The Embodied Self: Somatic Sensory Processing & Integrative Processing in the Sense of Self
Sexuality is an embodied experience, rooted in right-brain, non-linear, subjectivity (Klein, 1991). It is a complex interplay of conscious and subconscious processes. Increasing awareness is a critical aspect for individuals to be able to understand and communicate their felt experience effectively. Taking responsibility (response-ability) for one’s sexuality- and maybe even to experience empowerment through sexual pleasure- is contingent upon recognizing the ability to make choices and understanding the external forces that shape them. Open awareness practices, such as the Wheel of Awareness, may support this endeavor.
Informed by Panksepp’s Nested BrainMind Hierarchies (Panksepp et al., 2014), Kearney and Lanius (2022) proposed a model of somatic sensory information processing and how their neurobiological pathways contribute to emerging primordial self, laying the foundation for higher forms of affective and embodied self. They depicted the interconnections of sensory processes, relational processes, autonomic and affective arousal, and the experience of self in the world. Subjectivity arises from integrating multimodal sensory stimuli, resting on the connectivity between lower, mid, and higher brain areas.
Somatic Sensory Processing is a major contributor to regulatory, socio-emotional, and self-referential functioning. It is a hierarchical flow between somatic, sensory, limbic, and neocortical mechanisms. Integration is what generates the sense of a relational and agentive self.
Somatic processing is “the capacity to register, organize, and modulate incoming sensory information from the internal or external milieu, where it is then integrated with sensory input from other modalities and utilized to guide a goal-oriented behavioral response” (Kearney & Lanius, 2022, p.12). Experience may be reflected in alterations to neural pathways reflected by differential processing. This may cause a bias in processing. For example, those who have experienced trauma may have alteration to multisensory processing, which affects higher-order cognition, emotion, social capacities, and their sense of self.
The embodied, reflective, agentive self grounded in somatic sensory integration. A hierarchical model of somatosensory processing and its influence on arousal, ultimately meeting the higher-order self-referential processing and bodily self-consciousness. Left side: neurodevelopmental vertical integration leads to horizontal integration of the cortex. Right side: hierarchical complexity of selfhood.
The sense of primordial self (subconscious) as it relates to the physical environment lies at brainstem-level. Sensory processing mediates arousal, meeting affect at the midbrain PAG, giving rise to the raw affective self. Here, the SN allows for switching between salience detection and self-referential processing within the cortical midline structures (DMN).
The DMN interacts with other ICN to influence behavioral states. Integration from cortical midline to lateral structures elaborate on self-referential processing, giving rise to the embodied, reflective, agentive sense of higher self which is anchored in the body.
CEN, central executive network; DMN, default mode network; ICN, intrinsic connectivity network; PAG, periaqueductal gray; SN, salience network. Source
Somatosensory System
The somatosensory system (skin, muscles, and joints) detects light touch, deep pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioceptive input. It contributes to interoceptive and exteroceptive processing and impacts higher order awareness of bodily states and the external environment (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). Somatosensory pathways contribute to the body’s schema, the perceptual representation of the body.
The sense of the physical body in space- proprioception- is mediated by Golgi tendon bodies in the joints and muscle spindle fibers in muscle tissue and informs of joint position and muscle fiber recruitment (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). Skin mechanoreceptors respond to changes in joint angles when the skin stretches. Proprioceptive signals from the neck, trunk, and limbs are integrated with vestibular input at the brainstem level. This system is crucial for motor coordination, adapting to the environment, and regulating arousal via the reticular activating system. Its projection to the cortex via the thalamus provides support for its role in awareness and voluntary control over the body.
Somatosensory processing nodes are widespread in the brain. It has been suggested to be connected to phylogenetically older pathways that are vital for survival, especially in the maintenance of homeostasis and responses to threats. In short, somatosensory processing contributes to the embodied sense of self, of being alive in one’s body.
Mindful Pause
Look around and notice details (sight). Listen to the sounds. Feel textures of your clothes and temperature. Notice the taste in your mouth. Inhale deeply to appreciate different scents. This quick practice grounds you in the present moment.
Vestibular System
Grounding, orienting, and centering exercises provide stimulation for vestibular processes, which are intrinsically connected to the sense of safety. The vestibular system is associated with body awareness, spatial processing/memory, arousal modulation, first-person perspective, and social cognition (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). It is innervated with widespread systems in the brain and body, including the heart, lungs, and brain regions from the cerebellum (balance, coordination, and emotion processing) to midbrain and multisensory integration areas of the cortex.
Vestibular stimulation has been associated with quieting the mind’s chatter and supporting individuals’ ability to be present and create a sense of tranquility (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). This is reflected in ancient practices such as yoga, qigong, and tai chi. This input has been correlated to motor control, regulation of autonomic arousal of respiration and blood pressure, emotional regulation, social cognition, and a coherent representation of the body. The vestibular system plays an important role in multisensory binding, giving rise to the unified experience that underlies self-representation and self-awareness. It plays a crucial role in perception and purposeful behavior, helping modulate sensory integration through balancing internal and external demands.
Gravitational forces contribute afferent input to the vestibular nuclei. Integration with somatosensory input occurs via the cerebellum, reticular formation, and spinal afferent tracts. Efferent projections from the vestibular nuclei influence muscular extension and postural control. Reciprocal connections with the cerebellum, especially its flocculonodular lobe, facilitate feedback-feed-forward mechanisms for motor coordination. Ascending vestibular projections modulates arousal and orienting responses before reaching higher cortical structures. Ultimately, vestibular projections to the cortex contribute to cognitive processes like the sense of agency, first-person perspective, social cognition, and bodily self-consciousness. RAS, Reticular activating system; SC, Superior colliculi. Found in Kearny and Lanius, 2022, page 4.
Mindful Pause
The Importance of Touch
Developmentally, the skin and the nervous system start from the embryonic ectoderm, later differentiating into ectoderm and neuroectoderm, respectively (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). While the neural pathways of affective touch are still being elucidated, the CT-afferent pathways are innervated with the posterior insula, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and the hypothalamus (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). Based on evidence of decreases in pleasantness ratings because of damage to the right insula- as well as for those with PTSD or a history of trauma- finding non-pharmacological and non-invasive ways of stimulating the insula is a worthy endeavor in sex research.
Specialized mechanoreceptors detect touch, later categorizing it into non-affective or affective touch, a capacity present at birth. Affective touch is transmitted through CT-afferent pathways, which prefer gentle, stroking, skin-temperature touch on hairy skin regions. These pathways transmit information and selectively activate the posterior insula (PI). This type of touch relates to positive affect, reduced heart rate, improved interoceptive awareness, lower defenses, and proximity-seeking behaviors mediated by oxytocin release. Deep touch pressure and vibration contribute to autonomic arousal, decreasing sympathetic arousal and increased parasympathetic activity.
Pleasantness from affective touch is linked to improved autonomic regulation in newborn humans and animals (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). From birth, humans depend on co-regulatory processes for survival and emotional well-being (‘somatic co-embodiment’). The sense of self arises in this context. Integrative relationships- where the differences between caregivers and child are honored and linked- give rise to integrative brain regions and a coherent sense of self.
Positive forms of touch, such as hugging, cuddling, or holding hands, provide emotional benefits by reducing stress and promoting stronger social bonds. Pleasant touch has been shown to trigger the release of hormones in the brain, enhancing social interactions and contributing to improved mental well-being (Liu et al., 2022). During early mother-infant interactions, nonverbal communication, particularly through touch, plays a pivotal role in expressing affection.
Somatosensory systems, mediated by early attachment patterning, provide a foundation for vertical and horizontal integration in the brain. Input from vestibular, tactile, and proprioceptive systems drive neurodevelopmental processes including emotional regulation, motor planning, sense of time, agency, and a sense of embodiment. Healthy development relies on an attuned, secure attachment figure. Lack of safety and nourishment such as in circumstances of abuse and/or neglect result in fragmented and disintegrated brainstem-level sensory integration, causing a cascading effect on higher order capacities of limbic and cortical brain regions. Source
Research underscores the significance of early physical contact in fostering positive neurodevelopmental outcomes, such as stabilized heart rate, regulated arousal, reduced infection risk, and enhanced regulatory and social learning abilities (Wigley et al., 2022). Tactile-rich grooming stimuli in young rats is correlated with increased receptor levels of oxytocin, enhanced oxytocin neural firing, and pro-social behaviors in adulthood. The disruption of these patterns, such as neglect and abuse, has a profound impact on the developing mind. Individuals who report lower levels of positively valenced affectionate touch during childhood experience a blunted sensitivity to the social value of touch and lower blood plasma oxytocin levels (Kearney & Lanius, 2022).
In infancy, attuned caregiving involves somatic sensory experiences like rocking, swaddling, and bodily contact and includes a recognition of which rhythmic patterns of movement and touch are needed to downregulate distress and upregulate positive arousal. These processes give rise to the establishment of secure attachments and self-regulation capacities. Synchronous movement, touch, and warmth are developmentally crucial sensory experiences (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). These early caregiver-infant interactions shape intersubjectivity and affect regulation, facilitated by mirroring neuron systems and other brain networks (Siegel, 2020).
The Salience Network
The salience network is activated when stimuli reach a threshold that orients our attention. This network plays a role in adaptive switching between central executive network (CEN)- involved in focused attention- and the default mode network (DMN)- related to introspective self-referential thought, autobiographical memory processing, and socio-emotional processes primary in midbrain structures. The Central Executive Network (CEN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN) are mutually inhibitory.
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a node in this network, which is activated by unexpected, intense, or instinctually relevant sensory or emotional input. It sends projections to various brainstem regions, including the pontine and medullary reticular formation, superior colliculus, and inferior colliculus (Kearney & Lanius, 2022). It also integrates affective valence signals- positive or negative- from descending limbic inputs originating in the amygdala, hypothalamus, insula, and posterior cingulate. Importantly, the PAG communicates information to the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, contributing to the formation of the salience network. Its top-down projections are pivotal in influencing contextual appraisal and maintaining homeostasis, particularly in modulating fear responses through the amygdala-hypothalamus-PAG circuit, defined by Panksepp (1998) as the FEAR system.
Our socio-emotional circuitry is built upon vestibular and somatosensory systems. These new systems, limbic and neocortical structures, have given rise to an increased capacity to act upon the environment, rather than being a passive recipient of sensory stimuli. The influence of the older structures must not be underestimated.
During a Sensate Focus exercise, individuals are instructed to pay attention to sensations such as pressure, temperature, and texture. Such exercises minimize the activation of the default mode network (reflected by lower distractions such as self-referential thoughts). This has the potential to help decrease performance anxiety, sexual shame, and other experiences that present an obstacle to experience desire, arousal, pleasure, and satisfaction.
Integrative Processes
Multisensory integrative processes, grounded in our present moment experiences with the environment and physiological states, interact with these other networks that relate to our affective experience and past learning. Stress modulation rests on attachment functioning and the ability- or lack thereof- to search for a co-regulating Other or activate neural circuitry involved in self-regulating mechanisms. The neurobiological pathways briefly discussed above suggest how differing stimuli are contextualized to detect safety and treat cues.
Under ideal circumstances, these systems facilitate homeostatic functions, and their optimal operation fosters a felt sense of relational security with oneself, the environment, and others. Sensory systems are an important element in comprehending issues related to sexual functioning and formulating interventions. The way individuals interpret and attribute meaning to these somatosensory experiences unveils their implicit sexual scripts, providing discernible opportunities for targeted interventions.
We’re at once a subjective body and an object for others. Social norms attempt to denote value and practices to guide conduct, defining what is “conventional” or “deviant”. Laws and regulation reflect the prevailing norms and values, determining which acts, relationships, bodies, people, and identities are deemed legitimate or not. Deviating from accepted practices-and identities-may be stigmatized and become subject to judgment and shaming (West & Zimmerman, 1987).
Sex is an embodied practice that unfolds in interactions (Bosman, Spronk, & Kuipers, 2019). Relying on sensorimotor processes, the mind orients itself in relation to the physical surroundings and the presence of others. The union between mind and body gives rise to higher-order cortical functioning, making humans capable of volitional thought and action.
However, Sexual Scripts serve as a point of reference to compare, contrast, and construct meaning. This process affects personal experiences as it may constrict individuals’ free, embodied expression of their sexuality. "Erotic disembodiment," stemming from societal shame around sex, may physically manifest as discomfort during sex. According to Simon and Gagnon (1974), while deviating from conventional norms- whether in fantasy or reality- may evoke feelings of guilt and anxiety, but it is also where the shadowy realm of erotism lives.
Both pleasure-informed sex therapies and trauma-informed somatic therapies share a common focus on the body as crucial for wellbeing (Darnell, 2021). The capacity for mindfulness, presence, and erotic charge involves the integration of mind, body, and environment. Combining bottom-up with top-down strategies facilitates vertical and horizontal integration. Paying attention to the quality of somatic input with presence and intention streghtens the brain-mind-body connection and enhances individuals' capacity to implement effective cognitive strategies for top-down regulation. Harnessing the Hebbian principle, “neurons that fire together, wire together,” one can create restorative experiences.
Movement-based interventions encourage a reconnection with felt bodily experiences. Pairing these with touch in a positively valenced context may also aid in the repair of attachment disruptions. These restorative experiences may lead to an upstream regulation of arousal, affect, stimuli modulation, and increased embodied capacities. Integrating mindfulness-based exercises such as the Wheel of Awareness and Sensate Focus while creating a context that facilitates a sense of safety and connection has the potential to foster sexual pleasure.
Integrating open and focused awareness practices, yoga, and a sensate focus approach helps participants discover how their sexual scripts play out in their bodies and interactions. This is a neurobiologically informed approach from a somatic sensory processing perspective. Through the practice of being fully connected to the present moment, individuals grow their capacity to identify somatic cues that relate to shifts in arousal. Attunement to somatosensory and affective experiences facilitates a mind-body connection that provides a foundation for an embodied sense of self capable of enjoying more pleasurable experiences, communicating their needs, and enjoying connecting with others.