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Interoception for Professionals

the words self regulation in the sand

In the past, to support my clients’ regulation needs, I would try implementing strategy after strategy. I would teach coping skill after coping skill, read book after book, and take course after course. My clients were definitely making gains, but I knew there was still something missing—something that was preventing them from achieving the level of self-regulation they desired for life-long flourishing.

I was trying so hard to help but just couldn’t get it quite right, and I didn’t know what to do. My clients could memorize specific regulation strategies, but they were struggling to use them “in the moment.” Or their emotions would seemingly go from 0 to 100 in a matter of a few seconds, and they wouldn’t have a chance to use any of the strategies we were trying together. It was heartbreaking. My clients were trying so hard and wanted to do so well, so when things didn’t go the way they wanted, it resulted in deep levels of shame and guilt.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, just know that you’re not alone.

Interoception for Professionals: From Research to Practical Application

Interoception has been widely studied for decades but is only now making its way out of the research labs and into practical applications in daily life. This includes learning about how interoception supports improving self-regulation and promotes mental health. Thankfully, interoception research is rapidly improving our ability to understand dysregulation, which is driving more effective (and kinder) supports that honor each person’s unique inner experiences.

educator icon

Dysregulation is a big impediment to educators at all levels. Students who are struggling social-emotionally might have outbursts, meltdowns, or refusals. Interoceptive-based resources can help you support your students in noticing and understanding their body signals, providing them with a foundation of self-understanding that can help you both work together on a more effective learning experience.

speech therapist icon

Interoceptive sensations are useful for communicating biological needs like thirst or hunger. Still, they are also key to communicating emotions like frustration or confusion. How can children communicate their needs and emotions if they struggle to recognize and understand the signals from their bodies? Interoception can help support speech and language therapists

walking icon

As an occupational therapist myself, I seek out ways to help clients in meaningful and empowering ways. Interoception has completely changed the way I approach my client’s needs. Stress management, emotional regulation, and self-awareness of all kinds can be aided by honing interoceptive abilities. Interoception can improve toileting, eating, healthcare management, and sleep hygiene.

mental health icon

We think of body signals as being largely regulatory – are we hungry, sleepy, or thirsty? But emotional states are also communicated via interoceptive signals that keep us in tune with our mental health as well as our physical health. Interoception does not receive much focus in mental health practice, even though this brain-body connection offers precious insights into our mental well-being.

Will you join me on this interoception for professionals journey and help to make things better for the clients we serve?

For the last few years, we have been passionately developing a solid foundation of interoception-based supports that can be used with a wide variety of learners. These supports are never meant to change a client and are always used in a way that honors and validates their unique experience in the world.

The overall goal of our interoception supports is to help you enhance your clients’ level of self-understanding—to help them to gain a better understanding of their own body signals, their own unique emotional experiences, and connect with the things in life that promote feel-good sensations within their body.

And then, one day, I had a “lightbulb” moment while reading an article written by a well-known neuroscientist, Dr. Bud Craig. In the article, Dr. Craig described a sense called interoception—and at that moment, my world completely changed.

I immediately wondered if interoception could be a big deal for my clients and how it might be affecting their physical and emotional states. So, being the ultra-curious person that I am, I ran right to my clients and their families to start asking a lot of questions. At the same time, I was reading all that I could get my hands on about interoception to educate myself on this sense further.

Between our conversations and extensive research, we discovered that interoception indeed was a really big deal for my clients. Many of them were completely unaware or very confused about how their bodies felt, thus making understanding and regulating their emotions nearly impossible.

Our interoception-based resources can help you effectively support growth in areas such as:

Identifying and understanding emotions in self

Recognizing building signs of distress (before a full meltdown or shutdown)

Independently using coping strategies during times of distress

Connecting with a wider variety of feel-good regulation strategies

Recognizing when hungry, full, or thirsty

Toilet training (daytime and/or nighttime)

Developing healthy sleep habits

Pinpointing symptoms of illness or injury

Describing the way certain body parts feel (verbally and non-verbally)

“Before learning about interoception and Kelly’s work, I knew there was a better way to support the regulation and so-called ‘behavior needs’ of my clients, but I didn’t know what to do differently. Kelly empowered me with practical, evidence-based resources that were easy to implement. My clients now understand their bodies better and can identify what their bodies need to feel better regulated. And my favorite thing about Kelly’s resources is that they build self-awareness while honoring each of my client’s experience.”

Ann, Occupational Therapist, Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I effectively use a combination of your resources for the best outcomes in my interoception for professionals journey?

A: Our interoception resources are designed to be easily adapted to meet a wide variety of client needs. So, in short, the process looks very different for each client. However, my best recommendation is to do the following:

  1. Watch the online course, 3 Steps to Improving Interoception.
  2. Collaboratively complete Section 1 of My Interoception Workbook with your client.
  3. Review the relevant emotion chapters in Section 2 of the workbook and support your client in implementing any desired tips.
  4. Move through the lessons in The Interoception Curriculum. Use the Interoception Activity Cards, Interoception Yoga Cards, and Interoception Exercise Cards as positive practice opportunities to support the work from the curriculum.
  5. Use the Bonus Games from the Body Check Ring to give extra fun practice noticing body signals.