Interoception & Self-Regulation
We know that interoception is a vital foundation of self-regulation. Most infants are born into this world noticing discomfort within their bodies. How do we know this? Think about when an infant notices interoceptive discomfort what do they do? Most of the time, their urge is to cry, which alerts the caregiver that something within the infant’s body feels off and they need help regulating their bodily needs. From day one of life, as an infant moves through the world, each and every single thing that they experience, their interoceptive system is responding. For every single experience, whether it’s a new environment or a new person or a new toy, their body is responding. They are noticing how each individual experience makes their body feel. Many times these bodily responses are not reaching their level of consciousness. Many times these reactions stay underneath the level of consciousness. But regardless, their interoceptive system is constantly responding to the world around around them.
