Neuroception refers to the body-to-brain processes that evaluate external and internal cues to detect and distinguish safe from dangerous or life-threatening stimuli – both situational and relational.
It is a term coined by Stephen Porges to delineate our innate capacity to sense – at a physiological level – safety, danger, or life threat. This includes our implicit ability to be alert and socially engaged or disengaged as we navigate the World around us.
More specifically, neuroception is that which scans our Self, Others, and the World for cues of safety or danger. As cues arise, our system reflexively responds by shifting autonomic states to manage the situation effectively. This may mean a transition from the parasympathetic state of social engagement to a sympathetically activated state of mobilisation; if the danger is inescapable, the system may shift further into a parasympathetic state of immobilisation and social withdrawal.
Neuroception initiates a physiological signal – a sensation – that precedes both perception and interpretation, setting the foundation for how we come to relate to our environment, to Others, and to our Self.
