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Samantha and Lauren discuss Samantha’s son’s years-long struggle with chronic, debilitating pain (legs, back, migraines) and how a pain clinic evaluation led to a new explanation: sensory processing disorder with heightened interoception. After extensive normal test results, a multidisciplinary team suggested his internal body-signal sense may be “turned up,” intensifying pain perception.
Samantha and Lauren define interoception (internal sensations like hunger, bathroom needs, heart rate, temperature, pain, and emotions) using occupational therapist Kelly Mahler’s framework and note that interoception differences can be muted, intense, or distorted, affecting interpretation of sensations and emotions.
The episode emphasizes validation, shifting from “why does he hurt?” to “what support does his nervous system need?”, and introduces Mahler’s “body, emotion, action” approach, encouraging parents to become “body detectives” with neutral body check-ins and curiosity rather than telling kids to “calm down.”
00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup
00:15 Years of Chronic Pain Search
00:46 Pain Clinic Evaluation
02:27 Unexpected Diagnosis Insight
04:32 Interoception Explained
06:24 When Signals Feel Too Loud
09:23 Muted vs Intense Awareness
11:56 Validation and Support Mindset
15:32 Body Emotion Action Framework
20:38 Becoming Body Detectives
22:06 Key Takeaways and Next Steps
23:44 Resources and Closing
Connect with Samantha Foote!
Website: https://everybrainisdifferent.com/
