We’re all familiar with the five senses that we were taught as children – they are important ways we access and understand the world.
But did you know that there are actually 8 sensory systems?
In addition to the classic touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing senses, we also rely on our proprioceptive sense (this lets us know where our body is in space), our vestibular sense (which helps us with balance and movement), and interoception (our sense of our internal organs).
In this week’s episode of The Concussion Coach Podcast, my guest Meghan Schneider explains beautifully why interoception is so important in concussion recovery.
She has had her own experience dealing with Post Concussion Syndrome, and also has years of experience working as an occupational therapist with people suffering from PCS as well.
It may seem strange to think that knowing what your internal organs are sensing could impact your concussion recovery, but it is actually SO important!!
Many times people dealing with concussion tend to lose a sense of their body.
Whether that’s because it hurts so they try to disengage from it, or because their other senses get thrown off and therefore it’s hard to connect with the body, or because the trauma of the experience causes some dissociation, being disconnected from the body happens, and reconnecting to it is a key part of helping the nervous system feel safe, and that is key to healing.
Listen to this episode for more info on why interoception is so vital to concussion recovery.
And if you feel like you could use some guidance and help in connecting with your internal self and allowing that to progress your recovery, that’s exactly what I do! Please reach out for a free consultation!
Yours,
Bethany Lewis, OTR/L, Certified Life Coach