AUGUST: More Than 5 Senses
The idea that humans have five senses is a belief that dates back 2,000 years to Aristotle. Neuroscience has advanced significantly since those ancient times, now revealing that in fact we have a symphony of senses.
There are the five that we know: sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. The three we are less familiar with are vestibular (balance), proprioception, (movement), and interoception (internal autonomic systems). These body-based senses deliver information to the brain with each one focused on a specific task for human health and flourishing.
In this conversation, explore how you relate to the physical and relational world through your body’s senses.
Vision. Since the brain interprets signals and images through the eyes, reflect on how the joys and curiosities you receive through visual cues.
Smell. What memories do you strongly associate with certain olfactory responses?
Taste. How have your aspects of taste – salty, sweet, fatty, sour, savory, and umami changed over time?
Touch. How do you relate to touch in your life? What are your preferences/needs around touch in your relationships?
Hearing. Through auditory experience, the brain learns what is important and what is just noise. What is your definition of unwanted noise?
Balance, movement, and internal autonomic systems. These are monitored by the body and brain by detecting changes in the internal state and providing signals for well-being. Do you relate to these as hidden senses or active senses? How have all of your senses changed as you aged. How have you adjusted your expectations or practices to maintain sensory acuity and ability?
TakeAways.
To read more: https://www.paedsinapod.com.au/sensory-processing-and-our-8-senses-explained-yes-8-not-5/