Interoception & Trauma Summit Feb 27th & 28th

[dollyvee]

Ooof so not quite sure to put this one, but received this email this morning about the above summit that really sparked my interest as somatic healing is something I want to do more of. Not sure on pricing etc, but seems to be a free sign up if you attend "in person" online and don't request any recordings. I just copied and pasted, so the layout might be a bit wonky.


Today, we have a short article for you from Tracy Jarvis, who was a lead teacher in our last edition of the Integrating Somatic Techniques in Therapy training.

Tracy is a psychotherapist and a trainer of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and is currently researching interoception and its applications in therapy. Enjoy!

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When we talk about trauma, we often focus on memory, attachment, and meaning.

But underneath all of it is interoception, the ongoing perception of signals arising from within the body: heart rate, breath, muscle tension, gut sensation, temperature shifts, subtle visceral cues. These signals form much of the raw material from which emotion is constructed.

Emotion is not just a story or a cognition. It is a patterned interpretation of bodily change.

From a trauma-informed and parts-oriented perspective, this becomes especially important:
Some parts amplify internal signals, scanning intensely for cues of danger
Some dampen or mute sensation to prevent overwhelm
Some organize perception around learned expectations, so the body feels what it has historically needed to feel in order to survive

In this way, interoception is not merely "accurate" or "inaccurate." It is adaptive. It reflects learning. The nervous system predicts what sensations mean based on prior experience, particularly relational and traumatic experience, and those predictions shape what is consciously felt.
This has several clinical implications:

Prediction shapes perception. Clients often experience what their system anticipates rather than what is strictly occurring physiologically. A slight increase in heart rate may be experienced as panic, excitement, shame, or threat, depending on context and parts activation

Attention is not the same as attunement. Simply directing attention toward the body does not automatically increase regulation. For trauma survivors, unstructured attention can intensify protective activation. Regulated interoceptive awareness requires pacing, safety, and sufficient Self-leadership

Signal and noise are learned categories. What one part experiences as intolerable noise (e.g., visceral activation), another part may need to access as a meaningful signal. Helping parts differentiate these layers is often more useful than increasing raw sensation.

Embodiment is relational. The capacity to stay with internal sensation develops within safety. Without relational support, internally and externally, turning toward the body can feel exposing rather than regulating

When we understand interoception as a dynamic learning system shaped by trauma, attachment, and protective organization, we move beyond simplistic models of "disconnect" and instead work with how the system has intelligently adapted.

For those who want to explore this more deeply: at the upcoming free Interoception & Trauma Summit (Feb 27–28), we're sharing two bonus interviews with leading researchers on how interoceptive processing develops, how it's measured, and what it means clinically for trauma work. These interviews are available to registered participants, with lifetime access included in the VIP package.

Register for the summit here.

Warmly,
Tracy Jarvis, Co-Founder & The Interoception International Summit Team
Interoception International