Cannabis & Interoception
The Science of Feeling More Deeply
![A silhouetted figure holding up a cannabis leaf against the backdrop of a golden sunset, symbolizing nature, mindfulness, and connection. [Source: ChatGPT]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pKP6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e9b326a-b187-4906-b40a-ab5738a0dd85_3872x2592.jpeg "A silhouetted figure holding up a cannabis leaf against the backdrop of a golden sunset, symbolizing nature, mindfulness, and connection. [Source: ChatGPT]")
Interoception: The Bridge to Awareness, Energy, and Self
Interoception is the foundation of self-awareness, embodiment, and nervous system regulation. It is our ability to perceive internal bodily sensations—heartbeat, breath, tension, movement, and the subtle shifts happening within us at all times. Strengthening interoception refines our ability to feel the body deeply, navigate emotions with clarity, and sense energy as a tangible experience.
This is not just a biological function; it is a direct bridge to feeling into our own nature. The more we develop interoception, the more we notice how sensation is never separate from perception—how what we feel inside shapes how we move, think, and experience life.
Feeling Energy Through the Body
When people talk about "energy," they are often actually describing subtle interoceptive signals—tiny shifts in breath, micro-movements in muscle tone, changes in blood flow, nervous system activation, and the way the body responds before the mind catches up.
That sensation of "something shifting" in meditation or breathwork? It’s likely a change in nervous system tone, but it’s also deeply felt via interoception as what I believe to be an energetic shift.
The experience of "stuck energy" in the body? It’s often interoceptive awareness of areas where sensation has been dulled due to stress, trauma, or lack of engagement.
The feeling of "openness" or "flow" after deep presence? It’s nervous system regulation—but also a real, embodied, interoceptive experience of being aligned with something beyond thought.
Interoception is what allows us to perceive energy through the body in a way that feels real and direct. It strips away abstraction and brings awareness into the felt sense of the present moment.
![A sprawling banyan tree with intricate, interwoven roots and branches stretching in all directions, symbolizing the complexity and interconnectedness of the human nervous system. Just like the tree's vast network of roots and limbs, the nervous system extends throughout the body, transmitting signals and creating pathways for awareness and perception. [Source: ChatGPT]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l4Hg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a98f74f-bf18-41e5-9d4e-0350a1e5bba7_5961x3985.jpeg "A sprawling banyan tree with intricate, interwoven roots and branches stretching in all directions, symbolizing the complexity and interconnectedness of the human nervous system. Just like the tree's vast network of roots and limbs, the nervous system extends throughout the body, transmitting signals and creating pathways for awareness and perception. [Source: ChatGPT]")
The Nervous System as an Interface
The nervous system is constantly interpreting internal signals. Whether we are aware of it or not, our body is always in communication with us—responding to our environment, emotions, and even the subtleties of thought.
When we bring focused awareness to these sensations, we increase interoceptive precision.
As interoception strengthens, we move from reacting unconsciously to feeling and responding with clarity.
Over time, this creates a more refined sensitivity to the signals within us, making it easier to recognize what is truly in alignment and what is not.
This is where mysticism meets physiology—because at a certain point, interoception isn’t just about sensing bodily signals. It becomes a direct experience of how energy, awareness, and physicality are woven together.
Breath as a Tool for Interoceptive Awareness
Breath is one of the most powerful gateways to refining interoception. Breath is not just mechanical; it is a direct signal to the nervous system and a carrier of awareness.
When we breathe with intention, we are activating neural pathways that strengthen interoception.
Practices like Central Channel Breathing (by Dr. Sue Morter) or sensing breath movement along different biological layers and systems of the body (as described by Dr. Fleet Maull in his Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness) help us feel energy as sensation, rather than just a concept.
Directing breath into areas of the body with low interoceptive awareness creates more presence, more openness, and more access to subtle perception.
Breath is how we train the mind to feel into what is already happening—not forcing change, but noticing what is present and allowing it to move.
![A pair of hands gently cradling a vibrant cannabis plant, symbolizing connection, care, and the plant’s role in healing and awareness. The tattoo on one wrist reads 'come what may,' adding a sense of trust in the natural process. [Source: ChatGPT]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GIGY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa969a3a1-1c05-4e61-9d6f-be8dea1f3588_5635x3762.jpeg "A pair of hands gently cradling a vibrant cannabis plant, symbolizing connection, care, and the plant’s role in healing and awareness. The tattoo on one wrist reads 'come what may,' adding a sense of trust in the natural process. [Source: ChatGPT]")
Cannabis as an Ally in Interoceptive Awareness
Cannabis has a unique ability to open the doorway to deeper interoceptive awareness, making it an incredible ally for those looking to cultivate a stronger relationship with their body’s signals.
Research suggests that cannabis modulates sensory gating—loosening the brain’s usual filters on internal and external stimuli. This means that under its influence, we perceive bodily sensations with greater clarity, depth, and nuance—allowing us to explore the landscape of our nervous system in real-time.
Rather than introducing something foreign, cannabis amplifies what is already present—the breath, the heartbeat, the subtle tensions, and the shifts in sensation that we might otherwise overlook. This makes it an incredible tool for developing refined interoceptive awareness, particularly when paired with intentional practices like breathwork, meditation, or movement.
Under cannabis, from my own personal experience and the experience of others I’ve witnessed, people report:
A heightened ability to track internal sensations, from the movement of breath to the shifting of tension.
Greater clarity in emotional states, as feelings become more pronounced in the body.
A sense of energy moving through them, which is often the brain perceiving interoceptive and nervous system shifts more vividly.
This is where cannabis becomes more than just an enhancer—it becomes a teacher. By revealing how interoceptive signals naturally flow, it helps us develop the skill of sensing them sober. Over time, this practice strengthens our ability to feel deeply, regulate more intuitively, and trust the body’s innate intelligence.
Cannabis doesn’t replace interoception—it helps us remember how to listen. And when used with intention, it can be a profound support in returning to a state of embodied presence, where the wisdom of the body is no longer abstract but deeply felt.
![A rooftop scene at twilight with streaks of glowing light trails weaving through the air, creating a dynamic, energetic effect against a starry sky and sunset horizon. [Source: ChatGPT]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PaFm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01955b2f-27f1-40da-a6a1-59dbd15e7f9f_5477x3651.jpeg "A rooftop scene at twilight with streaks of glowing light trails weaving through the air, creating a dynamic, energetic effect against a starry sky and sunset horizon. [Source: ChatGPT]")
Interoception, Energy, and Self-Alignment
Strengthening interoception is not just a practice of awareness—it is a return to alignment. When we feel more, we understand ourselves at a deeper level. When we become attuned to the body’s internal guidance, we start recognizing:
What environments, relationships, and practices support our well-being.
When something feels off, even before the mind rationalizes it.
How to trust our own felt sense as a guide, rather than seeking external validation.
At this level, interoception isn’t just about bodily awareness—it is about coherence between mind, body, and deeper intelligence.
And this is where it becomes a direct path to knowing our true nature—because the more we refine this awareness, the more we experience ourselves as something beyond thoughts, beyond conditioning, beyond limitation.
The body is a portal. Interoception is the key.
Final Thoughts
To me this is a beautiful dance between science and spirituality - it’s recognizing that deep interoceptive awareness naturally leads to experiences that feel both physiological and transcendent.
The nervous system is the mechanism.
The body is the gateway.
Awareness is the integration that facilitates movement through the portal into an experience of what it means to be human beyond our physical senses.
And through interoception, we refine our ability to sense, understand, and navigate energy in a way that is not abstract, but deeply felt, deeply real, and deeply embodied.
Deep gratitude to all of my teachers and to all of the people working to restore the sanctity of Cannabis sativa.
wow Belle! so insightful and inspiring. I love that your work is thoroughly researched AND deeply personal. thank you for sharing YOU.