Examples of Hijacked Interoception

Commenting on the question of how we hijack our own interoceptive signals to get our needs met, Alex Toenniges gave two interesting examples. One comes from her experience as a bassoonist. Apparently, when students are running out of breath and can't make it to the next inhale, they'll make a 'mistake' that then allows them to stop and catch their breath. They don't just stop, breathe, and say 'oops, sorry, I didn't pace that right.' This 'mistake' isn't conscious, but it is effective if you want to get enough oxygen! Alex also talked about childhood asthma and her visits to the school nurse. Twenty years later, Alex was chatting with her former nurse, who asked how the asthma was, and Alex said "I'm not sure how many of those asthma attacks were me needing a mental health break." Not conscious, but effective. I'll add my own story: once in high psychospiritual drama I vowed to do whatever my 'inner voice' would tell me to, so I sat and I meditated, ready for anything, and what I got was 'can we please have a drink of water?' I still laugh at myself when I think about it. But there's something serious there, too. What taught me to ignore my own thirst? What about our culture told Alex she couldn't just say 'hey, I need a mental health break'? Why can't we just say 'oops, I needed a bassoon breath I didn't plan for properly'? The answer? Oh, lots and lots and lots of lessons of that type come our way…

With thanks to Alex Toenniges. autisticsomatics.com