The term ‘neuroception’, coined by Dr. Stephen Porges, describes how the whole body distinguishes whether situations or people are safe, dangerous, or life threatening. It concerns how the body and our senses are reading our environment. It is the body’s perception of our situation, mediated by the nervous system, hence the term ‘neuro-ception’. Through the process of neuroception, we experience the world in a way in which we are involuntarily scanning situations and people to determine if they are safe or dangerous.1
1 Clarke, J., 2019. Polyvagal Theory And How It Relates To Social Cues. [online] Verywell Mind. Available at:
