Healing the nervous system from trauma is one of the most important thing I’ve done for myself. It is also the biggest aspect of my one-to-one work. Teaching those who work with me how to heal the nervous system so that they can access more joy on a regular basis.
At some point along my journey, I realized that I had been stuck in fight/flight for most of my life. That high functioning anxiety keeping me stuck in that desperate state where there was never enough time felt horrible.
What is the nervous system?
The nervous system is what governs your body. It controls all thought, learning, and memory. It’s constantly working to move you back to homeostasis where all systems are in working order operating smoothly.
There are three aspects to your nervous system:
1) Central nervous system which is made up of the brain and spinal cord;
2) Peripheral nervous system which is made up of the nerves that send messages back and forth to the central nervous system from the autonomic nervous system;
3) Autonomic nervous system which is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
The autonomic system is primarily what I am referring to when I talk about regulation. It is the aspect that governs your fight or flight response.
Nervous system regulation
When I talk about having a regulated nervous system I always mean having choices around your responses. If we are regulated it takes away the shame of reacting. When we are reacting is so often means that we are out of body and out of control. Nervous system regulation means responding. Being able to maintain our composure but not in a frozen, disassociated manner.
In this super busy, bigger, faster, louder world we live in, most of us have nervous system dysregulation. We are not designed to have lights shining 24/7 or to be engaged with screens for such long periods of time. As human beings we are not meant to be stressed out running from one thing to the other all the time.
Our nervous systems do best when they have ample time to rest, rejuvenate, and settle. We need time and space to process ideas and understand concepts. Learning and growth needs space.
Looking at the animal kingdom there are many examples of animals having their nervous systems activated. Some examples are cats and birds who puff themselves up, dogs who bark or growl, and possums who play dead. In all of these cases, once the threat is gone and their nervous system comes back online and regulates itself. The animals shake off this activated state and move on with their day.
Us humans however, have forgotten how to shake it off. We have forgotten how to come back to our bodies and instead are in a constant state of activation.
Symptoms of an overstimulated nervous system
When our nervous system is activated or dysregulated there are many symptoms that can show up in our body.
These include, but are not limited to, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, high blood pressure, and or digestive problems. This list is just a few of the ways that our body talks to us. In the western medicine modal we find ourselves searching for a band aid to mask these symptoms rather than actually addressing the root cause. When we work with the nervous system it becomes much easier to find regulation.
Over the long term this increased stress creates increased cortisol production which then taxes our organs and it also has an effect on our adrenal glands.
How to heal a dysregulated nervous system from trauma
Understanding how to heal the nervous system will change everything in your life. Once you are aware of how often your autonomic nervous system is being triggered, you can then begin to create more safety in your body. Noticing what triggers you under which conditions is incredible information for you to utilize in your healing journey.
My favorite methods of healing and supporting the nervous system are EFT Tapping, Yoga, and spending time in nature. Each of these pieces played a role in supporting me to find nervous system regulation.
I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am on my own though. This is exactly why I do this work. I want to ensure that sensitive and empathic souls are supported in finding regulation so that they can get out into the world and do the work they came here to do. I believe that we are the canaries of our time and are here to help guide this world to the 5D reality.
If you want to find out more about the work I do, I’d love to hop on a call and get to know you better and see if working together might be a good fit.
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I can’t wait to meet you!