Body signal experiments are simple activities or tasks that are designed to help you tune into your body’s internal signals. They can be as simple as “run on the spot for 30 seconds, now place your hand over your heart. How does your heart feel?” (the child is tuning into her heart). Typically, each task is designed to focus on a different body area (brain, skin, stomach, etc.).
A personal anecdote
I first realised the importance and power of body experiments when working with a young person who presented with significant emotional dysregulation – they were often described as going from 0-100 without warning. She had experienced multiple adverse life experiences. One of the initial body experiments we tried involved noticing the difference between touching an ice block and a flask of warm water – she found it challenging to distinguish these two sensations on her skin. In fact, she had significant difficulty noticing any low-intensity sensations occurring in her body. This was likely an adaptive response developed due to the adversity she experienced earlier in her life. However, now that she was older and in a safe environment, what had once been adaptive was becoming maladaptive. She found it extremely difficult to notice her body sensations unless they were very intense (e.g., a pounding heartbeat or rapid breathing) and typically only when she was about to enter a fight, flight, or freeze response. Because she was unable to notice and label lower-intensity sensations, she and her caregivers often missed the critical window to intervene and support her before she became dysregulated. Supporting this young person required a team approach involving her trusted caregivers, ensuring she felt safe in her environment. However, I have no doubt about the benefit of using body experiments, which slowly over time contributed to her ability to start to notice what was happening in her body and build emotional regulation skills with ongoing support from her caregivers.
So, first quickly… why and what is interoception?
Interoception is one of our bodies’ three internal senses. It is our ability to sense and interpret internal bodily sensations. Interoceptive ability involves:
- First, being aware of body signals (not everyone can feel what is happening in their body).
- Next, connecting body signals to an emotion (this can be tricky for some, their body signals can get mixed up or be hard to connect).
- Lastly, starting to think about a response (if needed) e.g. using a tool or strategy to meet the needs of the emotion (this is the last step, but the first two things need to be functioning in order for this to happen).
Interoception plays a crucial role in self-awareness, emotional regulation, and understanding ones physical state. It helps individuals recognise and respond to their body’s needs, contributing to overall wellbeing and adaptive functioning.
Interoception, emotional regulation & the latest evidence?
Research indicates that structured interoceptive training helps children better identify, label, and manage emotions by enhancing their awareness of internal signals. Mahler et al. (2022) found that a 25-week interoception-focused program improved emotion regulation in autistic children, increasing their ability to recognise bodily cues associated with emotional states. Additionally, Quadt, Critchley & Garfinkel (2018) highlight the neural connections between interoception and emotional processing, emphasising how improved awareness of internal bodily sensations supports more effective emotional regulation.
Implementing interoceptive exercises in school settings has shown clear links to reduced ‘behavioural disturbances’ and increased classroom engagement. Mahler et al. (2022) reported improved behavioural regulation following an interoceptive training program. Furthermore, Goodall (2021) demonstrated significant reductions in behavioural incidents and increases in prosocial interactions among students across multiple schools that integrated interoceptive strategies. These findings confirm interoception as a valuable universal design approach in creating inclusive and emotionally supportive learning environments.
Implementing body signal (interoception) experiments in the classroom or therapy room
- Discuss with students that you will be completing activities together to learn about different body sensations/signals. Explain how we all experience different sensations in our body, and these body sensations give us clues to how we feel. You might like to give some examples of body sensations: Has anyone ever felt their stomach growl? This sensation tells us we might be hungry. How about the tight feeling in your stomach if you need to pee?
- Make sure to emphasise that we can all experience different body sensations for different emotions. For example, one person who feels bored may have a ‘heavy body’ and be ‘moving slowly’, while another person who feels bored may have a ‘fast heartbeat’ and their body may ‘want to move’. There are no ‘right or wrong’ answers, and all answers should be accepted.
- Have some body signal experiments/ tasks ready to go!
- After completing each task, ask students what sensations they noticed, has anything changed (e.g., after running on the spot for 30 seconds – is their heart beating faster or slower?)
Some extra tips:
- For students who have difficulty coming up with sensations, it may be helpful to provide them with options (e.g. cold, warm, tight, relaxed, etc.). Sensation ideas are listed on each activity card, though students may come up with their own ideas/words.
- As discussed, try to accept all answers, as we can experience different sensations. If running this in a group setting, and you notice students are using different sensation words during an activity, this may be a good opportunity to point out we all experience slightly different sensations.
- Use can use activities as a warm-up, main activity, or a brain break.
Sample body signal (interoception) experiments
Below are some of my favourite body experiments you can use to help children tune in to their internal body signals. Each activity includes ideas for sensations they might notice and gentle prompts you can use to guide their reflection.
1. Temperature check on hands
Ask the child to hold out their hands and pay close attention to how they feel. Are they cold from the room air, warm from rubbing together, or even hot after exercise?
– Possible sensations: cold, warm, hot.
– Prompt to ask: “How do your hands feel right now?” “Are they hot, warm, cold, unsure?”
2. Holding an ice cube
This simple activity helps children notice clear temperature changes on their skin. Have them hold an ice cube or very cold object for 20 seconds and describe the sensations.
– Possible sensations: cold, numb, tingly, wet.
– Prompt to ask: “What do you notice in your hand now?” “Does your hand feel different?” “Cold, sore, etc…”
3. 10 Jumping jacks (lungs, heartbeat, muscles)
Use movement to create body signals that are easy to detect. After 10 jumping jacks, children can explore how their breath, heart, and muscles feel.
– Possible sensations: fast breathing, pounding heart, warm, heavy, tired.
– Prompt to ask: “How does your breathing feel? Is your heart beating fast or slow? How do your muscles feel?”
4. Wall sit for 30 Seconds
Ask children to sit against a wall with knees bent as if on an invisible chair.
– Possible sensations: tight, sore, shaky, heavy.
– Prompt to ask: “How do your leg muscles feel right now?”
5. Saying one word over and over in your head for 20 seconds
Ask them to repeat a single word in their mind for 20 seconds and then reflect.
– Possible sensations: focused, foggy, slow, fast thoughts.
– Prompt to ask: “How does your brain feel after that?”
6. Big arm circles for 30 seconds
Slow, controlled movement can help us tune into muscle and joint feedback. Ask students to make big arm circles for 30 seconds and then describe what they feel.
Possible sensations: heavy, sore, loose, tight, warm.
Prompt to ask: “How do your arms and shoulders feel?”
Questions
If you have any questions or need further assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch here or at sophia.occupationaltherapy@gmail.com.
Would you like some done-for-you, ready-to-go interoception activity cards? Here you go…
