FEELING OF REALITY

Overview: Defining the Feeling of Reality

The feeling of reality, often referred to as the sense of reality, is a fundamental psychological phenomenon that underpins human consciousness and interaction with the environment. It constitutes the subjective, visceral experience of being immediately and authentically situated within the present moment. This feeling is not merely the cognitive acknowledgment that the world exists, but rather an inherent awareness of the environment, a stable sense of connectivity to the surrounding world, and the implicit assurance that one’s perceptions are genuine, reliable, and grounded in a shared external world.

Psychologically, the feeling of reality is intricately linked to the concept of presence. Presence has been formally defined as the subjective sense of being “here” within an environment, whether that environment is physical or technologically mediated (Steuer, 1992). The stability and intensity of the feeling of reality are crucial determinants of our ability to function effectively, allowing us to accurately interpret complex sensory information and engage in meaningful, goal-directed behaviors. A loss or disturbance in this feeling, such as those experienced in clinical syndromes like depersonalization or derealization, underscores its critical role in maintaining mental equilibrium and functional awareness.

Historically, the study of the feeling of reality has spanned philosophy, phenomenology, and cognitive science. While early definitions focused primarily on the cognitive differentiation between internal mental states (thoughts, imagination, dreams) and external physical states, modern approaches emphasize that the feeling of reality is an active construction. This construction relies significantly on the continuous, bidirectional feedback loop between the perceiver, the physical body, and the perceived environment. The perceived authenticity of reality is thus maintained by the coherence and consistency of incoming sensory data in relation to the motor actions executed by the individual.

Theoretical Foundations: Presence and Phenomenological Awareness

The phenomenological tradition provides a robust framework for understanding the mechanisms underlying the feeling of reality. Researchers adopting this approach, particularly those influenced by Varela, Thompson, and Rosch (1993), move beyond traditional Cartesian dualism, asserting that consciousness is inherently embodied and enactive. According to this view, the feeling of reality does not originate from passive mental processing of raw sensory data but emerges from the continuous, active engagement of the physical organism with its environment.

Central to this understanding is the concept of enaction. Enaction posits that cognition—and consequently, the feeling of reality—emerges from the circular, self-organizing relationship among the nervous system, the body, and the environment. We do not simply perceive a pre-given reality; we enact it through our movements, sensory tuning, and selective attention. This active, participatory role of the organism ensures that the resulting feeling of reality is robust, highly contextual, and deeply personalized. When this circular process is disrupted—for instance, when sensory feedback is delayed, inconsistent, or artificial—the feeling of reality can become tenuous, leading to experiences of estrangement or unreality.

The stability of presence, a key component of the feeling of reality, relies on the successful integration of several dimensions: the sense of physical immersion (feeling situated in space), the sense of social presence (feeling connected to others), and the sense of self-presence or autonomy (feeling like the author of one’s own actions). A strong and undisputed feeling of reality requires the comprehensive integration of these elements, confirming that the individual is not only physically situated but is also experientially and actively connected to the surrounding context. Therefore, phenomenological awareness of our own body as the center and instrument of experience is a prerequisite for establishing a stable sense of external reality.

The Paradigm of Embodied Cognition

Embodied cognition is a critical theoretical paradigm asserting that cognitive processes are fundamentally rooted in the body’s interactions with the world. This approach emphasizes that the physical structure of the body, its motor capabilities, and the associated sensations are not merely inputs to the cognitive system but are integral constituents of perception, memory, and understanding (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1993). This model directly contrasts with classical computational theories that treated the mind as a disembodied processor of abstract symbols, demonstrating that the biological specifics of the body structure the very nature of our experience.

The body acts as a mediating structure, actively shaping how we categorize, conceptualize, and navigate reality. For example, the dimensions and reach of our limbs dictate the functional space we perceive as accessible or near. The feeling of reality is thus constructed upon the continuous sensorimotor loops that translate physical interaction and effort into meaningful psychological experience. If human physical architecture were fundamentally different—for instance, lacking the sense of balance or possessing a different set of primary effectors—our feeling and interpretation of reality would be altered accordingly, highlighting the body’s role as the ground truth for experience.

Key tenets of embodied cognition that are directly relevant to anchoring the feeling of reality include:

• Grounded Cognition: This principle suggests that conceptual knowledge is not abstractly stored but is grounded in sensory and motor systems. Understanding the concept of “heavy” requires recalling the physical sensation of effort exerted during lifting, linking abstract concepts to physical experience.
• The Body Schema: This is a dynamic, constantly updated, and largely unconscious representation of the body’s spatial properties, posture, and potential movements. The integrity and coherence of the body schema are essential for grounding the self in immediate reality and providing a stable platform for action planning.
• Affordances: Developed by J.J. Gibson, the concept of affordances states that the environment is perceived directly in terms of what it offers the organism for action. A surface affords walking; a knob affords turning. The immediate, non-inferential perception of these action possibilities reinforces the feeling of an immediate, actionable, and therefore real environment.

Kinesthetic and Proprioceptive Inputs: Channels of Reality

While external senses like sight and hearing provide broad contextual information, the feeling of reality is most profoundly anchored by the internal, somatic senses: proprioception, kinesthesia, and touch. Proprioception provides the sense of the relative position of one’s own body parts and the degree of muscular effort used in movement, while kinesthesia relates specifically to the sense of movement itself. These senses provide continuous, reliable information that establishes the physical boundaries and capabilities of the self within the environment, acting as the primary reference frame for reality.

Proprioceptive signals, originating from specialized receptors within muscles, tendons, and joints, are largely unconscious but crucially inform the body schema. They function as an internal GPS, telling us precisely where our limbs are oriented, even when vision is obstructed. The reliability and consistency of this internal map are paramount for maintaining the feeling of reality. If proprioceptive feedback is compromised, delayed, or inconsistent—a common issue in certain neurological conditions or poorly calibrated virtual reality systems—the individual can experience profound physical disorientation, a fragmentation of the body image, and a severe reduction in the feeling of presence.

Furthermore, the sense of touch is vital for confirming the materiality and substance of the external world. Haptic feedback provides definitive data about the shape, size, texture, temperature, and rigidity of objects. When we physically interact with an object—feeling its resistance, weight, or smoothness—we receive a powerful, non-inferential confirmation of its existence independent of our minds. This direct, tactile engagement differentiates the perceived environment from mere internal thought or hallucination, providing a crucial and highly reliable check against unreality. The integration of touch with vision and proprioception creates a unified, three-dimensional spatial awareness that solidifies the feeling of being present in a tangible world.

Research emphasizes that active motor engagement heavily influences perception and reality feeling. Lorimer (2005) highlighted that the dynamic body schema, constantly refined by proprioceptive and motor outputs, is central to anchoring cognitive and perceptual experience. Disruptions in the smooth integration of sensorimotor signals directly impair the ability to feel “real” or to experience one’s own actions as authentically belonging to the self, underscoring the dependence of reality feeling on physical feedback mechanisms.

Perceptual Processing and Environmental Interaction

The feeling of reality is not a passive mental state but is dynamically reinforced through continuous interaction and feedback. The relationship between action and perception is inherently cyclical: our current perceptions guide our planned actions, and the sensory feedback resulting from those actions subsequently refines our next set of perceptions. This constant loop ensures that our internal models of the world are continuously tested and calibrated against external reality, strengthening the feeling that we are engaging with an authentic, responsive, and stable environment.

Studies consistently demonstrate that active, embodied engagement leads to more robust and detailed perceptual learning compared to passive observation. When an individual actively manipulates an object or navigates a space, they integrate visual, haptic, auditory, and motor cues simultaneously, resulting in a significantly richer and more grounded perceptual experience. This enhanced level of multisensory integration contributes profoundly to the feeling of veridicality—the quality of seeming true, accurate, and real. Wilson (2002) detailed how the body’s physical constraints and action repertoire actively structure and limit our perceptual experience, confirming that embodied constraints are not peripheral but are fundamental to all cognitive processing.

The role of expectancy and prediction is also critical in maintaining reality feeling. When our embodied actions produce the expected sensory consequences (e.g., initiating a push results in the tactile feeling of resistance and the visual confirmation of movement), the feeling of reality is confirmed and stabilized. Conversely, when there is a significant mismatch between predicted motor outcomes and actual sensory feedback—a phenomenon known as sensory conflict—the feeling of reality can be instantaneously undermined, often leading to feelings of nausea, dizziness, or profound estrangement.

A robust feeling of reality necessitates congruence across all active sensory modalities. For instance, successfully catching a ball requires the seamless coordination of visual tracking, auditory timing, and proprioceptive fine-tuning. Embodied experiences serve as the essential anchor that coordinates and integrates these disparate sensory inputs, translating them into a unified, coherent, and immediately present experience of the world.

Clinical Implications and Disturbances of Reality

The crucial nature of the feeling of reality is perhaps most clearly illuminated when this feeling breaks down. Clinical conditions that involve a severe disturbance in the sense of reality provide invaluable insight into its underlying psychological and neurological mechanisms. The two primary dissociative syndromes related to the collapse of the feeling of reality are depersonalization and derealization (DP/DR), which are often categorized under Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder.

In derealization, the external world feels unreal, detached, unfamiliar, or dreamlike. The environment loses its sense of immediate presence, vibrancy, and authenticity. Objects may appear flat, distant, cartoonish, or artificially constructed. This disruption is frequently linked to a failure in maintaining the active, embodied relationship with the environment; the world is perceived as if through a pane of glass—observed passively rather than actively engaged with or inhabited.

In depersonalization, the individual feels detached from their own body, feelings, and mental processes. Actions may feel mechanical or automatic, and sensations may seem muted, distant, or foreign. This state represents a significant disruption in the integrity of the body schema and proprioceptive awareness—the body no longer feels like the subject of experience but rather a detached object being remotely controlled. The integration of self and action is compromised, severing the deep, continuous embodied anchor necessary for a stable sense of self and reality.

Clinical approaches increasingly incorporate the principles of embodiment in managing these disorders. Therapeutic interventions often focus on exercises designed to re-anchor the individual to their immediate physical sensations and present environment. These techniques include sensory grounding, mindfulness focused on bodily sensations, and various forms of movement therapy. The goal of these interventions is to restore the integrity and coherence of the sensorimotor feedback loop, thereby rebuilding the fundamental connection between the body, action, and the stabilizing feeling of reality.

Conclusion: Embodiment as the Ground of Reality

The feeling of reality is an essential and complex psychological construct that serves as the necessary foundation for all conscious experience and effective environmental interaction. As evidenced by the comprehensive framework of embodied cognition, this feeling is fundamentally dependent upon the continuous, active, and reciprocal interplay between the physical body and the surrounding environment.

The body, through its sophisticated proprioceptive, kinesthetic, and tactile engagements, provides the grounding information that reliably distinguishes authentic external reality from internal mental phenomena such as memories, thoughts, or imaginings. When these embodied experiences are integrated successfully, consistently, and coherently, they generate the robust sense of presence that allows us to feel truly “here,” competent, and connected to the world around us.

Future research must continue to explore the precise neural and kinematic mechanisms by which sensorimotor integration translates into the subjective feeling of reality, particularly in rapidly evolving contexts such as highly immersive virtual and augmented reality environments, where the feeling of reality is intentionally engineered and manipulated. A deeper understanding of the embodied basis of perception offers invaluable insights not only into normal, stable cognition but also into the etiology, prevention, and treatment of dissociative and perceptual disorders.

References

• Lorimer, H. (2005). Proprioception and the body schema: Implications for cognition and perception. Cognitive Processing, 6(2), 117-125.
• Steuer, J. (1992). Defining virtual reality: Dimensions determining telepresence. Journal of Communication, 42(4), 73-93.
• Varela, F., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1993). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Wilson, M. (2002). Six views of embodied cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(4), 625-636.