Hi everyone! I’m Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist, and I’m back to talk about interoception—our sense of how the body feels—and how it influences daily participation. There are so many things we do each day that help us function and bring meaning to our lives. Interoception plays a vital role in many of those activities.
What Is Interoception and Why It Matters in Daily Life
Many times—especially as occupational therapy practitioners—we focus on helping our clients participate in daily activities that are meaningful to them. But we can get so focused on the doing that we don’t always consider interoception’s influence on the feeling behind those activities.
What do I mean by that? Interoception often provides a sense of internal motivation—an urge to act—that nudges us toward certain activities. Our body lets us know how it’s doing and what it needs. Does it need food? Sleep? Rest? A shower? Quiet? Interoceptive sensations offer valuable insight into how our body feels and often provide that internal push to engage in daily life.
Interoception also helps us determine how to engage in activities in a way that feels safe and regulating to our body. That’s what interoception is really all about. So when a person has difficulty noticing, understanding, or trusting their body signals, it can create real barriers to participation.
That’s why we need to stay deeply curious and aware of interoception and its influence on everyday life.
Toileting and Interoception: Recognizing Body Cues
Interoception is a big deal to toileting. Toileting is often guided by interoceptive sensations that create an internal urge to act—like the distinct signals that let us know when we need to go. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Is it pee or poop? How strong is the sensation? How much longer can we hold it before it becomes urgent? These body signals spark the action—but they also inform how we toilet in a way that feels safe and comfortable. Do we need our feet firmly planted to feel secure? Do we feel clean after wiping, or is more needed? Interoception supports not just when we go, but how we toilet in a way that feels right for our body.
Feeding and Eating: How Interoception Guides Hunger, Fullness and Disgust
Feeding and eating are often guided by interoceptive sensations that create an internal urge to act—like the signals that let us know when we’re hungry or full. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Is our body asking for food? Have we had enough? Are we beginning to feel overfull or uncomfortable? It can also alert us to a sense of disgust—a powerful cue that something doesn’t feel right or safe to eat. These sensations prompt us to eat (or not)—but they also shape how we eat in ways that feel safe and supportive. What foods feel good in our body? What foods cause discomfort, nausea, gut pain, or a strong desire to avoid?
That’s why it’s essential to create environments that support interoception—not override it. When feeding becomes compliance-based—like “just one more bite and then you can get down”—it teaches us to dismiss or mistrust our own body’s cues. In contrast, an interoception-focused approach honors internal signals and helps us build a sense of safety and trust around food. Interoception supports not just when we eat, but how we eat in a way that feels right for our body.
Interoception’s Role in Sleep Awareness and Regulation
Sleep is often guided by interoceptive sensations that create an internal urge to rest—letting us know when it’s time to wind down. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Is this the moment when our body is ready for sleep? Can we notice the cues before they slip past us? Sometimes we feel sleepy in places we can’t actually sleep—like when we’re driving in the car—and those same signals can urge us to act in ways that help keep our body alert. These sensations prompt us to rest (or not!)—but they also shape how we prepare for sleep in ways that feel calm and supportive. What helps our body feel regulated enough to drift off? What routines help bring our energy down in a way that feels safe and settling?
Interoception, Sexuality, and Consent
Sexuality is deeply shaped by interoceptive sensations that help us tune in to what feels safe, pleasurable, or uncomfortable. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Does this experience align with what our body wants? Do we feel curious, neutral, unsure, or like a clear no? These sensations urge us to act—or not—in ways that honor our own bodily cues and boundaries. Whether alone or with others, interoception supports not just if or when we engage in sexual experiences, but how we do so in a way that feels safe, affirming, and consensual.
Parenting Through an Interoceptive Lens
Parenting often calls on us to stay regulated while supporting others who may be dysregulated—and that starts with tuning in to how we feel. Interoception helps us feel into the details: What am I bringing into this moment? Can I recognize my own signals and care for my needs before responding to my child’s? Of course, I don’t always get it right—sometimes I notice I’m feeling overwhelmed after I’ve already reacted. But even then, interoception helps me notice the need to repair, to reconnect, and to move forward with more awareness. These sensations urge us to pause, set boundaries, or seek regulation so we can show up with presence and connection. Interoception supports not just how we care for others, but how we care for ourselves in a way that feels sustainable and aligned.
Leisure and Joy: How Interoception Helps Us Choose What Feels Good
Leisure is guided by interoceptive sensations that help us notice what feels enjoyable, calming, or energizing. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Does this activity bring joy or comfort to my body? Or does it feel draining, overwhelming, or just… not right? These sensations urge us to move toward what restores us—and away from what doesn’t. Over time, they help us discover our hobbies, passions, and the pursuits that bring deep meaning to our lives. Interoception supports not just what we do for leisure, but how we choose activities that feel fulfilling and regulating.
Supporting School Participation with Interoception
School participation is shaped by how we feel inside our bodies throughout the day. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Am I getting overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, or overstimulated? What does my body need in order to stay regulated, focused, and safe? These sensations urge us to act—whether that’s taking a break, seeking support, asking for what we need to thrive, or even protesting an assignment that feels like a mismatch. But even when we do understand what our body is communicating, school systems don’t always make space for us to respond. Many classrooms are built on compliance and control rather than curiosity and respect for body signals. That’s why supporting interoception isn’t just a personal journey—it’s a systemic responsibility. Interoception shapes not just if we participate in school, but how we show up in ways that feel authentic and supported.
Interoception in the Workplace: Regulation, Productivity, and Burnout Prevention
Work participation is deeply influenced by how we feel in our bodies throughout the day. Interoception helps us feel into the details: What supports my focus and energy? What disrupts it? What environments help my body feel safe, and which ones don’t? These sensations urge us to adapt, seek support, or advocate for the conditions that help us thrive. But knowing what our body needs doesn’t always mean we’re able to meet those needs—especially when systems of oppression, ableism, and workplace norms restrict access to accommodations or dismiss body-based boundaries. That’s why interoception is not just a tool for self-awareness, but a call to systemic change. It supports not just if we participate in work—but how we do so in a way that feels sustainable, meaningful, and aligned with our well-being.
Pain, Healthcare, and the Power of Interoceptive Awareness
Interoception is deeply tied to how we feel pain, discomfort, and internal changes in our body—and how we make sense of them. Interoception helps us feel into the details: Is this sensation painful? Where is it coming from? Does it signal something urgent or something that may resolve with rest and care? These signals urge us to act—whether that means taking time to recover, noticing when something is improving, or seeking medical attention when needed. For those living with chronic pain, interoception can play an important role in identifying patterns, pacing activity, and noticing what feels more manageable. It also helps us gauge what kind of support we need: Is this an emergency? A check-in with a provider? Or something we can manage at home with comfort strategies? But recognizing our pain is only part of the story. Will our experience be believed? Will our body signals be validated—or dismissed? Interoception supports not just how we understand pain, but how we advocate for care in systems that don’t always make room for our truth. Tuning into our body is a powerful first step, but healthcare systems must be willing to listen.
Final Thoughts: Interoception Needs to be Part of the Occupational Therapy Assessment and Intervention Process
There are so many areas of life shaped by interoception—far more than we covered here today. But one takeaway is clear: we need this sense. It’s foundational to how we participate, how we connect, how we care for ourselves, and how we make meaning in daily life.
To my fellow OTPs—survey research is showing that many of us now know about interoception, but far fewer are weaving it into practice. We’re noticing interoception barriers in our clients, but not yet using interoception assessments or supports to help address them. My hope is that this blog adds to the growing rationale for why interoception belongs in our work—not as an add-on, but as a core part of how we understand participation.
Here’s to deeper listening, more curiosity, and continued learning. Until next time.