Occupational Therapy for Interoception | Thrive Divergence

Occupational Therapy for Interoception

Understanding Your Body's Language at Thrive Divergence

🧠 What is Interoception?

                Interoception is one of our 8 senses. It is your body's ability to notice internal signals and sensations—things like hunger, tiredness, needing the bathroom, feeling anxious, getting overstimulated, or needing to move.
            

Everyone has interoception, but our awareness of these internal signals varies from person to person. For many people, especially neurodivergent individuals, these signals can be muted, confusing, delayed, or overwhelming.

💭 Interoception and Alexithymia

Many autistic people experience alexithymia—difficulty identifying or naming emotions and body sensations. This isn't about not having feelings. It's about the challenge of recognizing what's happening inside your body and connecting those sensations to specific needs or emotions.

When you have lower interoceptive awareness, smaller signals often go unnoticed. This means needs can build up without you realizing it, leading to sudden overwhelm, shutdowns, meltdowns, or burnout that seem to come out of nowhere.

Who Experiences This?

Lower interoceptive awareness is common in neurodivergent individuals:

Autism
ADHD
Sensory Processing Differences
Anxiety
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)

The good news: Research shows you can improve interoceptive awareness through practical, personalized occupational therapy!

🔧 How We Work With You

We take a practical, non-judgmental approach that honors how YOUR body communicates. Instead of forcing standard emotion labels or "normal" responses, we help you learn your body's unique language.

Our Approach Includes:

Body mapping & noticing patterns – We explore where and how you experience sensations. Not "name that feeling," but "what's happening in your chest/stomach/head right now?" We might use visuals, scales, or charts that work for your brain.
Building a personal interoception dictionary – Instead of forcing standard emotion labels, we help you identify YOUR specific body cues. Maybe anxiety feels like "static" or hunger shows up as irritability first. We document what's true for you.
Creating systems & supports – We build practical tools like body check-in routines, visual reminder systems, or wearable cues that help you notice signals BEFORE they become emergencies.
Connecting signals to needs – Once we know what your body is saying, we work on responding—whether that's sensory regulation strategies, communication tools, or environmental adjustments.

❌ This Isn't About:

Forcing yourself to feel "normal" emotions
Meditation or mindfulness if that doesn't work for you
Judgment about "not knowing" what you feel
Making you mask or conform

✓ This IS About:

Learning your unique nervous system
Preventing shutdowns, meltdowns, and burnout
Building autonomy and self-advocacy
Functional skills that fit into your real life

🎯 Our Goals

Self-Regulation

Emotional Regulation

Autonomy & Self-Advocacy

Preventing Burnout

Understanding Your Nervous System

Functional Life Skills

The Outcome? You understand your body's language well enough to meet your needs consistently—not perfectly, but sustainably.

📋 What to Expect

Format

Virtual sessions with check-ins included

Who

Teens and adults

Approach

Neuro-affirming, individualized, practical