Boundary sensing is a purely present moment sense, only able to inform about what is happening NOW. Of course, this is all that any of our senses can do, but out more complex visual and hearing processes interpret what is happening somewhere else, attempting to interpret the future. Boundary senses, such as our senses of touch, taste, and smell deliver an immediacy to our experience that our more complex senses forgo in serving us more complex information from the data they collect. Boundary senses serve a more elemental purpose, informing us as to the state of our surroundings right now.
SELF/NON-SELF
The protective mechanism associated with Boundary Sensing is our Immune System:
IMMUNE SYSTEM
PROTECTION
For organisms limited to a fixed point in space, protective responses are based largely on sensing vibration or sudden changes in light. The point archetypical response to a sensed threat is a contraction. We usually label this protective response as freeze, which we experience as either a locking of our physiology or as panic (ARMOR). The most efficient means to sense vibration is using hairs (cat whiskers are an excellent example). Humans still have a direct neurological connection to and from our hair follicles to the deepest layers of our core neurophysiology (Enteric Nervous System). If you have experienced your hair standing on end when frightened, you have experienced this neurophysiological response both perceiving a threat and priming to become more sensitive (a notable quality of this response is its immediacy – it unfolds much more quickly than our conscious awareness can track). This connection between our skin and our core neurophysiology is why tactile protocols often can help us to down-regulate our protective responses effectively aiding in the treatment of a post-traumatic stress response.
PROTECTION
TOUCH / SMELL / TASTE
Nociception
FUR/ WHISKERS
Sympathetic nervous system fibers to hair follicles, sweat glands, and peripheral vascular system.