Must Reads
Interoception and Alexithymia
Hi everyone. Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. And I wanted to talk about something called alexithymia and the important relationship it has to … Read more
Play & IA: How to Have Fun While Developing Interoceptive Understanding
Hi, Kelly Mahler here, occupational therapist. The topic I want to talk about today is inspiring a little bit of … Read more
Interoception is (Almost) Everywhere!
Hi everyone. Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. I’ve been talking with a couple of my friends about something, and it’s the fact that … Read more
Our Favorite Interoception Highlights: Lessons from Our On-Demand Courses
Whew, what a fun ride it has been! Since launching our live courses last year, we’ve covered 16 topics, learned from 11 … Read more
What Exactly Is Interoception?
Interoception is a sense that helps many people experience sensations from the inside of their body. These sensations are different for everyone.
For example, interoception might enable someone to notice the condition of their stomach: is it growling or is it fluttery? Is it full or maybe nauseous? Or something else?
Or in another example, interoception might help someone to sense how their heart is feeling– is it pounding fast or beating slowly? Or maybe something else?
Interoception can help many people to feel other areas of the body, like the lungs, muscles, bladder, brain, bones, and even the whites of the eyes.
Noticing these body sensations (or body signals) can be important because they give information about the condition of the body and what our body might need in the moment. For some people, these body signals can also serve as the foundation of what emotion they are currently experiencing. Again, the meaning of the body signals noticed will be different for everyone. The following are a few examples,
- A empty, growling stomach could be a signal that a person is hungry.
- A dry feeling in the mouth or throat could be a sign that a person is thirsty.
- Loose muscles and a slowly beating heart might indicate a person is feeling relaxed.
The Power of Co-Regulation
Hi, everyone. Kelly Mahler, Occupational Therapist, and I want to talk about the power of Co-Regulation. It is often an overlooked ‘tool’ … Read more
Interoception and the Non-Speaking Client
Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. I want to talk about a topic that’s based on one of our frequently asked questions … Read more
5 Reasons We Need the Interoception Curriculum in Schools
Hi everyone. Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. I’ve had the pleasure of working in a variety of school settings for over 20 years. … Read more
Interoception: The Science of Physical & Emotional Pain
Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. We are talking about a really big topic and that is the impact between our health, … Read more
Autism and Eating Disorders: Dying to Be Thin
Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, Occupational Therapist. I’m really excited to be joined by Kim Clairy who is a fellow Occupational Therapist, and … Read more
An Affirming Approach for Implementing Interoception-Based Supports
Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, Occupational Therapist. We’re going to talk about an affirming approach for implementing an interoception-based approach. Before we talk … Read more
Modern Emotion Regulation Supports for Neurodivergent Learners: Are you Keeping with the Times?
I have been supporting neurodivergent clients for over 20 years. Being in the field of neurodiversity, I have seen a lot of … Read more
How Compliance-Based Approaches Damage Interoceptive Awareness & Self-Regulation
Hi everyone. Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about interoception, self-regulation and the detrimental impact that compliance-based approaches can have on the development of these critical areas. Compliance often teaches someone to ignore their own body signals/needs in order to comply with a demand and receive a reward. This is bad for so many reasons, including causing significant damage to interoceptive awareness which is the essential foundation of self-regulation.
Interoception & Self-Regulation
We know that interoception is a vital foundation of self-regulation. Most infants are born into this world noticing discomfort within their bodies. How do we know this? Think about when an infant notices interoceptive discomfort what do they do? Most of the time, their urge is to cry, which alerts the caregiver that something within the infant’s body feels off and they need help regulating their bodily needs. From day one of life, as an infant moves through the world, each and every single thing that they experience, their interoceptive system is responding. For every single experience, whether it’s a new environment or a new person or a new toy, their body is responding. They are noticing how each individual experience makes their body feel. Many times these bodily responses are not reaching their level of consciousness. Many times these reactions stay underneath the level of consciousness. But regardless, their interoceptive system is constantly responding to the world around around them.
Interoception & Trauma: The Latest Science on Healing
Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. And I wanted to take the time to talk about interoception and trauma and why interoception is a must. It is a vital consideration when supporting clients that have a history of trauma. What we know from emerging research and literature is that the interoceptive system is impacted by trauma. A person’s interoception experience can be derailed as a result of trauma, whether that’s early life trauma, or perhaps even an acute trauma as an adult, either way, this trauma is impacting the body and our interoceptive experience.
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