Kelly Mahler is leading expert on interoception who works with adults and children to help them improve their understanding of their inner sense of self. In a recent chat with Kelly, she explained to us how interoception relates to everyday life and why it’s so important for our wellbeing. Here are four things we learnt.

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The region of the brain where interoception is controlled is called the insula cortex. Deep in the brain, it’s from here we make our decisions on how to act on information we receive from the body about our internal sensations. By understanding which parts of the brain help us to process and control interoception we can build a more detailed picture of the two-way flow of information between brain and body. Ultimately, this may help us develop better therapies and treatments for disorders where interoception is functioning poorly.

Would you like to participate in our pilot study to test a unique online training programme? We want to investigate whether internal body awareness can help improve mental health and reduce lockdown-related stress. Participants, who will take part remotely, will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 gift voucher.