Hi everyone, Kelly Mahler, occupational therapist. And I wanted to take the time to talk about interoception and trauma and why interoception is a must. It is a vital consideration when supporting clients that have a history of trauma. What we know from emerging research and literature is that the interoceptive system is impacted by trauma. A person’s interoception experience can be derailed as a result of trauma, whether that’s early life trauma, or perhaps even an acute trauma as an adult, either way, this trauma is impacting the body and our interoceptive experience.
Trauma Support
Unsafe, Unheard & Misunderstood: Trauma & Neurodiversity
Many times, traditional trauma viewpoints do not fully capture the experience of neurodivergent learners resulting in many children and adults being misunderstood and many underlying needs overlooked.Â
The following blog is based upon my collaboration with my good friend and colleague, Kim Clairy MS, OTR/L who is autistic. We often do live online courses and in-person trainings on this topic among many other topics. You can learn more about Kim at www.kimclairy.com.Â
Trauma is a hot topic that is thankfully getting a lot of attention in research and practice right now. Evidence supports the importance of trauma-informed care. Therefore as therapists, our practice should include a solid understanding of trauma and the influence that it has on the brain and body of our clients.Â
Trauma is a response to an event or series of events that causes someone to feel unsafe, threatened and/or severely distressed. Traditional trauma viewpoints typically define a set of common events that may result in trauma such as abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. However, each person experiences life events differently, and the exact same event may be traumatic for one person but may not be traumatic for the next. In other words, trauma is dependent on how each person experiences or responds to an event(s). Therefore, each person’s unique responses should always be considered and validated.