What is Interoception?
What is interoception? Suppose you or your clients struggle with processing sensory input or understanding bodily sensations. In that case, interoception is a concept that may offer insight and guidance in understanding and addressing these challenges. Interoception can be defined as “the sense of the internal state of the body”—or more accurately, it is our capacity to be aware of body sensations such as hunger, taste, pain, and temperature changes. It plays an important role in things like emotion regulation, movement control, and self-regulation – all areas critical for daily life functioning.
As occupational therapists, teachers, physical therapists, counselors or parents it is important to understand how we can identify interoceptive patterns and employ strategies to support improved well-being. What exactly does interoception mean and how does understanding it help to improve lives!
Interoception Body Chart Check
What is Interoception and How Does It Influence our Behavior and Emotions?
Interoception is an area of relatively recent research, but it is becoming increasingly more important for understanding how humans behave and develop emotionally.
It relates to the awareness of sensations within one’s body and the interpretation of these sensations. This includes physical states such as hunger and thirst, changes in heart rate or breathing rate, full or empty bladder, or simply the comfort level of a person’s clothing.
Many mental health conditions have been associated with an altered sense of interception. For example, eople with depression or anxiety may feel certain physical sensations that are actually psychological distress being expressed bodily.
Research on Interoception
Interoception has a significant impact on one’s emotions – when our sensory receptors detect danger signals (e.g., loud noise), our body reacts by releasing stress hormones which cause feelings of fear or panic.
Extensive research has emphasized the significance of interoception in associative learning, stress modulation, reward learning, decision-making, emotional functioning, and cognitive control (Craig, 2008).
Learning to improve our sense of interoception can help us become more aware of subtle physiological signals and improve our ability to manage stressful situations.
What is a Simple Explanation of Interoception?
Interoception is a special word to describe how we understand the feelings that come from inside our bodies. It helps us know when we are hungry, tired, hurt, comfy or happy. Interoception signals are like little alarms that tell us when things change in our bodies like feeling hot or cold, being thirsty, or being full after eating. We can sense these changes without thinking about it.
Interoception is when you feel things inside your body. For example, feeling cold when it is cold outside or feeling dizzy after sitting for a while are both examples of interception. Knowing how interoception works can help people recognize their feelings and body sensations. This helps them stay healthy and feel good.
Body Scan Meditation for Kids
Examples of Interoception in Children
Interoception is an important skill for children to learn to regulate their behavior and stay healthy. Interoception helps us recognize our own bodily signals like hunger, tiredness, and discomfort.
For example, a child should be able to identify when they are hungry and ask for food; when they are tired and need rest; when their stomach feels uneasy due to nerves or anxiety; or if they need to use the bathroom. By recognizing these signals, children can discover their own needs and help their body become regulated.
As adults, it is important that we share with children how to recognize interoception cues and provide them with the support necessary to help them reach a level of self-regulation.
Individual Differences and Interoception
Interoception is a unique process that looks at how unique individuals can interpret and feel different sensations in their bodies. It is an essential part of sensory processing and can have consequences with the way we think, feel, and behave.
Individuals may differ in terms of their own personal degree of awareness when it comes to interoception. The ability to properly interpret emotions, physical states, and sensations can be lessened or heightened depending on each individual’s unique capacity to perceive interception.
Those with poor interoception skills may find it harder to recognize and adjust to unique situations while those with greater levels of awareness may find these tasks more manageable.
Research has shown that people tend to rely heavily on interoception as a means of self-regulation so it is important explore what kinds of abilities are present among different people.
Interoception and Sensory Processing Disorder
Interoception and sensory processing issues are common conditions that are characterized by difficulty sensing and interpreting internal body signals, as well as difficulty processing external information from the environment. Symptoms include trouble recognizing hunger, fatigue and pain signals, but can also manifest itself in poor coordination, decreased proprioception, disorganization, distraction easily, and over- or under-reacting to sensory input.
While these issues can be challenging and lead to behavioral or functional deficits in children and adults alike, it is possible to manage the symptoms through intervention techniques such as mindfulness activities, occupational therapy interventions, or sensory diets – tailored strategies that address the unique sensitivities of an individual.
Taking proactive steps to recognize the signs and seek help for interoception and sensory processing issues early is essential for finding success in managing it.
Mindfulness Activities for the Classroom Grade 3-5
Interoception and Anxiety
As discussed, iInteroception is the ability to sense and be aware of one’s internal physical sensations, such as heart rate and respiration. Recent research has focused on the relationship between interoception, anxiety, and overall mental health (Zvolensky et al, 2022).
Being more attuned to one’s body can act as a preventative measure, enhancing the person’s ability to identify signs of anxiety before they become overwhelming.
Learning how to self-regulate our own interoceptive awareness can help us better recognize warning signals from our body and use tools such as breathing, stretching, or mindfulness meditation to ease the intensity of these anxious responses. Developing an understanding of how our sensations speak to us can lead to more control over our emotional wellbeing.
Interoception and Autism
Individuals with autism may experience difficulties in accurately interpreting and responding to interoceptive information. This can be associated with challenges in things like regulating bodily functions, interpreting emotions, and understanding social cues. Research indicates that interoceptive sensibility is a predictor of anxiety in individuals with autism (Palser, 2018).
Training individuals on interoceptive awareness may help them gain better control of their bodies and have a more positive relationship with their physical environment. Through practice and exposure to different kinds of sensory inputs, those with autism can become more comfortable being aware of what is happening inside their bodies. With greater insight into interoception, those on the spectrum can begin to live more independently and enjoy life as it happens.
Interoception and ADHD
Interoception has a huge role to play in managing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies suggest that those with ADHD have difficulty attending to and accurately interpreting their internal signals, which can sometimes lead to bouts of impulsivity.
According to one study, those with ADHD are less likely to be in tune with their internal bodily signals and have difficulty regulating and monitoring their outward behaviors (Kutscheidt et al, 2019).
Through tools such as mindfulness and mindful movement, individuals with ADHD can practice developing greater awareness and connection to their body’s sensations. This can help them identify the signs of stress before it impacts their behavior, giving them a greater chance of avoiding impulsive outbursts in challenging situations.
Signs of Poor Interoception
Poor interoception can cause significant disruptions in an individual’s daily life. Signs of poor interoception can include difficulty distinguishing between different emotions, inaccurate estimations of food and liquid portions, an inability to tell when one is full or knows when they need to go to the bathroom, as well as having trouble with body temperature regulation.
Poor interoception can lead individuals to not recognize physical pain signals, making medical diagnosis more difficult.
Examples of poor interoception in children may be:
- struggling to identify when it is time for a meal or feeling full.
- Toilet training problems such as incontinence and constipation issues.
- Unusual reactions to pain or emotions.
- Trouble reporting pain level or illnesses such as headaches, tummy aches, and nausea.
- Dysregulation in the sensory systems such as individuals who are sensory seekers
If a child’s body sensations are different than usual, it could make it harder for them to manage their emotions, use the bathroom, eat correctly, know how they feel and take care of themselves.
For children who have experienced trauma, their interoceptive awareness can become disrupted. They may struggle to identify and regulate their emotions and physical sensations, leading to difficulties with self-regulation and emotional processing. This can manifest in symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or aggression.
Interventions that focus on improving interoception can be helpful for children who have experienced trauma, helping them develop greater self-awareness and emotional regulation skills. By addressing disruptions in interoception early on, children may be better equipped to navigate the challenges of childhood trauma and build resilience for the future.
Heavy Work Sensory Activities Packet
Activities to Help Children with Awareness of Interoception
Children can learn about their body’s internal sensations, or interoception, through engaging activities. Simple, everyday tasks like deep breathing or mindful exercises can lay the groundwork for children to better understand and further develop their awareness of interoception.
Here are some suggestions:
- activities that teach children to notice body signals in different body parts using mindfulness strategies
- social emotional lessons that focus on using body and mind clues to identify their emotional expereinces.
- movement exercises that help children to understand the body emotion connection and activities that lift their mood.
- heavy work activities to help recognize sensory information and input
For example, to understand body signals, they can practice diaphragmatic breathing with a guided imagery exercise. With specific instructions, they can deeply inhale and exhale while imagining what it might be like to be lying on a beach or swimming in a lake. Having children observe their own breath during this activity will bring greater awareness of the sensations related to relaxation.
There are also mindful movement activities that can help them gain further awareness of their body’s movements and emotions. The fun, Emotional Regulation Bingo Game helps children to identify emotions and to reinforce the concepts of self-regulation.
Another fun way to get children thinking about interoception is a game like freeze dance- when the music stops, kids must quickly notice how fast or slow their heart is beating! How did they feel before they were moving around and how do they feel after the dancing?
Engaging in activities such as these will help build interoception skills in kids that will support their understanding and overall wellness throughout life.
Emotional Regulation Skills PRINTED Posters
Summary About What Is Interoception?
Interoception is the ability to detect and process internal physical sensations and emotions within one’s body. Poor interoception can lead to difficulty with self regulation and functional independence.
To help build interoception skills in kids, activities like diaphragmatic breathing exercises, social emotional lessons, mindful movement activities and yoga can support their understanding and overall wellness.
With sufficient practice, children can become more aware of the physical sensations and emotions connected to their bodies. This will allow them to make informed decisions, better regulate their emotions and demonstrate a greater sense of self-awareness and control over time.
Read more about what is interoception here.
References
Craig A.D. In: Lewis M., Haviland-Jones J.M., Barrett L.F., editors. Vol. 3. The Guilford Press; New York, NY: 2008. Interoception and emotion: A neuroanatomical perspective; pp. 272–290. (Handbook of emotions).
Kutscheidt, K., Dresler, T., Hudak, J., Barth, B., Blume, F., Ethofer, T., … & Ehlis, A. C. (2019). Interoceptive awareness in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 11, 395-401.
Palser, E. R., Fotopoulou, A., Pellicano, E., & Kilner, J. M. (2018). The link between interoceptive processing and anxiety in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: Extending adult findings into a developmental sample. Biological Psychology, 136, 13-21.
Zvolensky, M. J., Kauffman, B. Y., Garey, L., Viana, A. G., & Matoska, C. T. (2022). Interoceptive anxiety-related processes: Importance for understanding COVID-19 and future pandemic mental health and addictive behaviors and their comorbidity. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 156, 104141.
