Have you ever said, “I don’t even recognize myself anymore” — but your labs come back “normal”?
That gap between how you feel and what you can explain isn’t weakness. It has a name: interoception — the body’s hidden sense that helps you feel safe, centered, and alive. When menopause, neurodivergence, or trauma mutes that internal signal, your nervous system loses its compass. The result? Alexithymia, shutdown, and emotional disconnection.
In this conversation, Dr. Stacey Denise sits down with Dr. Kelly Mahler, award-winning occupational therapist and interoception researcher, to unpack the sensory and emotional truth behind why midlife can feel so flat — and what it takes to feel again.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
- What interoception is — and why it disappears in midlife
- How alexithymia shows up in high-functioning women
- Why trauma, stress, and ND masking blunt your body’s signals
- The difference between nourishing and numbing rituals
- Gentle ways to rebuild body trust and emotional access (no perfection required)
🎯 This Is For You If:
- You feel emotionally numb, flat, or “not yourself”
- You shut down under stress or can’t explain how you feel
- You’ve been told “everything looks normal” — but it isn’t
- You’re navigating menopause and feeling disconnected from your body
- You’re ND, sensory-sensitive, or just deeply tired of powering through
What is The Nervous System Eats First: Autism Spectrum, Menopause & Beyond?
The Nervous System Eats First is the podcast for neurodivergent, high-functioning women navigating menopause, fatigue, emotional numbness, and intimacy loss. Created especially for Black women, women of color, and others whose nervous systems were never centered — each episode blends science, sensory rituals, and story to help you reset energy, reclaim emotional clarity, and restore intimacy without shame. Hosted by Dr. Stacey Denise — The Neuroaesthetic MD™ — this show offers candid conversations, evidence-based insights, and embodied rituals designed for sensitive, creative women in midlife.
Because regulation isn’t a reward — it’s the requirement.