Interoception

Question 1

Sensory regulation

Answer 1

ability to maintain an appropriate level of attention in response to sensory input from the environment

Question 2

Emotional regulation

Answer 2

ability to manage and respond to emotions in a balanced way

Question 3

Co-regulation

Answer 3

one person helps another regulate their emotions and behaviors

Question 4

Self-regulation

Answer 4

ability to independently regulate emotions and behaviors
- not all individuals will be able to self-regulate, for some, the goal will be co-regulation

Question 5

Sensory diets

Answer 5

• helps to assist with regulation considering all 7 sensory systems
• oral
• tactile
• vestibular
• proprioception = heavy work and deep pressure
• auditory
• visual
• smell

Question 6

Zones of regulation

Answer 6

• most self-regulation programs (zones of regulation, how does your engine run) are dependent on individuals having a basic awareness of their body or can understand individual emotions
• programs are focused what to do if feel anxious, angry, hungry, overwhelmed, in the “yellow zone”, in the “blue zone”
• what if you cannot feel or understand that you are anxious, hungry, overwhelmed or sad?

Question 7

Interoception

Answer 7

• a sensory system
• enable us to feel internal sensations
• signals from mouth, heart, muscles, stomach assist us in understanding our feelings
• for most people, it happens intrinsically/immediately, other people have to work to notice body signals and decipher

Question 8

Interoceptive awareness

Answer 8

• the degree to which we are able to notice and connect with body signals
• allows us to ask, “how do I feel?”
• ability to NOTICE = what body signals do I feel inside of my body?
• ability to CONNECT = the body signals to an emotion (what do these body signals mean? what emotion am I experiencing?)
• ex: stomach growling means I am hungry

Question 9

Within OT scope of practice, OTPF-4 includes interception as a client factor

Answer 9

• toileting/continence
• feeding/eating
• pain/healthcare management
• sleep
• body temp
• sensory regulation
• emotional regulation
• social connection

Question 10

Interoception

Answer 10

• the critical foundation of independent self-regulation
• noticing the way the body feels and connecting it to an emotion is what motivates purposeful and self-regulation behaviors

Question 11

Identifying emotions

Answer 11

• affective emotions
• homeostatic emotions

Question 12

Homeostatic emotions

Answer 12

• drive us to fill our basic needs
• eating, drinking, seeking help when sick, bathroom use, and sleeping

Question 13

Affective emotions

Answer 13

• involve our mood
• reaction to the world around us

Question 14

Differences in interoceptive awareness

Answer 14

• difficulty identifying exactly how they feel
• ability to recognize a general feeling of comfort/discomfort but cannot express explicit emotion
• ability to detect a basic emotion (like anxiety) but an inability to determine intensity
• ability to recognize a general feeling of excitement, but unable to detect other emotions intermingled such as nervousness

Question 15

Unclear interoceptive awareness

Answer 15

• body signals may be too big
• body signals may be too small (muted, weakness go unnoticed)
• body signals are distorted (notice body signals by not clear to give specific detail)

Question 16

Diagnoses/conditions that may experience difficulties with interoceptive awareness

Answer 16

• ASD
• ADHD
• OCD
• eating disorders
• SPD
• trauma and PTSD
• anxiety
• dementia
• depression
• obesity
• drug/alcohol addition
• chronic pain syndrome

Question 17

Possible signs of atypical interoception awareness

Answer 17

• learner does not realize being overwhelmed until being REALLY overwhelmed
• when upset, needs help from others to calm down
• learner has been taught coping strategies but has difficulty utilizing
• gets upset but does not know why
• notices emotion, but is unsure which one it is
• intense emotions sneak up on the learner
• forgets to eat or eat until sick
• uses the restroom on a set schedule
• high/low pain threshold
• difficulties identifying if tired
• decreased awareness of being hot/cold

Question 18

Interoceptive awareness facilitates self-regulation

Answer 18

• co-regulation
• interoceptive awareness
• self-regulation

Question 19

Promoting interoception

Answer 19

• notice = (BODY) what body signals do I notice right now?
• connect = (EMOTION) what do these signals mean? what emotions am I experiencing?
• regulate = (ACTION) = what action do I need to take to maintain comfort or restore comfort?

Question 20

Mindfulness and interoceptive awareness

Answer 20

• mindfulness is one of the most effective ways to enhance interoceptive awareness
• research suggests mindfulness can improve interoceptive awareness in as little as 8 weeks
• focus upon attention to the body such as breathing, tensions in the body, yoga with noticing how the pose makes you feel
• the insula (the interoceptive center of the brain) is strongly activated during meditation
• traditional meditation is often abstract = many learners need more specific strategies

Question 21

Interoception cirriculum

Answer 21

1.) increasing ability to notice body signals
2.) emotions
3.) action

Question 22

Step 1: increasing ability to notice body signals

Answer 22

• hands and fingers
• feet and toes
• mouth
• eyes
• ears
• noise
• voice
• cheeks
• skin
• muscles
• lungs
• heart
• brain/head
• stomach
• bladder
• whole body

Question 23

Step 2: emotions

Answer 23

• increase learner’s ability to give meaning to the body signals noticed
• my body signals are clues to my emotions
• each emotion has different body signals
• what is the cause of my body signals?
• creating a body-emotion chart

Question 24

Step 3: action

Answer 24

• increase ability to use good actions that can be used to promote positive body-emotion experiences
• my body can feel comfortable, my body can feel uncomfortable
• I can change the way my body feels
• I can change the way my body feels when it is uncomfortable
• discovering new feel-good actions
• making my own feel-good menu