Sigrun Eng: Interoceptive awareness in musicians

Field of study: Music Therapy / Music and Health

The project’s working title is “Cues from within: Interoception in classical musicians with and without focal dystonia”.

Interoception refers, in short, to the perception and interpretation of signals from within the body, both consciously and unconsciously. Individual differences in interoception have been suggested to influence both physical and mental health.

Several studies suggest that musicians may be more aware of internal bodily sensations than the general population. Musicians are therefore assumed to have higher interoceptive accuracy, making them an interesting group for the study of interoception.

Taking a neurophenomenological approach, the project investigates interoception both as a phenomenon in its own right and as a potential factor in focal dystonia in musicians.

Focal dystonia in musicians (musician’s dystonia) is a task-specific, neurological disorder in which muscles used for playing or singing do not respond the way the individual expects. Musicians suffering from focal dystonia become unable to play their instruments as they are used to, and for some, the disorder can be devastating to their professional career.

Interoception can be understood as the connection between the brain and the body. Musician’s dystonia appears to involve a disruption in communication between the brain and the body. It is therefore possible that interoception plays a role in musician’s dystonia, as it may in a number of other health conditions.