What Is Interoception—and What Does It Have to Do With Self-Regulation?
At Cardinal Kids Therapy, we often talk about self-regulation—but what does that really mean?
For our purposes, self-regulation is the ability to recognize how we feel and figure out what we need. Before we can manage an emotion, respond to a body need, or choose a helpful regulation strategy, we first need to notice what is happening inside of us.
This is where interoception comes in.
What Is Interoception?
Interoception is one of our sensory systems. Most people are familiar with senses such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. In occupational therapy, we also frequently talk about the vestibular system, which helps us understand movement and balance, and the proprioceptive system, which gives us information about our muscles, joints, and body position.
Interoception is the sensory system that helps us notice what is happening inside the body.
Throughout the day, our bodies are constantly sending us information. You might notice:
A dry or wet mouth
A fast or slow heartbeat
An empty, full, or queasy stomach
Tight, loose, sore, or tired muscles
Hot or cold skin
Shakiness or fluttering
A full bladder
Heavy eyes or a tired body
These internal sensations are often called body signals.
The Body-Emotion Connection
Body signals provide important clues about how we feel.
Imagine standing in front of a room to give a presentation. Your heart may begin to beat faster. Your stomach might feel fluttery. Your muscles may tighten, and your hands might shake.
Your brain gathers these body signals and helps you make sense of them: “I feel nervous.”
For many people, this connection happens quickly and automatically. They notice the signals from their body, interpret what those signals mean, and recognize an emotion or need.
For others, the process is much less automatic.
A child may feel uncomfortable but not know why. They may experience a racing heart, tight muscles, hunger, thirst, pain, sensory overload, or fatigue without being able to clearly identify what is happening. Instead of saying, “I’m overwhelmed,” “I’m thirsty,” or “I need a break,” the child may communicate through their behavior.
This is one reason interoception is so important to self-regulation.
Interoception Helps Us Understand Many Different Feelings
When we use the word emotions, we often think of feelings such as:
Happiness
Nervousness
Anxiety
Sadness
Frustration
Irritation
Embarrassment
Jealousy
Boredom
Comfort
But our bodies also communicate basic physical needs. Interoception helps us recognize experiences such as:
Hunger
Thirst
Needing to use the bathroom
Sleepiness
Pain
Feeling too hot or too cold
Illness
Sensory overwhelm
All of these experiences begin with information coming from within the body. Learning to notice and understand that information can help a child respond more effectively to what their body needs.
Two Important Parts of Interoceptive Awareness
At Cardinal Kids Therapy, our interoception work focuses on two important skills:
1. Noticing body signals
What do I feel inside my body right now?
A child might begin to notice that their mouth feels dry, their heart is beating quickly, their muscles feel tight, or their stomach feels empty.
2. Connecting body signals with meaning
What might these body signals be telling me?
A dry mouth may help someone recognize thirst. An empty or growling stomach may signal hunger. Tight muscles, a racing heart, and hot skin may be clues that someone is becoming frustrated.
The goal is not to teach children that one specific body signal always equals one specific emotion. Bodies are more individual than that. Instead, we want to help children become curious about their own internal experiences and begin discovering their personal body-emotion connections.
Why Does This Matter for Self-Regulation?
Self-regulation does not begin with a coping strategy.
It begins with awareness.
Before a child can choose what might help, they need some understanding of what is happening inside their body. When children become more aware of their internal signals, they can begin building a stronger connection between:
What do I notice in my body? → What might I be feeling? → What does my body need right now?
This process can support a child’s ability to recognize emotions, communicate needs, and discover regulation strategies that are meaningful for their own body.
At Cardinal Kids Therapy, we use concepts and activities from The Interoception Curriculum by Kelly Mahler, OTD, OTR/L, to support children in developing greater awareness of their individual body signals and the meaning those signals may hold.
In our next post, we’ll take a closer look at how this process is taught step by step—and how children can begin building interoceptive awareness from the inside out.