what is somasense ?

somasens = somatic sensitivity

What is somatic sensitivity ?

Somatic sensitivity corresponds to deep attunement to one's bodily experience. This enhanced level of body awareness often manifests as body experiences/sensations 'speaking loudly' in a person's consciousness, leading to a prioritization in self-care and seeking environments that support healthful embodiment.

Somatic sensitivity can mean awareness of physicality (eg. discomfort when the body is sitting on a hard chair), as well as energetic awareness conveyed through the physical vessel (such as a 'gut feeling' of safety, trust, or lack thereof) which is often called intuition.

How do I know if I am a somasensi ?

Although all beings lie somewhere on the spectrum of somatic sensitivity, when one is highly sensitive, they are an 'indicator species' that experiences an amplified awareness of somatically relevant situational factors.

This can appear as distinct preferences with regards to activities, eating habits, exercise habits, environments, and relationships. It often looks like choosing activities and situations that nourish your body and allow you to thrive and may cause you to avoid situations that feel overwhelming or do not take into account your bodily needs.

There are many types of somasenses - this site hopes to develop a quiz that will help determine your personalized somasens profile.

For example, if you are sound somasensi, you may always carry earplugs with you, or avoid loud spaces such noisy bars which may give you a headache and an uncomfortable buzzing feeling in your chest.

 

types of somasens

 

each type is followed by an example of how that sensitivity may come across

Auditory

volume, types of sound eg. nails on a chalkboard

Visual

level of light (especially at night or desk work) cluttered rooms, curves v. angles, natural scenes, blue light spectrum causing wakefullness late at night

Olfactory

smells - such as cigarette smoke, or walking through the grocery store's cleaning aisle (see also Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)

Tactile

different types of touch - light // heavy pressure, stingy // thwacky sensations

Skin - Surface

material of fabric, laundry detergent used, residues from fabric softener,  constriction // looseness of fabric on body, breath-ability, personal care product materials (lotion), "skinosphere of CI"

General Internal Body

temperature, allergies to medicines / pets, )

Food

allergies to food, raw // cooked, avoidance of certain types (eg. nightshades), eating a certain times, or in certain amounts (small amounts throughout the day, stimulant sensitive (caffeine

Lungs

air particulate sensitivity, moisture of air, temperature

Water

filtration, temperature, living spring water, rain water, internal ingestion, how level of filtration affects skin

Sleep

length of time, sound sensitive, specific types of sleeping ne

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

acutely affected by cleaning chemicals, artificial dyes & colors, air- and water-born contaminants