Project Pāhekoheko: Understanding Interoception & Neurodivergence Through Massage
(For an audio description of this page click here)
Definitions:
Pāhekoheko - Te Reo translates to English as: (verb) to combine, join, unite or integrate, (noun) connection, relationship
Interoception - mind and body connection, how intune one is with what their body needs or is experiencing
Neurodivergence - Individuals who do not have neurotypical brains, may have traits or a clinical identification as autistic or any other neurodivergent catagory such as ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or other.
Fascia - connective tissue that encapsulates and weaves throughout the musculoskeletal systems and organs of the body and houses the nervous system.
Context:
In recent years, knowledge of different aspects of neurodivergent types, such as Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexia and more, has become increasingly wide spread and less stigmatised. Social media platforms such as TicTok and Instagram have rampantly spread information about what it means to have neurodivergent traits, enabling more people than ever to self identify, research, or even seek professional/clinical identification. Through this process, many of my peers, now working adults and parents, have found that they are not neurotypical, and are on an ever continuing journey to better reconcile what that means for them and their lives. In my own way, I have been coming to terms with my own Dyslexic brain, and am witnessing my cousin go through her own journey with Dyslexia.
In 2024, I undertook a training programme called Myofacial Unwinding (MFU) with the rennowned ‘fascia guru’ Beth Beauchamp to upskill my massage practice. Her training on this course successfully taught me and many other body work practitioners how to better use their intuition and deep listening to facilitate a more impactful yet gentle fascial release in clients. This teaching transformed my practice, and better prepared me for the complex yet inevitable conversations and practices that I experience with my clients who are enduring trauma, significant change/transformation, and grief. Facilitating a deepenning in a client’s interoception, is something I pride myself as being a cornerstone of my massage practice.
However, while these MFU practices typically worked well with my neurotypical clients, I continue to find roadblocks with these techniques in those who are or suspected to be neurodivergent. This is not a criticism of Beth Beauchamp’s teaching or work, in fact her work inspires me to deepen my own knowledge about all manner of things. These roadblocks are significant because neurodivergent individuals often experience a reduced capacity for interoception due to the way their brain and body process their sensory input, and the way their brain prioritizes what they might focus on. This study, Project Pāhekoheko, is an opportunity for me to better understand neurodivergent individuals, and to provide a safe space for my practice and the neurodivergent participants to learn more about how interoception works for them. This study is donation and self funded and independant, but I hope will lead to broader and continued learning around interoception and neurodivergence. This study is not a means for any individual to be assessed or catagorized under any neurodivergent catagory or diagnosis.
Hypothesis:
Interoception (and all aspects of mind-body connection) is an important part of how humans navigate ourselves and the world around us. For neurodivergent individuals, their interoception abilities are often limited or work differently to that of neurotypicals. Through this study, I will explore how massage can improve interoception for neurodivergent individuals and what that process needs to be in order to be consistently successful.
The measurables of neurodivergent interoception that I hypothesize to be improved through regular massage includes but are not limited to:
Increased (and more accurate) awareness of bodily sensation, eg tension/pain.
Positive/safe association with bodily sensation (related but not limited to building a healthier relationship with their body or with platonic intimacy).
Increased (and more accurate) awareness of bodily systems, eg breathing or hunger.
Increased engagement with parasympathetic nervous system and vagal nerve system(s), eg healthy self soothing or identifying/reducing chronic fight or flight response.
Increased capacity to accurately understand and process one’s own emotions and trauma.
While I believe that massage is an ideal medium to navigate the relationship between interoception and neurodivergence, there will be many ways that massage (or at least my specific massage practice) will need to adapt in order to better support the needs of neurodivergent clients. These accommodations will become part of my standard way of working as I build a more inclusive practice.
Gathering Data:
The first phase of this study is crutial to my foundational understanding, and that is for me to gather more data from a range of sources, about these measurables. For this reason, I have created The Quiz which I am inviting all of my clients to take. You do not have to be neurodivergent to complete The Quiz. Interoception and massage is a wonderful thing to have information about, no matter who you are. However, it is my goal to hear the perspectives from a diverse collection of individuals, in order to get a better scope of how these measurables intersect in real people’s lives. As reading and question answering can be a hurdle for some, I have included an audio version of both the information you are currently reading, as well as an audio version of The Quiz, here . I encourage written or verbal responses which includes informal chat during massage sessions.
You may complete The Quiz after as many massage sessions as you like and whenever it suits. The ideal time to complete The Quiz is within 48 hours (before or after) a massage session. If the online quiz format doesn’t work for you, an email with your answers is also useful. Getting information about your experiences over time, adds depth and nuance to my understanding of the relationship between regular massage and interoception. Every completed quiz is an automatic entry into my annual giveaway of 1x 90 Minute Massage, (to be drawn in January, 2026).
Conclusion & Project Goals
It is my intention to grow this project and further develop my massage practice along with it. It is my belief that when massage and all forms of health services are made more equitable and more inclusive, that we all thrive. It is my fascination and deep love for people that drives me to better my work. The better I can hone my craft to serve my clients, and by extension my community, the more fulfilled I feel in doing my job. Through massage, I feel that there is a unique opportunity to support individuals with neurodivergent challenges.
References & Recommended Reading
‘Unmasking Autism’, by Dr Devon Price, 2022
‘The Dyslexic Advantage (revised and updated)’, by Brock Eide MD and Fernette Eide MD, 2023
fasciaiq.com , Beth Beauchamp, 2024
‘The Body Keeps The Score’, by Bessel van der Kolk MD, reprinted 2015
‘Anatomy Trains’, by Thomas W Myers, 2020
Last updated: Jan, 2025