Interoceptive exposure

Interoceptive exposure is a CBT technique that has a person bring on the body sensations they fear, on purpose and in a safe setting, so those sensations feel less threatening over time.

This term is specific to research interpretation and is defined on AnxietyResearch. Shrinktionary, the network's language layer, doesn't currently carry a canonical entry for it.

People with panic disorder often fear the physical feelings of anxiety itself, such as a racing heart, dizziness, or shortness of breath. They read those feelings as dangerous. Interoceptive exposure has the person trigger the sensations deliberately, for example by breathing fast or spinning, then sit with them. With repetition, the brain learns the sensations are uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Interoceptive exposure is a core, well-supported part of CBT for panic disorder. It targets the specific fear that drives the panic cycle, the fear of the body's own alarm signals.

A therapist asks a person to breathe quickly for a short time to bring on lightheadedness, then guides them to notice that the feeling passes and causes no harm.

Interoceptive exposure should be done with guidance, especially at first. It's uncomfortable by design, and that discomfort is the point. It isn't a relaxation exercise. It works by teaching the brain a new lesson about the sensations, not by making them go away.