Interoception – Training organized by CHRC researchers brought an internationally renowned researcher to Évora

The training “Interoception: Advanced Assessment and Intervention in health” took place at the University of Évora, organized by researchers Guida Veiga, Joana Machorrinho, Graça Duarte Santos and José Marmeleira (CHRC-ESDH-UÉvora), within the scope of the call “Financial and logistic support to the organization of training activities” promoted by the CHRC Education & Training centre.

This training was held by an internationally renowned researcher, Professor Cynthia Price, from the University of Washington, director of the Center for Mindful Body Awareness, having extensive experience in body mediation interventions with vulnerable populations, such as chronic pain, trauma, abuse of substances and post-traumatic stress.

What is Interoception and what knowledge was passed on to the participants? Interoception is a natural sense in our body, responsible for sending physical signals when there is internal disruption in our body. With the current lifestyle in which stress is one of the major factors in the weakening of global health, the attention given to interoception is undue. The clear consequence is the lack of perception about our own body. This leads to various potential disorders and illnesses and the devaluation of our own well-being.

This training raised the great importance of personal self-regulation through meditative techniques targeted at each part of our body, using these tools to assist and intervene in an advanced way in the area of health and well-being. Professor Cynthia explained the importance of interoceptive awareness, through Mindufl Awarneness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) and how it is applied in the most varied health situations, whether in chronic illnesses or in behaviors that are perishable to our health, such as situations of dependence (tobacco, alcohol, etc.).

MABT was developed to explicitly teach fundamental interoceptive awareness skills and to develop the capacity for sustained attention to interoceptive experience. The MABT approach grew out of Cynthia Price's clinical work with people who were seeking emotional awareness and healing, but were disconnected from their bodies.

This training also allowed space and time to share projects and research results from CHRC members, to clarify and advance methodologies, and reflect on future projects.