Last week we learned about the 7 senses, but now it’s time to talk about the lesser known 8th sense . . . Interoception!
What is it?
- Interoception is our body’s awareness of its’ internal signals including hunger, pain, temperature, bladder/bowel signals, and more!
- We respond to our interoception signals both consciously and unconsciously
- Conscious example: Responding to the feeling of thirst by drinking a cup of water.
- Unconscious example: Your body responds to being hot by sweating to try and cool down.
- Our ability to interpret and respond to interoceptive signals also develops as we grow, such as when children become potty trained.
How does it work?
There are 3 steps involved with our sense of interoception:
- Sensing- you feel the sensation
- Interpreting- you determine what the sensation is/means
- Integrating- you take action based on your interpretation of the signal
Signs of difficulty
Sometimes feeling and understanding our interoception signals is difficult. A few examples of having difficulty with our sense of interoception include:
- Difficulty knowing when you need to use the bathroom
- Easily feeling anxious
- Having a low or high pain tolerance
- Not being able to sense when you are full while eating
How OT can help!
There are several different interventions that OT can implement to help individuals improve their sense of interoception, including:
- Mindfulness activities, such as yoga and meditation.
- Deep breathing exercises.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): A type of structured, goal-oriented therapy that can help people to retrain their brain to improve their ability to sense and interpret interoception signals.
If you think your child may be struggling with sensing, interpreting, or integrating their interoceptive senses they may benefit from OT services to better understand their body’s signals and how to respond to them appropriately!
Resources
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): What it is & techniques. Cleveland Clinic. (2025a, September 17). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21208-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cbt
Gupta, A., & Bishop, M. (2023, December 20). 5 tips for using interoceptive exposure to face your fears. https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/5-tips-using-interoceptive-exposure-face-your
Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). The affective side of interoception. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-more-affectively/202512/the-affective-side-of-interoception
What is interoception?. Cleveland Clinic. (2025c, December 31). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/interoception
