Interoception, Communication, and Behavior.

Our body has little receptors throughout the muscles, bones, skin, organs, etc. These receptors send information back to the brain that allow us to feel and address internal needs. For instance, your brain gets the message that you feel thirsty, so you get a drink.

Interoception also allows us to feel our emotions, for instance when your brain gets the message that your stomach hurts, your heart is racing, and your breathing is shallow, you would likely identify that feeling as anxiety. Interoception stimulates us to meet our body’s current imbalances by doing things like drinking, eating, going to the bathroom, grabbing a coat, taking off a sweatshirt, or finding a quiet space to relax.

Not only is interoception linked to self-regulation, but also to:

• self-awareness,

• intuition,

• problem solving,

• social understanding,

• flexibility of thought,

• perspective taking.
  

Kelly Mahler’s book Interoception: The Eighth Sensory System Practical Solutions for Improving Self-Regulation, Self-Awareness and Social Understanding of Individuals With Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders (Mahler, 2016) summarizes the current research and demonstrates the link between interoception and these other necessary skill areas (Bennie, 2016).

I recently listened to a Uniquely Human podcast, Interoception: The Eighth Sense with Kelly Mahler and Chloe Rothschild. Kelly and one of her clients, Chloe, discussed the issues of interoception and processing for neurodivergent individuals.

Chloe Rothschild. Photo via uniquelyhuman.com

Chloe said, ‘I did not realize I had trouble feeling my internal body signals, as I had never heard of interoception before November 2014, but when I did, everything started to make sense. That is, difficulties with interoception help to clarify why I have such a hard time pinpointing my symptoms when I am not feeling well, why sometimes I seem to eat snack after snack without feeling full and why I get upset/anxious/overwhelmed so quickly, because I don’t feel it until I’m already far into the storm of the discomfort and frustration.’

When we don’t understand the messages our bodies are sending, we can easily get overwhelmed and frustrated. Most children learn to interpret these signals as they acquire language and social understanding, but many need specific instruction to understand their bodily signals, how to interpret them, and, most importantly, how to communicate them. But not all who struggle with interoception are considered to have a disability.

Often behavioral “issues”* stem from not being able to identify or communicate needs. If all someone knows is that they feel weird/funny/hurt somewhere and can’t interpret or communicate the where or why, anxiety, frustration, and anger quickly build up. Once those emotions become heightened, behavioral “challenges”* might become a problem.

Interoception education is imperative across the board, particularly for those who struggle with executive functioning, but ideally for all. But teaching it isn’t easy. How do you teach someone what it is to feel their ankle hurt versus their knee? Kelly Mahler, author and OT mentioned above, has created a curriculum for other professionals, families, and individuals who want to work on interoception. The Interoception Curriculum Bundle is available on her website. She has also put together several books, videos, and articles on Interoception as well as being featured on TEDtalk and various podcasts.

However it is taught, self- and bodily-awareness and identification of physical needs or emotions should be included in all educational settings. No one understands their body's messages all of the time unless they have become greatly in tune with it through some form of education and communicating those needs is just as hard.

*I chose to put the words issues and challenges in quotations because behavior should not be looked as problematic but rather a form of communication that needs to be understood and worked through.

Reference:

Bennie, Maureen, 2016. What Is Interoception and How Does It Impact Those With Autism? - Autism Awareness (autismawarenesscentre.com)

Other excellent resources that informed my writing include:

Interoception and sensory processing challenges (understood.org)

Interoception: How We Understand Our Body’s Inner Sensations – Association for Psychological Science – APS

Interoception: The Eighth Sense with Kelly Mahler and Chloe Rothschild - Uniquely Human: The Podcast