Isabelle Rizo C.Ht. Consulting Hypnotist

I’ve been gathering research this week on aphantasia—the experience of having little or no voluntary mental imagery.

It’s been a good reminder that we can’t assume everyone experiences their inner world in the same way.

Some people think in vivid images. Others think in words, sensations, movement, or concepts.

As an art psychotherapist, that’s important. It reminds me to stay curious rather than assume that an intervention that works for one person will work for everyone.

The more I read, the more convinced I become that good therapy begins with understanding how this particular person experiences their own mind.

I’m curious—when someone asks you to imagine an apple, what happens?

🍎 Do you see it?
💭 Think about it?
🌿 Feel it?
Or something else entirely?

Question: Why do so many patients I meet in hospital settings gravitate toward horror, spicy foods, intense sensory experiences, and dark humor?

This weekend’s art therapy readings led me to explore interoception, predictive processing, and the nervous system.

Here’s what stood out applicable to kid and adult brains:

1. The brain is constantly trying to predict the body.
Our brains aren’t simply reacting to the world—they’re continuously making predictions about what’s happening inside our bodies. Illness disrupts those predictions, making the body feel unfamiliar or unpredictable.

2. Strong sensory experiences create clear feedback.
Whether it’s spicy/sour food, loud music, textured art materials, or thrilling stories, intense sensory experiences can provide distinct bodily signals. For some children, this may feel more predictable than the uncertainty of illness.

3. Horror creates fear with boundaries.
Unlike medical procedures or an unpredictable diagnosis, scary movies and monster stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Fear becomes something they can approach voluntarily, pause, or laugh about with friends.

4. Art therapy offers another way to make the invisible visible.
When children draw monsters, create chaotic scribbles, sculpt strange creatures, or tell dark stories, they may be transforming overwhelming internal experiences into something they can observe, shape, and relate to. Rather than eliminating fear, the creative process can help contain it.

My clinical observation is that many hospitalized children aren’t necessarily seeking more fear—they may be seeking more agency over experiences that already feel intense.

I’d love to see future research explore this intersection between interoception, sensory seeking, imagination, and pediatric medical trauma.

What do you think?

Interoception: A Multi-Sensory Foundation of Participation in Daily Life (2022)

Interoception, Contemplative Practice, and Health

Altered Interoception and Its Role for the Co-occurrence of Chronic Pain and Mental Health Problems in Children

The Predictive Mind by Jakob Hohwy