This is a blog by Dr Alice Siberry.
Neurodivergence is becoming a common part of our vocabulary. Ask almost anyone, and they’ll probably give you a textbook definition: “the differences between our brains”. But there is something missing from this definition: the intrinsic link between our brains and our bodies.
Whilst we’ve worked hard to create a definition that recognises the differences between how we think, remember or process information, this is only one part of the conversation. A brain-focused lens alone risks overlooking the bodily experiences that shape, influence and even create these cognitive differences in the first place.
The Embodied Mind is a 4-part blog series exploring how neurodiversity shows up across the body, including what current research tells us, where the gaps remain and why a whole-body perspective matters for understanding wellbeing, fatigue, mental health and support needs.
This is a follow-up series from our Neurodiversity and Hormones Series, which encouraged us to reflect on the influence our hormone cycles have on the way we function from day-to-day, week-to-week and for those with female sex hormones, month-to-month!
The Brain-Body Connection
We don’t just think with our brains, we experience and process information through our whole bodies. How we sense, move, and interact with the world feeds back into the way we perceive respond and learn.
At the most basic level, the brain is built on a complex network of neurons – cells that communicate using electrochemical signals. These signals travel through neural circuits, allowing the brain to coordinate movement, sensation and thought in addition to plan and make decision about future somatic, or bodily, functions. For example, if you touch a hot pan, pain receptors activate your motor (movement) neurons, sending a rapid signal to your brain that tells you to pull your hand away. The brain is made up of millions of neurons, which are the building blocks for the brain, and these neurons carry messages to and from the brain to the rest of the body, typically within milliseconds.
The body-mind connection is so profound that even thinking about an action can activate areas of the brain. Research by Gordon et al. (2023), for example, shows that neural circuits associated with movement become active not only during physical action but also when a person thinks about or imagines moving. Later blogs in this series will explore the influence of our motor neurons in relation to proprioception and how the brain maps our bodies in any given environment.
Interoception in Neurodivergence
One way this body-brain connection also manifests is through interoception: the awareness of internal bodily states. Neurodivergent people may experience interoception differently. Some neurodivergent people report having challenges sensing whether they are hungry or thirsty, or tired. Others might experience heightened cues.
These differences are particularly common in diagnosable differences such as autism and ADHD, and they have a profound effect on daily life. Understanding interoception, and the wider impact of the brain-body connection, helps us to see why someone may react to stress, sensory input, or emotional triggers in a way that might not be immediately obvious from behaviour alone.
The role that interoception plays in the connection between our brains and gut, as well as our perception of pain, will be explored throughout this series.
Sensory Processing and Physiological Regulation
Our nervous system constantly balances input from the body and environment. Our bodies have two nervous systems, the central nervous system, which manages our conscious functions and the autonomic nervous system, which manages our unconscious functions.
The focus of this series will be the autonomic nervous system, and specifically, the two key branches it is made up of:
- The sympathetic nervous system: Activates the 5 Fs (fight, flight, freeze, fawn or flop) responses to stress or challenge.
- The parasympathetic nervous system: Activates “rest and digest” responses, supporting recovery, digestion and sleep.
Differences in sensory processing and autonomic regulation are common in neurodivergence. For example, a heightened sympathetic state can make it harder to relax, sleep or digest comfortably. Later blogs on sleep and digestion will explore how these systems influence everyday wellbeing.
Emotional Regulation and the Construction of Emotion
Our emotions are deeply embodied. The theory of constructed emotion suggests that emotions are not just signals from the brain, but experiences built from bodily sensations, context and interpretation.
Research into chronic pain has suggested that there is an intrinsic connection to stress responses in the brain and pain felt within the body (van der Kolk, 2015; Vergne-Salle and Bertin, 2021; Kearney and Lanius, 2022). This means that differences in interoception and sensory processing can directly influence emotional experience. Recognising the body’s role helps explain why traditional cognitive strategies for emotional regulation may work different – or not at all – for different people.
It will become clear the role that emotional wellbeing plays in this blog series. Lack of sleep, fatigue, poor nutrition and associated challenges, pain and difficulties with movement regulation are the leading cause of dysregulation, often more so than the characteristics of neurodivergence alone.
Looking ahead
Throughout this series, we’ll explore how the body can improve support, communication and awareness of neurodivergence in a more nuanced, whole-body way. By considering the body alongside the brain, we can better tailor interventions, environments and interactions to more holistically understand neurodivergent needs.
Over the coming weeks, we’re excited to share our Embodied Mind series:
- Week 1: Sleep, Rhythm and Rest: The Physiology of Fatigue and Neurodivergence
- Week 2: The Gut-Brain Connection: What we’re learning about Neurodiversity and Digestion
- Week 3: Neurodiversity, Proprioception and Pain: When the Body Doesn’t Match the Map
This whole-body perspective is increasingly important not just for individuals, but for those supporting neurodivergent people in education, employment and everyday life. Embedding this understanding into leadership and daily practice is a key focus of our online line manager awareness programme and Level 4 Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessor course.
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References
Gordon, E.M., Chauvin, R.J., Van, A.N. et al. (2023) A somato-cognitive action network alternates with effector regions in motor cortex. Nature 617, 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05964-2
Kearney BE, Lanius RA. (2022) The brain-body disconnect: A somatic sensory basis for trauma-related disorders. Front Neurosci. 21;16:1015749. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1015749. PMID: 36478879; PMCID: PMC9720153.
van der Kolk, B. (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books
Vergne-Salle, P. and Bertin, P. (2021) Chronic pain and neuroinflammation. Joint Bone Spine, 88, 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbspin.2021.105222