Differential changes in self-reported aspects of interoceptive awareness through 3 months of contemplative training
Frontiers in Psychology January 6, 2015 Boris Bornemann, B. Herbert, W. Mehling et al.
A 3-month contemplative intervention involving daily Body Scan and Breath Meditation improved five of eight measured aspects of interoceptive body awareness (IA) in 148 participants, compared to a retest control group. The strongest improvements occurred in regulatory aspects—how the body is used for self-regulation in daily life—while the Noticing aspect (awareness of bodily changes) showed no significant change. Participants with low baseline IA changed most. Practice duration weakly predicted individual differences, but liking the practices and integrating them into daily life predicted changes on most scales. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) questionnaire, tested in a German version with 1,076 participants, showed good reliability and validity.