From bodily signals to safe action: an interoceptive self-regulation loop for whole-person health
- 1School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University
- 2School of Medicine and Nursing, Shandong Vocational University of Foreign Affairs
- 3Independent Researcher
Abstract
Health systems increasingly measure physiological and behavioral outputs, yet the transition from a bodily signal to a safe, feasible decision remains difficult to specify. We propose the Interoceptive Self-Regulation Loop (ISRL), a provisional framework linking context and exposure, bodily state, interoceptive sampling, appraisal, action, and feedback. Four measurement strata distinguish contextual inputs, functional changes, subjective signals, and clinical indicators. A safety gate operates throughout the loop through condition-specific rules, named clinical responsibility, and documented escalation and follow-up. Its purpose is to support decisions without transferring diagnosis or risk assessment to individuals. The proposed contribution is an explicit, testable account of cross-stratum discordance and evidence-responsive appraisal, rather than the invention of interoception, triage, or behavior-change support. We specify independent candidate measures of appraisal flexibility and action proportionality, illustrate the safety gate using recent-onset chest pain, and compare ISRL with a simpler combination of the common-sense model, COM-B, and identical triage guidance. Six propositions distinguish supporting predictions from the more discriminating tests of discordance, flexibility, and timely care. A bounded initial research program concerns adults in primary care, daily observations, and episode-level decisions, with prospective validation before interventional use. Repeated failure to improve prediction or decisions over the active comparator, despite adequate measurement and precision, would count against retaining ISRL as a distinct framework in that setting. Clinical safety, monitoring burden, cultural adaptation, and unequal access are explicit evaluation outcomes. ISRL remains a theory for investigation, not a validated diagnostic tool or treatment.
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BibTeX
@article{dai2026from,
title = {{From bodily signals to safe action: an interoceptive self-regulation loop for whole-person health}},
author = {Haojie Dai and Min Wang and Xiaohong Gu},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1981905},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1981905/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - From bodily signals to safe action: an interoceptive self-regulation loop for whole-person health
AU - Haojie Dai
AU - Min Wang
AU - Xiaohong Gu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1981905
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1981905/full
AB - Health systems increasingly measure physiological and behavioral outputs, yet the transition from a bodily signal to a safe, feasible decision remains difficult to specify. We propose the Interoceptive Self-Regulation Loop (ISRL), a provisional framework linking context and exposure, bodily state, interoceptive sampling, appraisal, action, and feedback. Four measurement strata distinguish contextual inputs, functional changes, subjective signals, and clinical indicators. A safety gate operates throughout the loop through condition-specific rules, named clinical responsibility, and documented escalation and follow-up. Its purpose is to support decisions without transferring diagnosis or risk assessment to individuals. The proposed contribution is an explicit, testable account of cross-stratum discordance and evidence-responsive appraisal, rather than the invention of interoception, triage, or behavior-change support. We specify independent candidate measures of appraisal flexibility and action proportionality, illustrate the safety gate using recent-onset chest pain, and compare ISRL with a simpler combination of the common-sense model, COM-B, and identical triage guidance. Six propositions distinguish supporting predictions from the more discriminating tests of discordance, flexibility, and timely care. A bounded initial research program concerns adults in primary care, daily observations, and episode-level decisions, with prospective validation before interventional use. Repeated failure to improve prediction or decisions over the active comparator, despite adequate measurement and precision, would count against retaining ISRL as a distinct framework in that setting. Clinical safety, monitoring burden, cultural adaptation, and unequal access are explicit evaluation outcomes. ISRL remains a theory for investigation, not a validated diagnostic tool or treatment.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -