Acute Effects of a Single-Session Body Awareness Intervention on Cortical Activity and Interoceptive Accuracy

This study will examine the immediate (acute) effects of a single, 30-minute body awareness session on brain activity and interoceptive accuracy in healthy young adults aged 18-25. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: an intervention group, which will complete a structured body awareness exercise based on Basic Body Awareness Therapy, or a control group, which will rest quietly for the same amount of time without any specific instructions. Before and after the session, brain activity will be recorded using a portable, 8-channel EEG device, and interoceptive accuracy will be measured with a heartbeat perception task, in which participants try to count their own heartbeats without checking their pulse. The main goal is to determine whether a single body awareness session produces measurable changes in EEG brain wave patterns (theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands) and in the accuracy of heartbeat perception, and whether these two types of change are related to each other.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-25 years * Self-reported healthy status * Literate in Turkish * Willing and able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Active epilepsy or seizure history * Diagnosed psychiatric disorder * Neurological disorder * Cardiac arrhythmia, pacemaker, heart disease * Active use of psychotropic, beta-blocker, anticholinergic, or antihistamine medication * Prior participation in Basic Body Awareness Therapy * Pregnancy * Active scalp lesion or dermatological pathology * Neurological/psychiatric medication affecting alertness or attention * Alcohol consumption in the last 24 hours * Excessive caffeine intake on the day of measurement * Acute pain, fever, infection, or other condition that could affect measurement