Neuroception
By Jessica Jordan, MS, OTRL/L
What Is Neuroception?
Neuroception is an automatic neural process of evaluating risk in the environment and adjusting our physiological response to deal with potential risks subconsciously. This process allows us to scan the environment for safety and danger continuously without noticing.
Neuroception vs. Perception
Neuroception involves brain processes that work outside of conscious awareness. These determinations can occur quickly without your awareness.
In comparison to perception, which involves conscious thought. It relies on the organization & interpretation of sensory information from our environment.
Neuroception of safety, danger, and life or death
If social cues trigger a neuroception of safety, our bodies enter a calm state. We feel calm and can easily engage with others socially or attend to issues.
If the cues trigger a neuroception of danger, our body becomes tense and prepares for a fight or flight response.
If the cues trigger a neuroception of life and death, then we lose social contact and our entire body becomes immobilized. In this state, our blood pressure and heart rate drop, muscles relax, and we may even have a pause in our breathing patterns!
Why This Matters
The perception of risk and safety does not have to be conscious, rather, it can subconsciously activate our automatic state, which effects our engagement in tasks, behaviors, and interactions in our world. As individuals it’s so important to understand how these underlying functions relate to our bodies and nervous system. Especially since our autonomic nervous system is always active (even when we sleep) in order to scan our environment and assess these factors at any given moment.
Where You Can Learn More
All of Dr. Stephen Porges' work on Polyvagal Theory can be found by following @polyvagalinstitute on instagram or on his website here. A specific YouTube video relating to his topic can be found here.
Resources
Li, P. (2023, April 26). Neuroception: The Brain’s subconscious threat detector. Parenting For Brain. https://www.parentingforbrain.com/neuroception/