Word of the Day: Sense

Our words for senses often have a dual meaning. We engage the senses in a physical sense and an energetic sense. We experience physical senses and extrasensory perceptions, thoughts, ideas, intuitions, instincts, and feelings. Often one sensory word can be used to describe multiple experiences, reminding us of the connection between body, mind, and spirit.

Let’s explore the multiple meanings of the word sense.

sense (noun) :

1. a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

2. a feeling that something is the case

3. a sane and realistic attitude to situations and problems

4. a way in which an expression or a situation can be interpreted; a meaning

sense (verb) :

1. perceive by a sense or senses

2. (of a machine or similar device) detect

Sense comes from the Latin roots sentire “to feel, perceive, know” and sensus “faculty of feeling, thought, meaning, perception.” Another related root is the Old French word sens “one of the five senses; meaning; wit, understanding.”

The PIE root of sense is *sent- “to go.” It is believed that the word sense is a figurative use of the literal “to go” meaning something like “find one’s way.”

We see from the definitions above that there are many meanings of the word sense. Through etymology we see that the root word means “to go.” The many definitions of the word sense describe various ways in which we find our ways in the world.

In the human experience we navigate the world through physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experiences. We sense through the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We also navigate by feelings, rational thought, and perception. We see all of these senses represented in the definitions listed above. As mentioned earlier, our words for senses often have multiple meanings. For example, the word feel can describe awareness that comes through physical touch, emotional experience, or intuition.

I love the phrase “come to your senses.” Typically it means to begin to think sensibly, in a way that is practical and demonstrates wisdom. We see through etymology that there are many original meanings of the word sense: to feel, to perceive, to know, and to interpret through the five senses. Even though the meaning of sense in “come to your senses” is typically rooted in mental faculty, there are many ways to “come to one’s senses.”

If you find yourself lost in illusion, anxiety, stress, etc you can come to your senses through many different paths. Returning to your physical senses is just as valid a means of coming to your senses as amending your thoughts. I love the therapy technique called sensory re-education or sensory retraining. This practice is also called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is a grounding technique that can help in moments of anxiety or times when we need to reconnect to the present.

To practice sensory retraining:

5: Notice 5 things you can see in your environment and visually note their details

4: Notice 4 things nearby that you can touch and note how they feel

3: Notice 3 things you can hear and the quality of their sounds

2: Notice 2 things you can smell; what scents do you notice

1: Notice 1 thing you can taste

This, in essence, is a practice of “coming to your senses.” The root of sense is *sent- meaning “to go.” We can think of experiences like anxiety or feeling ungrounded like “losing our way.” Senses help us to find our way again. They help us to perceive where we are and where we’re going.

We are all designed differently. What I easily perceive through emotional awareness someone else may easily perceive through rational thought. These are both valid means of detection. Through our different sensory experiences, we all find our way in the world.