Our Psychology Distilled events cover the full sweep of psychology, from Freud, to leadership, to neuroscience. Each session is self-contained, so you can attend the individual topics that particularly grab you and still gain a comprehensive yet compressed coverage of the discipline of psychology as it relates to coaching practice.
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Why do some people immediately recognise stress, hunger, fatigue, or anxiety, while others struggle to identify what they are feeling? What causes the same racing heart to be interpreted as excitement by one person, but panic in another?
Interoception refers to the perception and interpretation of signals arising from within the body. Research increasingly suggests that these internal signals play a fundamental role in emotion, self-awareness, decision-making, and mental health. However, interoception is often misunderstood, with popular claims about “tuning into the body” sometimes running ahead of the scientific evidence.
Many coaching conversations centre on emotions, stress, decision-making, and self-awareness. All of these are influenced by how people perceive and interpret signals from their bodies. In this Psychology Distilled seminar Dr. Jenny Murphy, an internationally recognised expert in experimental psychology, will provide an accessible introduction to the science of interoception and its relevance for coaching practice.
The session offers a scientific framework for understanding the relationship between bodily sensations and emotions. Coaches will learn why some clients struggle to identify feelings, why others may catastrophise normal bodily sensations, and how beliefs and expectations shape emotional experiences. The aim is not to turn coaches into clinicians, but to provide useful psychological concepts that can enrich conversations about self-awareness, resilience and stress.
Attendees will have:
Drawing on contemporary research, Jenny will discuss common interventions aimed at changing interoceptive accuracy and attention, what evidence supports their use, and where misconceptions remain.
Leave the session with a clearer understanding of the relationship between interoception, emotion, and behaviour, along with practical insights they can apply in your coaching conversations.
This is Session 1 of 2. Both events can be attended as standalone sessions, but you’ll have a richer experience by attending both.
You can register for Session 2 here: Interoception: Understanding Emotion Recognition with Jenny Murphy: Session #2 (Hybrid)
Dr. Jenny Murphy is an Associate Professor at the University of Surrey and also serves as the Associate Head of External Engagement for the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey. Her research focuses on the interplay between interoception (the perception of the body’s internal state), social cognition and mental health, and how these might vary across development.
Much of Jenny’s work involves translating complex scientific ideas into clear, engaging explanations without losing the nuance or rigour of the underlying research. Her achievements have been recognised by the Association for Psychological Sciences Rising Star Award and the European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Young Investigator Award. Most recently she was recognised with early career awards from the Experimental Psychology Society and the Society for Psychophysical Research.
A strong believer in rigour, but not unnecessary seriousness, Jenny aims to create learning environments where people can engage with challenging ideas while still enjoying themselves. Expect humour to be woven into the discussion, as a powerful tool to build trust and encourage openness and reminding us that everyone is learning, no matter how experienced they are.
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