More than five senses

Intuition, balance, and body awareness

When we talk about our perception, we usually think of the classic five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. But humans possess additional, often overlooked abilities that shape how we experience the world.

The sense of balance (vestibular sense) ensures that we can move safely through space. It governs orientation, posture, and movement – a constant, unconscious foundation of our actions. Without it, we would be unable to walk, run, or even sit upright. This sense is supported by the interaction of the inner ear, the eyes, and the sense of touch: together they provide additional information that helps us remain in balance.

The sense of depth (proprioception) goes a step further: it gives us awareness of our body’s position, even without looking. Every gesture, every step, every fine movement is based on this “inner map”. Countless sensory cells in muscles, tendons, and joints continuously send information to the brain about the movement and position of our body parts. This allows us to know, even in the dark, whether we are lying down, sitting, or standing, and where up and down are.

Beyond that, there exists the mysterious sixth sense. This refers to subtle forms of perception: intuition, gut feelings, premonitions. This quiet sensing escapes clear measurability, yet for many people it is just as real an experience as seeing or hearing.

This shows that our perception is far more complex than the classical categories suggest. It is a symphony of conscious and unconscious impressions, of measurable sensory channels and elusive inner intuitions – and it is precisely in this richness that its fascination lies.

By the way: our senses work best when we train them – much like muscles that grow stronger and more skillful through regular practice. In everyday life, our eyes are almost constantly glued to screens, while our bodies move very little and the other senses remain largely unused. Without conscious attention, our perceptual abilities begin to wither.

We are gradually giving up more and more of our own senses and abilities – our sense of direction to navigation apps, our personal experiences to media information, and our body awareness to health and fitness apps. In this way, we become dependent on digital devices and machines that increasingly take over cognitive and sensory processes for us. When we do not use and challenge our senses, we rely more heavily on digital tools, which in turn further weakens our sensory abilities – a self-reinforcing vicious cycle.

Surely you have experienced this before:

You stand before a breathtaking sunset. The colors in the sky shift gently, glowing in ever-changing shades – fiery red, orange, violet. From a distance, you hear the chirping of birds, their dark silhouettes outlined against the kaleidoscope of colors. You feel the last warmth of the day on your skin, breathe in the evening air – and, moved by the beauty of the moment, reach for your phone to take a picture. Later, you want to enjoy it, perhaps share it with others.

But what remains in this photo of what you truly experienced?
Little more than the idea of what unfolded before and within you.

Humans are complex beings. We perceive continuously and in a hyper-complex way – not only through our senses, but also through the subconscious, which constantly processes information without our awareness.

Digital media cannot capture this richness. They reduce reality, filter it, showing only partial aspects – never the whole. What remains is a fragment, a shadow of what once was. Even virtual realities are ultimately only an artificial model – a technical construct of a world infinitely richer and deeper than any medium could ever convey.

That is why the texts on Reisinn serve primarily as inspiration:

Step outside – to experience with all your senses and to sharpen them. No longer just quickly documenting and moving on with the motto: “I’ve got it on camera.” A misconception, as we now know.

Take the moment in consciously and pause, so that the uniqueness of what you see resonates deeply within you.