Understanding Interoception: The Mind-Body Connection
- Dec 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 17
Scientific American has highlighted a rapidly evolving research area that is crucial to our community: interoception. This sense helps us notice and interpret internal signals from our bodies, such as heartbeat, breathing, temperature, and hunger.
In the feature article “A Distorted Mind-Body Connection May Explain Common Mental Illnesses”, science journalist Diana Kwon explores how disruptions in interoception may contribute to anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health difficulties.
Researchers such as H Critchley, S Garfinkel, L Quadt, S Khalsa, C Nord, M Allan among others, are revealing how the body and brain communicate continuously. They are also uncovering what happens when this system becomes overactive, underactive, or misread.
What is Interoception?
Interoception is one of our “inner” senses. It refers to how the brain receives, interprets, and predicts signals from inside the body. These signals contribute not only to physical awareness (for example, pain, fatigue, or heart rate) but also to emotional states, decision-making, and how safe or unsafe the world feels.
Differences or disruptions in interoception have been linked to:
Anxiety and panic
Misattribution of pain
Eating disorders and body image difficulties like anorexia
Depression and trauma-related conditions
Neurodivergent experiences, including autism and ADHD
Hypermobility conditions, chronic pain, and fatigue
Emotional dysregulation
Interoception, Hypermobility, and Neurodivergence
Researchers are increasingly documenting strong connections between joint hypermobility, autonomic dysfunction (such as postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic intolerance), and neurodivergence, including autism and ADHD. Differences in connective tissue may help explain why many neurodivergent individuals experience orthostatic intolerance, pain, and other physical symptoms alongside sensory and interoceptive differences.
Studies involving people with Ehlers–Danlos syndromes and related conditions suggest that difficulties in regulating attention to internal sensations can worsen anxiety and low mood. Conversely, more supportive interoceptive attention skills can reduce psychological distress. This aligns closely with the experiences of many in our community, who often describe feeling “too much” or “too little” of what is happening inside their bodies, frequently without validation or understanding.
SEDSConnective’s Role and Recognition
We are delighted that our founder, Jane Green MBE, and SEDSConnective were included in this Scientific American article. As the piece notes:
“Green is chair and founder of SEDSConnective, a charity dedicated to neurodivergent people with connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. These conditions tend to overlap with anxiety disorders, and Green is now advocating for interoception-based therapies to help affected people.”
SEDSConnective is the world’s first user-led charity dedicated to neurodivergent individuals (autistic ADHD dyspraxic dsylexic dyscalculic, TS bipolar) with symptomatic hypermobility and related connective tissue disorders, including Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD), dysautonomia, POTS Gastrointestinal issues, MCAS and more. Being featured in an international science outlet reflects how far our community has come in making these connections visible and taken seriously.
Why This Matters for Our Community
For many, the overlap between hypermobility, neurodivergence, and mental health has been dismissed as “in your head” or treated as separate issues. Interoception research supports a more integrated view. It validates that the body and brain form an inseparable system, especially in conditions where connective tissue, autonomic function, and sensory processing differ from the neuromajority.
This emerging science underscores what lived experience has been saying for years: addressing physical symptoms, sensory needs, and interoceptive differences together may offer better routes to well-being than focusing on one piece in isolation. It also opens the door to interoception-informed supports, from body-based therapies and pacing strategies to psychoeducation that helps people name and navigate their inner signals.
How SEDSConnective is Responding
As a user-led charity, SEDSConnective is committed to ensuring that interoception research translates into practical support, co-designed with those who live these realities every day. Our work includes advocacy, education, peer support, and collaboration with researchers exploring hypermobility, neurodivergence, pain, and autonomic symptoms.
We are actively championing approaches that recognise interoception as a bridge between mental and physical health, rather than a boundary that separates them. By bringing together lived experience, clinical insight, and research, our aim is to improve recognition, access to appropriate care, and quality of life for hypermobile, neurodivergent individuals.
What You Can Do
If you think this is important, here is what you can do:
Write to your MP or policy maker about our charity. Share how these issues connect and why community voices are vital for health, education, work, or life opportunities.
Want to understand more about interoception, hypermobility, and neurodivergence? Visit our Research and Resources pages for accessible summaries and links to current studies. A new website is coming soon!
If you are symptomatic of hypermobility (with a formal diagnosis of EDS or HSD) and neurodivergent (or if you are a family member, parent, carer, or allied professional), you can join our community, attend events, and connect with others who “get it.” sedsconnective
You can read the fullScientific American article by Diana Kwon on interoception and mental health here:“A Distorted Mind-Body Connection May Explain Common Mental Illnesses.”
Conclusion
Understanding interoception is essential for recognising the intricate connections between our bodies and minds. As research continues to evolve, it is crucial to advocate for a holistic approach to health that encompasses both physical and mental well-being. By fostering awareness and support, we can help create a more inclusive environment for those affected by these interconnected issues.
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