Intero....what? Interoception! by: Meghan Chemidlin, MS OTR/L

Interoception is a sense within everyone’s body. It lets us know how our bodies feel, especially on the inside. Interoception is the sense that helps us understand when our mouth is dry, when our feet are sweaty, when our hands are warm, when our ears are focused, when our eyes are heavy, when our muscles are tight and when our heart is racing. These sensations can then correlate to an emotion.  Pain, hunger, thirst, anxiety, sadness or the need to use the bathroom are examples of the emotional components of interoception.

When you are aware of these sensations, your body helps to determine the essential emotion behind it. Interoception is realizing how your body feels and helps to manage the emotions that follow. For example, if your hands were sweaty, your feet were shaky, your muscles were tight and your heart was racing, this would help you to understand that you might be anxious and need to find comfort. A dry mouth and growling stomach could help you to understand that you are hungry and prompt you to find food. 

However, this is not always the case! For several individuals, especially those with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, it is difficult to distinguish between all of the feelings. They might notice something happening in their bodies but are unable to describe how it feels.   When this happens, they are unable to pin it to an emotion and solve through an appropriate action, like eating to resolve hunger. For example, someone might feel ‘something’ in their stomachs but would have a hard time differentiating if it feels like it is growling, full, empty, tight etc. If this were the case, imagine how difficult it would be to determine if that ‘feeling’ in your body was because you were hungry, full, sick or needing to use the bathroom?!?!

So what can be done to help?

Research shows that interoception can be improved! Dr. Kelly Malher has created a curriculum for developing mindful self-regulation to improve interoception. Interoception awareness builders are used to incorporate mindfulness techniques with solid visual and sensory experiences. Here at A Rise Above Occupational Therapy Services, we work to improve interoception, despite age or condition.

​With the training and certification from Dr. Kelly Mahler, we strive to help you understand “how does my body feel?”



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