Interoception
The sense of your internal body state—hunger, heart rate, temperature, full bladder. The 'eighth sense' often impaired in neurodivergence.
AutismADHDSensory ProcessingCognitive Processing
Layer 1: Documented
Clinical Recognition
Fully documented in neuroscience and occupational therapy. Recognised as distinct sensory system. Deficits studied in autism, ADHD, eating disorders, anxiety.
Community Validation
Growing recognition as explanation for 'I didn't realize I was hungry/needed to pee/was exhausted.' Links to alexithymia widely discussed.
Published
17 December 2025 by Team Heumans
Interoception is your sense of what's happening inside your body: hunger, thirst, heart rate, temperature, need to use the bathroom, pain, fatigue, arousal. It's how you know you're hungry before you're dizzy, or that you need to pee before it's an emergency.
When interoception is impaired, you don't get those signals—or you get them all at once in a crisis. You're suddenly starving and didn't notice three hours of hunger cues. You're desperately thirsty and don't remember when you last drank water. Your body is screaming and you're just learning the language.