11Published measure

Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness

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Psychometric Foundation and Rigor

Scientific Framework of the Instrument

Understand how this instrument is structured, its scoring rubrics, and the empirical research validating its methodology.

The MAIA-2 evaluates 8 interoceptive dimensions that link visceral bodily awareness to emotional self-regulation and resilience.

Noticing: Awareness of comfortable, uncomfortable, and neutral body sensations.

Not-Distracting: Tendency not to ignore or distract oneself from unpleasant sensations.

Not-Worrying: Capacity to experience physical discomfort without panic or catastrophizing.

Attention Regulation: Ability to sustain and direct attention to bodily sensations deliberately.

Emotional Awareness: Awareness of the connection between body states and emotional states.

Self-Regulation: Ability to soothe distress by connecting consciously with the body.

Body Listening: Actively listening to the body for insights and intuitive boundary setting.

Body Trust: Experiencing one's body as a safe, secure, and trustworthy home.

Each dimension is scored as the arithmetic mean of its assigned items on a 0 to 5 scale.

Score	Level / Criteria	Psychometric Interpretation
Noticing	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Baseline perceptual capacity for physical and visceral sensations.
Not-Distracting	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Sustaining presence rather than defensively ignoring bodily distress.
Not-Worrying	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Decoupling somatic sensation from cognitive alarm or anxiety.
Attention Regulation	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Using somatic sensation as a steady attentional anchor.
Emotional Awareness	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Decoding visceral signals as meaningful affective intelligence.
Self-Regulation	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Restoring emotional equilibrium via physiological connection.
Body Listening	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Making life choices in harmony with internal biological needs.
Body Trust	Mean 0.0 - 5.0	Living comfortably in one's body with serenity and trust.

What is interoceptive awareness?

It is the brain's ability to sense, interpret, and integrate internal physiological signals from muscles, breath, heart, and viscera.

Why can low 'Not-Worrying' accompany high 'Noticing'?

In chronic stress or anxiety, people often become hyper-vigilant to physical sensations while catastrophizing their meaning.

How is the MAIA-2 utilized clinically?

It is a prominent research and clinical tool in somatic psychology, trauma recovery, and mindfulness-based interventions.

Is my somatic data kept private?

Completely private and calculated entirely within your current browser session.

Mehling, W. E., et al. (2018). The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). PLoS ONE, 13(12), e0208034.
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