Interoception
The New Yorker introduced me to the concept of interoception last week. It's simply our ability to feel what's happening inside our bodies. A "portmanteau of interior and reception." A consciousness about our own body's inner processes. A breakthrough to the surface: the body is exhausted--we think: I'm so weary, I need sleep. An unconscious knowing: our brain detects high glucose levels in our liver and releases hormones triggering metabolic changes. A response on the part of our bodies and minds to what will happen next, a forecasting of the future. This last idea confuses me: is this kind of interoception unconscious or conscious or somehow both? The article spoke of cancer, but not in the way I needed. A study suggests tumors consume huge amounts of energy and interoception might offer a way to alert us to cancer earlier. Totally unconsciously, so measured by what? Changes in blood measurements? I don't know--the research is in its infancy. What I