Making sense of sensation: a framework of interoceptive attribution and appraisal with clinical applications.
Hannah Savage, Anne K Felsenheimer, Vojtěch Smekal, Sarah N Garfinkel
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences November 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2025.0161 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Humans Self concept Awareness Consciousness Attention Sensation Interoception Appraisal Attribution |
| Key points | Argues that the higher-order interpretation of consciously perceived bodily signals—specifically interoceptive attribution and appraisal—is a fundamental and underexplored contributor to mental health, beyond interoceptive accuracy, attention, self-beliefs, and insight. Proposes that because these interpretive processes are accessible to cognition, they are an important target for existing psychotherapeutic interventions. |
Abstract
Interoception provides a link between bodily states and cognitive and affective processes across both unconscious and conscious domains and is fundamental for a coherent sense of self. While previous research linking interoception to mental health has predominantly focused on interoceptive accuracy, attention, self-beliefs and insight, we argue that the higher-order interpretation of consciously perceived bodily signals plays a fundamental and underexplored role in this relationship. We propose a framework delineating two higher-order processes-interoceptive attribution and appraisal-which constitute the interpretation of interoceptive sensations that reach conscious awareness. We outline key factors that modulate attention, attribution and appraisal, and evidence the relevance of this framework to mental health conditions. Given that these processes are accessible to cognition, they represent an important target for existing psychotherapeutic interventions. We integrate such interventions within our framework, highlighting their potential to enhance interoception-based therapeutic approaches. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'From being to identity: analysis and synthesis of the self'.