When we think about the senses, we often focus on the classic five: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. But what if I told you there was another sense that plays an equally crucial role in your day-to-day life? One that influences how you understand your emotions, when you feel hungry, or when you need to go to the bathroom? That sense is called interoception.
As an Occupational Therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how understanding and working with interoception can transform a person’s ability to function, communicate, and feel empowered in their own body. This blog will explore what interoception is, how it appears across age groups and diagnoses, and how we can use strategies to build interoceptive awareness to support everyday activities.
Table of Contents
What is Interoception?
Interoception is your brain’s ability to sense and interpret signals from inside your body. These signals come from your internal organs and systems and help you understand things like:
- Are you hungry or full?
- Do you need to use the toilet?
- Are you hot or cold?
- Is your heart beating fast?
- Do you feel tense, anxious, calm, or excited?
In simple terms, interoception helps us “feel what we feel“—physically and emotionally.
Just like vision helps us see and proprioception helps us understand where our body is in space, interoception helps us tune into the inner state of our body.
Why is Interoception Important?
Interoception is the foundation for many important life skills:
- Self-regulation: Knowing when you’re getting overwhelmed and using strategies to calm yourself.
- Toileting: Recognizing when you need to go, planning for it, and avoiding accidents.
- Hunger and thirst awareness: Understanding when and how much to eat or drink.
- Emotional awareness: Recognizing internal cues like a racing heart or tight chest and linking them with feelings like fear, anger, or excitement.
Who Might Have Interoception Difficulties?
Anyone can experience interoception differences, but it is particularly common in:
- Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- People with ADHD
- Persons with sensory processing challenges
- Those with trauma histories
- People with anxiety, depression, or emotional regulation difficulties
- Individuals with intellectual disability
Interoceptive awareness isn’t about being right or wrong. It’s about how tuned in a person is to their internal cues—some people might be hypersensitive (feeling every little twinge), while others may be hyposensitive (not noticing hunger or pain until it’s extreme).
Signs of Interoceptive Differences
Here are some signs that a child or adult may have challenges with interoception:
- Doesn’t notice they need to go to the bathroom until it’s too late
- Overeats or under-eats because they can’t tell when they’re full or hungry
- Difficulty identifying or describing emotions
- Struggles to calm down or “catch themselves” getting upset
- Doesn’t recognise signs of illness or fatigue
- Avoids or overreacts to internal sensations (like tummy pain, heartbeat, or breathing)
How Interoception Appears in an OT Session
When I meet a client, whether it’s a four-year-old or a forty-year-old, I’m always paying attention to how their body and emotions work together. I might ask questions like:
- “How does your body feel right now?”
- “Can you tell me when you start to feel mad or tired?”
- “What does your heart feel like when you’re nervous?”
We use playful, simple language and activities to help build awareness. For younger children, I might use body charts, songs, movement, or sensory games. For teens or adults, we might use journaling, mindfulness, or gentle body scans.
Sample Activities in a Session:
- Body Check Charts: Matching sensations to body parts (e.g., “my tummy feels tight when I’m nervous”).
- Thermometer of Emotions: Exploring how big feelings feel in your body and what to do about them.
- Breathing and Movement Games: Activities that slow the heart rate or raise it, followed by a discussion on how the body feels.
- Mindful Moment Practices: Teaching clients to pause and scan their body for any signs of stress, hunger, or tiredness.
The Role of the OT: Building Interoceptive Awareness
Occupational Therapists support interoception by helping clients notice, name, and respond to body signals. This means:
- Notice: Helping clients recognise the signals their body sends.
- Name: Teaching words and concepts to describe those feelings.
- Respond: Using strategies to meet the need (e.g., taking a break, using the toilet, eating a snack).
We also work with caregivers, teachers, and support workers to integrate this language and support across environments.
Everyday Strategies to Build Interoception
1. Use Visual Supports
Visuals like body maps, emotion thermometers, and check-in charts can help children match sensations with meaning.
2. Create Predictable Routines
Having regular meals, toileting breaks, and rest times can help teach body awareness through structure.
3. Model Language
Use body-based language in daily life: “I’m feeling a bit jittery—my heart is beating fast. That means I’m a bit worried.”
4. Practice Body Scans
Even one minute of guided awareness (“What do you feel in your chest, arms, tummy?”) builds connection to internal cues.
5. Label Emotions Early and Often
Help children match their body signals to emotions: “You’re clenching your fists. Are you feeling frustrated?”
6. Sensory Breaks
Movement, deep pressure, or calming sensory input can help tune the body and brain to internal signals.
7. Use Story-Based Teaching
Social stories and books about feelings and body signals make learning concrete and engaging.
Interoception Across the Lifespan
Interoception isn’t just a childhood skill. It supports healthy development at every stage of life.
In Toddlers:
- Toilet training
- Understanding hunger/satiety
- Responding to pain or discomfort
In School-Aged Children:
- Managing frustration or anxiety
- Asking for breaks
- Participating in physical education or lunch routines
In Teenagers:
- Navigating puberty and body changes
- Identifying stress and overwhelm
- Building emotional intelligence and independence
In Adults:
- Managing mental health
- Developing routines and balance
- Understanding how emotions impact relationships and productivity
Diagnoses Where Interoception Support is Helpful
Interoception is relevant to many health and developmental conditions, including:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Often linked to differences in emotional regulation, toileting, and sensory awareness.
- ADHD: Impacts awareness of hunger, sleep, restlessness, and emotional shifts.
- Anxiety and Depression: Interoception influences how a person interprets and responds to body signals like heart rate and fatigue.
- Trauma and PTSD: Some people may disconnect from their bodies to cope, leading to reduced interoceptive awareness.
- Intellectual Disability: Visual and structured tools help increase bodily autonomy.
- Chronic Pain or Illness: Understanding sensations can improve self-care and communication with providers.
Building Confidence and Independence
When someone understands their interoceptive signals, they gain:
- Greater self-confidence
- Improved emotional regulation
- Better communication about needs
Increased participation in daily routines - Fewer meltdowns or shutdowns
Over time, this helps individuals become more independent, resilient, and empowered.
What Can Parents and Carers Do?
If you think your child might benefit from interoception support, start by:
- Noticing patterns (e.g., toileting accidents, meltdowns before meals)
- Using everyday language about body feelings
- Creating calm, safe opportunities to tune into internal cues
- Seeking guidance from your Occupational Therapist
Final Thoughts: Why Interoception Matters
Interoception isn’t just about the body—it’s about connection. Connection to ourselves, our needs, and our emotions. It helps people say, “I know what I need,” and “I can help myself.”
Whether it’s a preschooler learning to use the toilet, a teenager managing stress, or an adult working through anxiety, interoceptive awareness opens the door to self-understanding and self-care.
As Occupational Therapists, we believe that everyone deserves the tools and support to live comfortably in their own body.
Let’s start by listening to it.
Need support with interoception?
Our Occupational Therapy team can help assess, guide, and support interoceptive development for all ages and diagnoses.
Transform Life is a NDIS registered organisation that provide support for you and your family.
Book your consult with an experienced Therapist at Transform Life to explore how OT, PBS and Speech Therapy can support you and your family.
