Embodied Trauma: The Relationship Between Interoception and Emotional Experience

Abstract

While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can manifest as a variety of different symptom profiles, many cases of the disorder involve interoceptive difficulties. The goal of this study was to further investigate the relationship between emotional embodiment and interoceptive changes often associated with traumatic events. We conducted two experiments in a sample of healthy participants (n = 48). In experiment 1, emotional embodiment was examined with a topographical body sensation mapping task (EMBODY; Nummenmaa et al., 2014). We assessed interoceptive accuracy in experiment 2 using the Heartbeat Counting Task (HBCT; Schandry, 1981) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA; Mehling et al., 2012). Trauma was measured using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire (BTQ; Schnurr et al., 1999). We hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would show abnormal embodiment of emotions as well as disrupted interoceptive awareness. Results showed slightly more diffuse embodiment of sensations in body maps of emotions and signs of altered interoception in the MAIA, but no evidence of impairments of interoceptive accuracy in the HBCT. These results offer additional evidence for the factors influencing the relationship between trauma and the development of subsequent illnesses. Clarifying this relationship has important implications for the treatment of interoceptive deficits in psychiatric disorders.