The Sixth Sensory Frontier

Beyond the five commonly known and used senses, there is another one that can draw a roadmap for physical and psychological well-being

- AYESHA SINGH

You may be up to speed with all the five senses— touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. But how well can you make sense of the sixth sense —that inner state that manages body temperature, hunger, thirst, the cardiovascular system, lungs, gut, bladder and kidneys? It’s called interoception and most people are oblivious to it. “This ‘hidden’ sense processes signals from the brain to the viscera,” says Delhi-based psychologist Kunal Rastogi, who specialises in the treatment of audio-visual deficits. Interoception is crucial for promoting a sense of happiness, security and health.

To see whether or not you are in touch with it, undertake a simple experiment. Sit comfortably in a place where there is no noise. Close your eyes and become aware of your breath. Do you feel your heart beating? Can you count the number of pulsations? If you find it hard to notice this, you need to wake up. Now.

The mental goal-keeper

Most of our psychological operations are dependent on the body’s regulatory signals from the brain. Interoception facilitates this. It influences decision-making, emotional wellbeing, reflexes, urges adaptive responses, and social conduct. “Disruption leads to anxiety disorders, fluctuations in mood, erratic eating, addictions, incoherent thinking and unpredictable behaviour,” says Rastogi.