Author Gyorgy Adam maintains there is a type of sensory system active within the internal organs that appears to be, in some measure, independent of the traditional senses. Variously termed viscerosensory perception, internal perception, or internal cognition, this system operates largely outside of consciousness. Adam employs the extensive data he has gathered over many years to demonstrate how "hidden" internal signals originating in the alimentary tract, the cardiovascular system, and the kidneys may influence emotional states. Visceral Perception is the only comprehensive treatment of this elusive subject.

Theoretical Considerations: The Subject of This Monograph. Definitions and Terminology. Historical Roots and Evolution. Basic Physiological Mechanisms: Conceptual Preliminaries. Functional Properties of Receptor Structures. Visceral Afferent Pathways and Central Projections. Visceral Sensation and Perception. Psychophysics of Visceral Perception in Humans. Visceral Perception Through Learning. Hemispheric Lateralization of Signal Processing. Visceroception-Constituent of Special Senses: Viscerocepton: A Borderline Sensory System. Viscerocepton and Cognition. Visceral Perception and Symptom Report: An Epilogue. Appendixes: Interoception and Consciousness. Learning to Perceive Previously Unconscious Stimuli. Interoception: Awareness of Sensations Arising in the gastrointestinal Tract. Index.