The Role of Interoception in Felt Presence and Psychosis Risk
November 3, 2025 Anne Felsenheimer, Tatiana Baxter, Michael Sangimino et al. preprint
The sensation of a felt presence (FP) — feeling someone is nearby when no one is there — is common in healthy adults and linked to psychosis risk. This study of 55 healthy adults examined how interoception, the ability to perceive internal bodily signals, relates to FP. Participants completed a heartbeat counting task under three conditions: viewing themselves on a screen, being viewed by an experimenter, and no viewing. Those who reported FP had more psychotic experiences and experienced FP more often when alone. Being observed reduced both interoceptive accuracy and insight.