated sense of self, enhancing both our physical and emotional well-being.